I haven’t seen Ellen since the end of August, for we attend colleges on opposite sides of the country. She lives in New York City, buys snacks at bodegas, and chomps down her bagel breakfast from Bagel Bob’s every morning before class. I live in Los Angeles, did not know what a bodega was until my August visit, and could not spit my order out fast enough at Bagel Bob’s to even warrant service.
Needless to say, our college environments are very different, and we have become very distinct people. She has become more straightforward and status-oriented, while I have become more practical and open-minded. She wears faux-leather jackets and wants to start shopping at J. Crew; I am happy enough with H&M’s prices and do not foresee buying clothes that cost over $100 per sweater.
But today, upon our Christmas Day reunion, the differences don’t really seem to matter. All that matters is that she is here. When I am at UCLA, Ellen is something I conceptualize, “my best friend from home”. But now, Ellen is literally in front of my face. At first, I got the feeling you get when you follow a celebrity’s life from afar and then realize one day that you’re seeing them drinking coffee just a few feet away from you. It was almost surreal.
At around nine ‘o clock at night, we exchanged presents and proceeded to share what has happened to us over the past four months. She has been working to balance school with play in New York; I have been struggling with the same juggling act in L.A. She has been recruiting for finance in New York; I have been doing the same in L.A. She has been dealing with crazy roommates; I love my roommate (no similarity there!). Regardless, I feel that we still have that unique connection, where our minds travel rapidly to the same point of contention, where it’s fair game to whip out one’s iPhone to google pronunciation of “finance”, “echelon”, and the correct definition of “cognitive dissonance”. We greet disagreements with laughs and casual insults, and we’re doing nothing but talking — it’s fun, great fun — when I realize how much I’ve missed her.
Ellen is smart, not in an intellectual way but in an approachable way, which makes her all the more likable. She also offers really good advice, and she persuades me to understand what I am thinking in multiple dimensions. She analyzes as fast as I do, and helps me to connect the dots when I cannot make the connection. I have missed sharing details of my life and expanding my circle of knowledge with her.
It was heartwarming to realize that the distance hasn’t destroyed our friendship at all. The moment we saw each other, we were able to engage in interesting, dynamic conversation. We could immediately cut past the pleasantries and talk about what was real to us. It was as if not a day had past since last I had seen Ellen at school or grabbed coffee with her at Starbucks; our lives still, surprisingly, mesh together. We still speak in the same language, and that makes me really happy.
It’s crazy, the things that change when you’re apart. Bangs grow out, individuals lose or gain weight, relationships come and go or are in various states of disarray. But the foundation of our friendship, the idea that, no matter where you go, I will be beside you, remains.
It really was a lovely Christmas Day.
One Lovely Day 
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