Now Boarding

Here's a short poetic letter I wrote for one of my cherished best friends; she left for her freshman year of college yesterday and I wanted to send her a sweet, personal goodbye message. To her: I love you!

Now Boarding

The final bell has rung, and now you're leaving.

Who am I to give advice and consolidation when I haven't heard it chime? Someone who loves you.

I don't know what's going through your head as you wait at your gate; your veins pulse with anticipation, a few red fear cells and a few white hope cells dotting their path.

The field of economics includes the almighty concept of tradeoffs; you seem to be quite familiar with it.

You are trading your family for a new one, all your new friends and professors who want to see you grow and succeed.

You are trading your bedroom's comically egotistic bat mitzvah portraits for those of a girl on the precipice of adulthood, shedding her barely pubescent purple gown for powerful purple wings. Fly high.

You are not trading your past self for who you will become over the next four years. You are carrying her with you, constantly learning and growing from her as you grow into your best self.

Some words of advice:

Ask for help. You're a proud girl, but you're paying for an exceptional education. Make your professors earn their three cents.

Reach out to new people. It doesn't have to be lonely at the top. Choose your family wisely.

I selfishly ask for you to call me every once in a while, if only to hear your voice.

I'm currently silently crying, because I am so very happy for you and will miss you every day.

Most importantly, always remember this: you deserve this. You deserve this as much as everybody else, no matter how much smarter you think they are. You deserve this.

I love you. Wave through your plane window and I promise I'll always wave back.