Relationships: Absence Makes the Heart Grow Fonder

Seeing as how “relationships” is such a broad topic, I think this is definitely going to be the most difficult blog yet. Any one person could spend a lifetime writing about relationships, in general, and never run out of things to write about. There are so many areas of our lives that take “relationships” into account; there are romantic relationships (which is probably what most people think of right away when they think of relationships), family relationships, friendships, relationships between teachers and students, etc.

All types of relationships undergo some type of change (whether it be good or bad) at some point, especially during and after the transition from high school to college.  As far as my relationship with my family goes, I’ve actually found that we’ve been able to get along a lot better since I started living in a dorm away from home. When I was still in high school, we would argue at least once a day about something. Now, on the occasional weekend that I come home, there’s rarely any arguing that takes place, and we actually enjoy seeing each other a lot more. It seems that being away from home makes my grandparents, my mom, and I appreciate each other a lot more.

I think my relationships with my high school friends have become more precious since I left home and not so much just something I used to take for granted. Now, we really make the most of every time we’re able to hang out, since there’s so much less time that we’re able to spend with each other. I really do wish I was able to see my friends now more than I am. Now, all the times we hang out are planned around what weekends I’m coming home, since I’m the only one out of my really close friends that’s living in a dorm.

Even my relationship with my boyfriend has become stronger since I left home. I really did think that it was going to be the other way around. I think the fact that we don’t have as much time for each other anymore has made us realize how important we are to each other. I truly believe in the saying, “Absence makes the heart grow fonder.” Now that he has 2 jobs and is about to be going back to school, and now that I’m in college, I think our relationship has become less boring, and everytime we see each other now, we’re a lot more excited, since that doesn’t happen as often. Near the end of my senior year, my boyfriend had actually broken up with me , because we didn’t have that same “spark” anymore. (In other words, I think I had been too “clingy.”) But then, we actually got back together at Prom (we still went together, since we had already gotten our tickets), because I think he realized we wouldn’t be able to enjoy the same time we had spent with each other the rest of that year, and that I wouldn’t have any chance to be “clingy,” once I got to college.

So I guess this is an expression of my gratitude to college for strengthening the relationships of my life.

-Ashley Tune