Not everyone keeps in touch with friends from high school. Some of my very closest friends today are from college or adulthood, and those friendships are invaluable to me.
But having my 20+ year high school best friends still as my best friend is a pretty magical relationship. I think it’s because someone who knows you that long already knows the history. They know what made you cry in 10th grade, who and where you first fell in love, what you struggled with in college, and all the bumps and bruises along the way. You don’t have to preface any story with a back-story because they already know it all (and were there for most of it!)
This type of friend can make you laugh til you cry. They know your hot buttons and what to say when you’re just having a really bad day. They also know when to push you to pick it back up and get moving because they know your boundaries and your opportunities.
My best friend is a lot of things to a lot of people. But in my heart, she’s still the same 14-year-old who giggled with me in the locker room at dance camp. She knows the best and worst parts of me, and I know hers too. We’re family and we’ve been together a long, long time. We have always abided by a judgment-free zone: I really can say anything to her. Everyone deserves a person like that.
These days our conversations are more centered around marriage, raising children, running businesses, dealing with homework and reading levels, maybe an occasional beauty tip. The topics have shifted but the connection has held fast.
My high school best friend is my adulthood best friend. I know just how rare and special that is, and I’m very blessed to call her mine.