Dear Sidney,

My boyfriend and I graduated from Rim High two weeks ago and we’re both on our way to college. Unfortunately, he is heading back east to his dad’s alma mater and I’m staying here with my parents and attending junior college.

Sidney, we’re very much in love. What should be an exciting time for us is the saddest time for us. We’ve been best friends since first meeting on the beach at Lake Gregory in 2013, when he shared his yellow paddleboard with me.

Our parents just don’t get it, why we are so upset about the upcoming separation. “You’re just kids. You’ll get over it. He’ll be back to visit during Christmas vacation.”

Will the distance make the heart grow stronger? Or will it fade out of sight? I don’t know how long I can live without him.

Heartbroken in Twin Peaks

Dear Heartbroken,

First off, I congratulate you on becoming a 2023 graduate.

I understand from your letter that this relationship is two-sided, that the boyfriend is as much in love as you are, which is a rarity in my book. If that is the case, then the upcoming absence/distance apart can actually make the bond stronger, in most cases.

However, we’re talking about an 18-year-old hormonally charged young male adult who will soon be thrown into a new and vibrant arena teeming with wild teenagers, both male and female, living away from home for the very first time.

May I advise you, perhaps, to begin the separation process a few months early and get yourself out there, girlfriend! It’s summertime on the lake. Sorry, but the old yellow paddleboards have been retired by the Lake Gregory Company.  Time to move up and onward to a kayak.

This too shall pass.

Sidney

Send your questions for Sidney to Sidney@thealpinemountaineer.com or by snail mail to Dear Sidney, The Alpine Mountaineer, P.O. Box 4572, Crestline, CA 92325.

This advice is intended for entertainment purposes only. No animals were harmed in the writing of this column.