Nate Smith | Broadcast Reporter
As I made the transition from high school senior to college freshman this summer, I was given a myriad of advice that ranged anywhere from what classes to take to how to become an expert in the art of taking the perfect nap. Although I got plenty of useful advice that I am more than thankful for, there was one piece of advice that I didn’t take, despite the fact that it was given to me time and time again. “Don’t try and hold on to your high school or home relationships, they never work out in the end.”
The first time I heard this tidbit of advice I didn’t think anything of it, it was just another tip that blended into the sea of guidance that everyone tried to give me before I left for college. Then I got that advice from a second person and a third and a fourth.
Naturally, I began to think about what that really meant. Was it nothing other than a problem of distance and time, or was it something more? The more I thought about it, the more sense it made. It’s only logical that people begin to grow apart as they get busier and move further and further away from each other.
Some people relish the opportunity to turn a new leaf and have the relationships that once played prominent roles in their lives fade away. However, I was the complete opposite. At home I have a family that couldn’t be any better, a girlfriend that I love to pieces and a friend group that is apart of my family in every sense of the word. Considering the fact that I hold all of these people very near and dear to my heart, and I have a tendency to be as stubborn as an ox, there was no way that I was letting these relationships fade.
So I made a promise to myself.
I promised myself that I would do everything in my power to keep all of these people in my life. That sounds like some dramatic, sweeping declaration akin to the epiphany the main character in a movie would have, but it really wasn’t. It was quite simple actually — all I had to do was text, Snapchat and call my loved ones every day, which was something that I did even when I was at home.
That’s what I did. Everyday I do everything from FaceTimeing my girlfriend to sending my friends Twitter memes just to make sure that they understand that even though I’m 184 miles away from good old Porter, Texas, I certainly haven’t forgotten about my family.
When it comes to matters of the heart, there’s no amount of time or distance that a little bit of effort and love can’t make up for.
