By the middle of April, most of my high school classmates had given up on learning anything. The ‘Senioritis’ was real. Most of my teachers understood this fact and opted to share their advice about life after we walked across the stage in May. The number one thing that almost every adult stressed was that the friendships that we had now probably wouldn’t exist in four years. Every time we heard this, we laughed. “Yeah right. Our friendships are stronger than you think. We’ll show you.”

. . . Four Years Later

I can count on one hand the number of people I still talk to from high school. And by talk to I mean catch up with every time the season changes.

If you’d told me this four years ago, I would’ve laughed in your face. Naïve, young, and determined to prove everyone wrong, I wanted to be the exception to the rule. Now, when people ask me how old friends are, I usually have to reference what I’ve seen on Facebook. Sometimes when I’m driving around my hometown, the memories come flooding back, as I think about the amount of time I’d spent at someone’s house, or at Waffle House, or in the football stands with people I’d known since the 3rd grade. I will always cherish the moments I’ve shared with them, and I recognize that each person played a specific role in shaping me into who I am today.

But those are just memories. I’ve learned that quality over quantity isn’t just a saying. I have learned about the importance of having a small group of friends that I can count on for everything, rather than a large group of friends that I can count on occasionally.

It’s an important lesson in life – learning that some people aren’t placed in your life to grow with you. They are there for a season. It is also important to recognize that the people who support you, tell you the truth when you need to hear it, and encourage you to pursue your dreams, are the people worth keeping.

Now, I don’t expect to stay in contact with everyone I meet. I graduated from college knowing that there were some people that I’d gotten extremely close with, that I probably wouldn’t ever talk to again. And that’s okay.

Life is short. Cherish the memories you’ve made, and live for the memories you’ll make in the future.