Separation


Have you ever had a best friend who was more than just your best friend? Have you ever had a best friend who was like a brother or a sister to you? If you said yes, have you ever been separated from that person for a long period of time? Did that time frame drive you insane? Again, if you have experienced this, you will understand just how hard it is to be apart from that person. There is a quotation that reads as follows, “Even though we are miles apart from each other, nothing will ever change the feeling that I have for you. You mean everything to me, and I’d be lost without you.” I believe that quotation speaks more than a million words about how much someone can mean to you. To me, being apart from somebody who is a massive part of your life has to be one of the worst feelings that a person could ever have to endure.

I am proud to say that I can consider myself one of the few people who would be completely lost without my best friend. My best friend is actually more like a brother to me. He is always there for me when I need him. No matter how pathetic, dumb, or worthless my stories can be, he always thoroughly listens to each one. He looks out for me 24 hours of the day, 7 days a week, almost like it’s his actual job. It’s hard for me to believe that he still endures me almost every single day. Just like in every relationship in the world, there have been rough spots along the way. There have been several times that I have become upset with him because I thought that he was being unfair to me. However, I could never stay mad at him for more than a few days. I got over being upset with him because I realized everything he was doing was to protect me, as well as to simply try to allow me to see the full truth. He is always honest with me and tells me exactly what he thinks, no matter if it is what I want to hear or not. It has taken me over a year to realize, but our friendship is to the point where he almost knows me better than I do. When I’m upset, I don’t even have to tell him because he already knows. If I’m really happy, he wants to know every detail that I could possibly spare him. He truly is the rock that holds me together on my worst nights.

I believe our relationship is something rare and very special. We have been best friends for over three years. The most unique concept in our friendship is the distance between the two of us. Before I tell you the number of miles, I want you to try to imagine these next concepts as I say them, like you’re taking a step into my shoes. Imagine that the only way you could get ahold of your best friend was through a form of social media or writing. Imagine having to wait hours upon hours, just to be able to spill the secrets you’ve been dying to share. Imagine what it would be like to have to worry about how you would find out if something happened to your best friend. Another point to imagine is simply just how hard it is to be apart, knowing how much the distance hurts, but at the same time trying to play cool and acting as if the pain of the separation doesn’t affect you. I’m going to ask you to imagine one last idea, and the last idea is simply how hard it is to know that you may never actually be able to be with your best friend. Now that you’ve put a little thought into what this relationship is based upon, I will tell you the miles that separate me from my best friend. There are about 639 miles between us. When you really think about the distance, the awareness can be frightening. There can be horrible things going on with the other person that you aren’t even aware of. You never really know just what is going on where the other person is, and all you can do is sit back and wait for the next time he or she talks to you. Being far apart is a constant game of worry and relief.

The reason why I gave you all of this information is because of something I have been wishing for, which is to be able to visit my best friend. I have thought about this opportunity for as many years as the two of us have been best friends. Since I know that I wouldn’t be anywhere close to where I am today without him, I feel as if I owe him a proper thank you. One simple thank you can go a very long way. As many times as I tell him over the phone, through text, or any other way, I feel as if that thank you doesn’t mean as much as it should. Being able to meet up with my best friend would be an absolute dream come true.
At the moment, there are three obvious ways that I believe that I could make my goal of seeing him work and come true. The first way this could work is for me to go with my dad to Indianapolis in a few months for a business trip. Indianapolis is only 223 miles away from where he lives in Toledo, Ohio. There would only be 3 hours and 30 minutes between the two of us if I was in Indianapolis. That would be almost no miles compared to the distance that we are familiar with now. If I could actually travel with my dad on his business trip, I would be able to make everything else happen. For example, I could stay in Indianapolis and my friend could make the drive over and we could “explore” the city as well as catch up. It could also go the route of me driving to Toledo, or we could even meet up half way between the two cities. The second way I think this could work out would be for him to travel to Wisconsin after he gets out of school. The third and final way this could actually happen would be for me to travel to Ohio after school is over. I believe that this year, or summer, would be the prime time for us to be together, considering that he is a senior and will be graduating soon. We have talked about what we would do and just how awesome each situation would be if they were to come true. No matter which scenario you look at, you can see how it is possible that it could actually play out. This is something that I really would like to happen. It’s on the very top of my bucket list, my to do list, and every other list I have. I’m not too sure what I would do with my life if I could not see him at some point.

There is a disorder called separation anxiety disorder that is caused from being isolated from specific peers that have a rather large impact on their life. A time that you can commonly find separation anxiety is when a teenager is going through a stressful time. One of the worst times for a teenager to go through is when they are separated from their best friend. It becomes even worse when the two are far apart and cannot help that. Another thing that can be really challenging is when the two are so used to being able to tell each other everything, but since they are only connected through social media, they can’t always keep up with one another. With my best friend always playing such a big role in my life, and us always being so far apart, I think there is a slight possibility for me to get the disorder.

Most people have experienced a few days or even a few weeks away from their best friends, but when you have always been far apart, it becomes worse. The distance can even seem to get in the way of your everyday living. I would truly love to be able to meet up with my best friend, even if it is only for a short period of time. To me, any time I could spend with him would be better than no time at all. I think that being able to have that experience would build me as a person. If I could be so lucky as to be able to meet up with him I would be even more grateful than I already am. When I talk to him I feel as if I can do anything and nothing can ever stop me from being free in the world. He has so much faith in me. I feel that if I didn’t have anyone else in my life, I still would be alright. I would go to great lengths to help him and meet him, just as I know that he would for me. I am going to leave you with one last quotation that truly seems to fit our relationship perfectly. The quotation really speaks to me as well as it gets the point across that distance does not matter and sometimes distance can help build and make a relationship stronger than it ever was before. The quotation is, “But your best friend is still your best friend. Even from half a world away. Distance can’t sever that connection. Best friends are the kind of people who can survive anything. And when best friends see each other again, after being separated by half a world and more miles than you think you can bear, you pick up right where you left off. After all, that’s what best friends do.”