I sit down in seat 17A, right above the wing of the plane and look around. There are hundreds of people that I do not know, nor will ever get a chance to know. The airplane hums to life as the engine begins to push the 2000 pound mass down the runway. The plane accelerates speed as it is lifted into the sky, leaving the familiar ground and entering into the unfamiliar, open sky. During the flight I interact casually with the steward or stewardess, but never personally. Occasionally, I sit next to a person that I can relate to and connect with, talking to them practically the entire time we are in the air, surprised and slightly sad when hearing the pilot’s voice come from the intercom, telling everyone to “Put your tray tables up and your seat in the upright position for landing,” indicating a near end to the conversation so thoroughly enjoyed. When the flight is over, you’re forced to go separate ways, but will remember that person making some sort of impact on your life, whether it b a small or large one, making your journey memorable.

Throughout our lives, we go through a variety of change. Sometimes we are forced to transition from the familiar to the unknown, but there will always be people who impact our lives wherever we go. When I decided to go to ASU, I knew that I would not know anyone once I left Tennessee for Arizona, and that I’d have to start my life from scratch once more. The only thing I was familiar with was the fact that I was transitioning from the familiar, to the unfamiliar. I’ve meet hundreds of people in my life; I keep in touch with some, but many become a blur of faces, blending in with the rest of the people that I meet. Making close friends is difficult when you constantly and unexpectedly have to move, something I was accustomed to growing up as an army brat. However, there are a few people that have been etched into my memory, making a permanent impact. Many of my friendships would take off, but would come to an end with promises of “keeping in touch,” slowly descending after one of us moved away and the status of being “best friends” would end, disappearing as we disappeared from each other’s lives.

My best friend lives in Tennessee, and before I left for college, I had to say goodbye to her. It was a hard thought knowing that after spending practically every day with her for the past year and a half, we would have to go without seeing each other for months at a time. I was worried that such a great friendship would end, just like the many others I had been a part of. Seven and a half months later, we still talk every day. We are still able to relate to each other and each other’s lives despite not having seen each other for such a long time. Unlike the many other friendships that had a small impact on me, this friendship has and has had a large one. Our friendship has yet to descend, the captain’s voice still unheard from the speakers telling the passengers to, “Put your tray tables up and your seat in the upright position for landing,” signaling the end of a long journey, but I doubt that will ever happen.