Old Friends

You know that song that goes like, “make new friends, but keep the old; one is silver and the other’s gold”? Ever since I was little I have always tried to figure out which friends were the silver and which were the gold. It makes logical sense because of the order of the song that the new friends are silver and the old friends are gold, and obviously, gold is worth more. If that is what the song really does mean, that kind of bothers me. The way I look at it is that every old friend was once a new friend, therefore, all of your friends are gold. I would hate to think that those new friends I made this summer are simply silver in comparison, so that is how I think of the song.

But, there is something about those friends who are the old ones; the ones who are a part of your history and characters during special moments of your life as the younger you. There is even something more special about those old friends who were a part of your past and are still a part of your present. I am ever so thankful for those girls.

All reasoning and logic would tell someone that after high school, a group of friends won’t be able to sustain what they once had. I am here to tell you that me and my friends A.) love a challenge and B.) love to win, therefore, there was no way we would not remain friends after high school. It is kind of fun beating the odds, and we for sure did.

It has been three years since we graduated and since we said goodbye as we left for different colleges wondering if we would ever really have what we had since 7th grade. I am here three years later to tell you that what we have is even better than what we had in 7th grade.
Tonight, four of us were sitting in Adair’s hot tub, like we have so many times before. As we climbed into the tub, we laughed as we thought about how many boys we have talked about in that very hot tub. 6 girls x 9 years = a lot of boys. Do you think he likes me? What does it mean when he sent me a text like this? When he brushed my arm at dinner did that mean anything? I think I like him…how do I let him know this? When is he going to kiss me? What if I do something stupid on our first date? Questions and analyzing and listening to voicemails left by our wonderful, nervous boys of the past over and over again (poor guys didn’t know that we did in fact share some of those voicemails with our closest friends) were definitely conversations we have been having for years now. Of course now the conversations are more like, when do you think he will propose? Do you want to get married next summer?

Crazy. That is what is beautiful about those old friends. They know all about your past; your first crushes, the tests you failed, the times you didn’t get the part you wanted in a play, your first date, your first kiss, the silly fights with your parents, your driver’s test, the football games, the bonfires. They are the ones who drove to your house at night when you got in some fight with your boyfriend and brought you ice cream, the ones who would listen to you over analyze every move, the ones who knew when you really loved that special guy, the ones who have seen you cry so hard you can’t breathe, the ones who hurt when you hurt, and cry for you. The ones who you have spent countless hours chatting online, painting rooms, making silly videos in the middle of the night, buying clothes with. They have that special key to your past and hold it tightly and unlock it when necessary. You can laugh and cry with them. They have seen the times when you were at the lowest you could ever be. They have seen you be completely insane, and love you anyway.

That is the beauty of old friends. Sometimes, I miss the old days, especially senior year. Innocent, unknowing, free, and probably crazy. Then, moments like tonight, when nothing has changed, and yet everything has changed, come along. And I remember the past with a touch of sadness and longing and with deep, loud laughs. But I also feel the present and look around and see these girls who have been my best friends since I was twelve and how we are making memories even still…and I can honestly say that things could not get any better than this.
So, to those girls, whose friendship is even deeper and better than it ever was before. For all of the laughs, the cries, the encouragement, the cards, the prayers, the dancing, the late night chats, the ice cream, and the jokes that never get old. For the past and for the present now, thank you.