third year nicolas horne

Friendship in college is weird. Each year, thousands of naive adolescents migrate into a social hub looking for new communities and relationships that they can flourish in. It’s a magical time of discovery for most of us, but what happens after four or five years? Sure, some of us will stay in touch, but distance is hard. Adulthood is busy, and the bittersweet truth is many of us will be starting new lives at this point, trying to make new friends. Yet, many of our friendships come with expiration dates.

On the surface, it seems sad, and it isn’t just at the end of four years. Looking back, so many friendships I’ve cultivated in college have already passed their peaks. It feels wrong that I haven’t talked to my freshman dorm roommate in over a year. It’s weird passing faces I used to see every day only to realize it’s been three semesters since we’d last laid eyes on each other. Slowly but surely, my Instagram feed is turning into a yearbook. Friendship is fleeting.

Friendship is Fleeting. I guess that doesn’t necessarily have to be bad; it can be a sign for growth and continuation of life. Maybe friendship is still and only seeming to be fleeting because we ourselves are moving forward on our own paths. People colloquially like to say their friends are their “rocks” or “anchors” holding them down. Could we more accurately, more endearingly say our friends are bridges on our paths, helping us connect parts of our lives? Not all friendships are the Golden Gate, but even small bridges are needed to travel over creeks. What’s important is that we never lose appreciation for those people in our lives who have been our bridges, even if we are no longer on them.

the Bridges i travel