Sisterhood of the Traveling Necklace: The only way to keep in touch after high school

It’s been said to me that it’s a lot easier to leave than be left behind. I’ve never had that statement ring so true than when I was at the airport having to say goodbye to my best friend before she left to go to school over a thousand miles away in Miami. What, exactly, had the appeal been for her to go so far away? Sure, the weather is close to perfect, there’s a beach and they’re a Division I school, but how did all of that compare when she had to leave me behind?

I’d worried, of course, that we’d lose touch. The two of us were part of a small group of friends who liked to do everything together and she was the only one of us who ended up going out of state. What would we have to relate to each other anymore when she was practically on her own planet?

The answer, friends, comes from “The Necklace” (capitalization necessary). Taking inspiration from one of the greatest young adult books and movies of our generation, “Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants,” my five other friends and I hatched a scheme that would keep us in contact better than any of those other suckers who had only Facebook between them. Our idea: a traveling necklace. But not just any necklace, no, if we’re going to be cheesy we might as well go all the way. We bought a heart-shaped necklace at Things Remembered and engraved “Wish You Were Here” with stars on the back so that the wearer would never forget where it came from (aww). The necklace was to be passed among the six of us, each taking it for a couple weeks at a time before sending it on.

We got to thinking though, how is a necklace going to tell what we’ve been up to since we’ve had it? It was then that we added “The Journal,” a flowery, girly number from Target in which we highlight our greatest accomplishments, our saddest failures and our most unforgettable experiences. Some entries are funny, some are serious, but they all are distinctly us. I couldn’t ask for a better group of friends to keep in touch with and I know that the (actually hand-written!) memories that we shared will be topics of conversation long after we graduate.

You don’t have to be as lame (or extremely cool, whatever you think) as my friends and I are by passing around a necklace across the country. The moral of my story really is just to remind you all that even though it might seem devastating that you and your friends will be going your separate ways when going off to school, sometimes getting away can bring you all closer. So, keep in touch and don’t forget where you came from.

Until next time,

Laura the Intern
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