Making new friends in Small Town, SA is virtually impossible, as new and interesting people don't move here, they move out. Far out. Once you turn 18 and get your golden ticket for finishing high school, young adults leave the safety of the small town and move to the city to fulfill their dreams. Most of them don't ever return but a few do come back, loyal to the hometown that raised them. I am one of those few patriots. After four years in the Big City, I came back to the place that will always be my sanctuary.
The hardest part about leaving the city was leaving all my friends behind. I feared that living hundreds of kilometers away from social civilization would mean that our relationships would change. They would still get together and hang out every weekend as usual, while I lived a solitary small town life. They would be there for each other at every turn and exciting milestone, while I would miss out on every delightful memory. I was afraid that their lives would all move on, without me. Their recollection of me would slowly fade away, we would lose touch over the years, have absolutely nothing in common anymore and eventually, all we would be are just random strangers. When I look back now, I realise that all my fears were unwarranted and I should've had fate in the foundation of true friendship.
As we all live in different parts of the country, I only get to see some of my best friends once every few years. Each time we meet, it's as though nothing has changed between us. We're still the same group of lively, giggly, gossipy girls; just slightly older and a little more wiser. We can spend hours filling each other in on our current lives and laugh, cry and cringe as we reminisce about the past. So much has happened in our lives during the time in between, but the bonds of sisterhood remain as strong as ever. Lives have moved on, we're up, we're down, sometimes lost, but always found again. We've experienced life, love, loss, failure, success, complications and conquests. All this may have changed who we are as individuals, but it hasn't changed who we are to each other. Caring confidantes, considerate companions, sympathetic sisters and selfless soul mates.
Sometimes, we are lucky enough to meet a few precious people in our lives, who leave their imprints on our hearts and make an extraordinary and everlasting impression on us. These are the most special kind of friends; and even though you only get to see them every 2 years, it feels as though not a day has passed since you were apart. If you've also had the good fortune of meeting such supportive and inspiring souls; hold on to them, as friends like these are few and far between.