Letting Go of a Best Friend

Letting go of a best friend. That’s the kind of thing that hits you like a punch to the gut.

It’s like your whole world suddenly gets a little smaller. And the inside jokes, the 2:00 AM, the endless trips to Starbucks that somehow always end up at a Target.

Suddenly, those things feel like a treasure from a different lifetime. It’s wild, too. You never really think you’ll have to let go.

That friend that is supposed to show up for you at 3:00 AM when your life is falling apart. The one you talk to about everything and about nothing.

But sometimes people change. Life throws curveballs. Paths start diverging, and without even realizing it, you’re standing at the crossroads of “I love you but we’re not in the same chapter anymore.”

And it’s not like there is a dramatic goodbye moment. Instead, it’s just like a subtle shift. Texts become fewer. Hangouts become feeling forced. And suddenly you realize you are holding onto someone who deep-down, you know is meant to move forward, but without you.

And it hurts. Because part of you wondered if it’s your fault. Maybe it’s something you did or didn’t do. But deep-down, you know it’s just like doing a thing.

People grow – and sometimes they grow apart. Letting go of a best friend isn’t the same as letting go of an acquaintance. You’re letting go of someone who held a piece of your heart for years.

Someone who saw you at your work, and still showed up. But in a weird way, it’s also an act of love – you let them go so that they can keep growing. Even if it means doing it without you.

It’s not a clean break, though. It’s messy. You’ll still have those moments when you’ll see something that reminds you of them, and your heart will ache a little. But you’ll always have the quiet gratitude for the memories: the laughter, the lessons, the adventures.

Because even though they are not in your life the same way, they are still a part of you.

And one day, maybe, you’ll find each other again – or maybe not. Either way it’s okay.

The love doesn’t just disappear. It evolves.

And so do you.