By: Stephanie Doheny
Features Editor
Losing a friend can be difficult. Especially if you considered them to be your best friend. This person was someone you never thought you would grow apart from, yet some how, they are slowly disappearing into the past as you get older.
Have you ever lost a best friend? Or even thought about what that term really means? Merriam Webster Dictionary defines a best friend as “one’s closest and dearest friend.” It’s so much more than that.
I recently went through the loss of a best friend… and I can honestly say it was one of the hardest decisions I have had to make. We had been friends since freshman year of high school and she has been there for me in so many tough situations. From first breakups to fights with my parents, this girl was there through the thick and thin. However, over the past year, I started to notice we were growing apart and it felt like I was the only one in the friendship trying to reach out and make it work.
I kept trying to hold on, see how I could make it work, but no matter what, it felt like my “best friend” just didn’t seem to make an effort in our friendship. Recently, we talked and everything was somehow my fault. I didn’t make time to go and see her at her school, I was not there for her when she needed me, even though I thought I was, and saying how I prioritized my friends at school more than I did her.
Throughout the conversation, some of the things she claimed were extremely hurtful. I thought to myself “this girl is my best friend and she isn’t willing to see my side.” I think that’s when I fully realized how I hadn’t suddenly lost my “best friend,” I started to lose her a while ago.
Friendships are about being there for each other in the best way you think possible. In my opinion, like any relationship, friendships are a two-way street. Both people have to be willing to make a decent effort to make it work.
While this experience has made me extremely upset, it has definitely made me realize and learn some things. As we get older, go through college, get our first dream jobs, etc., there are unfortunately going to be times where a person,\ or people, you thought would be there for you, simply aren’t.
Although I lost a “best friend,” I realized how important the friends I have made and have here at Sacred Heart are. Although some of the friendships here have only been for two or three years, we bond over so many things that I now can’t imagine my life without them.
So, to my best friend from high school… although we have grown apart and may not talk, know that I still always want the best for you and hope you get everything you deserve in life. To all of my friends at SHU, the close ones and just the smiling faces in the hall, thank you for all of your continuous support and love through everything my life decides to throw at me. You know who you are and I could never imagine the rest of my life without you.
