I grew up in Delaware and now have lived in NC for over 20 years but have many close friends still there who I miss all the time. In high school we had a tight knit group who shared everything from laughter, tears , breakups with boyfriends to future plans when it was time to go to college and go our separate ways.
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I was one of the few who ventured out of state to go to college at the University of Tennessee-Knoxville. During holidays & summer breaks we would all reconnect but soon after graduation I moved to a new city for a job opportunity and lost touch for a long while. It was before cell phones (Gasp!!) and the easy ability to stay plugged in. Then came marriage, a move back to Tennessee to Nashville and eventually kids. All of these competing for my time and staying in contact with my besties from high school virtually dropped off.
Once email became mainstream and computers, I did a little better but still living far away but now in North Carolina, it was still hard. Even when I would travel back to Delaware to see my family it was always a guilt ridden push & pull with time spent with family vs finding time to reconnect with my friends. Family mostly won out over the next 15 years because as a working single parent our visits to my home state were few and my time limited.
I managed to stay in touch here and there but always felt out of the loop because of my distance but the introduction of social media helped tremendously allowing me to feel like I was part of their daily lives and it felt good. Once again, I could share in their joys and accomplishments now as mothers, wives and professionals. #Facebook in particular brought me the ability to be close to “my” girls ( you know who you are) again and I felt closer than ever even with all the miles between us. I loved seeing the posts of ”girls nights out” but longed to be closer and attend with everyone else who for the most part all lived in the same general vicinity in Delaware or just over the Pennsylvania line close to one another.
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After our 30th class reunion a few years back and seeing everyone in person together it felt as no time had passed. Yes, we were all a little wiser, a little older but it was almost like picking right back up where we left off. It made the ache of leaving ”home” and going back to NC even harder after the reunion.
Fast forward to the global pandemic and the rise of #virtualhappyhours. I can’t tell you how heartwarming and invigorating it has been to be able to share these calls with my friends. For them it is a way to stay connected when unable to do a ‘girls night out” but for me it feels like I am part of the social scene once again and feel a renewed connection that even Facebook can’t provide. I am basically getting to do a ”girls night out” and it makes me giddy. Thanks #Zoom for helping make #virtualhappyhour a thing & reconnecting best friends over the miles.
Thanks & #StayCurious
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