10 THINGS YOU SHOULD THANK YOUR COLLEGE BEST FRIENDS FOR RIGHT NOW
If I was to give one piece of advice to anyone coming into college
for the first time, it would be to make one really good best friend. In
the years leading up to my departure to college, I had this idea in my head
that I’d meet a ton of new people and make a shit ton of new friends in my new
life. I remember my senior year, when dreaming of that wonderful place
called college land, I told my best friend in high school I knew I’d make, at
the very least, fifty friends. Little did I know, that wouldn’t be the
case. For a lot of people in college, they find it unexpectedly difficult
to meet people and make long, lasting friendships with their peers. This
in part due to college “oneness”, or the feeling of being one fish and a very
large pond while struggling to maintain that state of being an independent.
For me, my pond was a rather very large ocean with over 20,000 fish and I
was swimming in it. I tried clubs, joining a sorority, everything.
Everyone seemed to always be doing their own thing in college and had no
interest in maintaining a friendship outside of loose chitchat in lecture halls
or social gatherings. Unlike the dream I had of my thousands of college
friendships, I ended up with a very small number of close friends who I could
now, after eight months, call my sisters.
I've always said, you go to college to find your bridesmaids, not your husband. The friendships you make in college are the ones you should hold on to and cherish more than anything. College is a place where you are discovering who you truly are, and the friends you make during this time are more important than you could imagine. Now is the time to make those mistakes you’ll regret a year or two from now, and if your friends are still there after that time you ran half naked across the intramural fields, then you know they are your friends for life.
The truth is, you can’t do this alone. In order to thrive and blossom in college, you need a strong support system. You need to lay the foundation for a strong and vibrant friendship that can push you through finals week, stay up with you all night studying flashcards, and be your shoulder to cry on when that upperclassman boy finds another girl. College is going to be the first hardest fight you’ve ever had to face. It’s going to kick your ass. It’s going to leave you feeling battered and broken. But it’s going to be an amazing ride. You’re going to meet so many people who are going to mold you, shape you, and give you strength. And if you can find those people who love you for all your faults and all of your weaknesses, who see only potential and magnificent beauty in you, then you’re already half way there. Hold on to them, love them, and thank them.
1. Thank you for being my partner in crime.
In just a few short months, we’ve basically become the actual definition of “sisters from
other misters”. It’s like something in the universe drew us together like magnets because we
were supposed to find one another. You accepted my weirdness, you loved me for all of my
quirks, you always stood by my side no matter what, and for that I couldn’t be more grateful.
2. Thank you for taking time out of your day to be interested in mine.
I know you’re probably sick of hearing the same story about the same guy every single day
for the past few months, but you listen. At least you pretend to. Thank you for staying up
all night to hear me out about this guy or that guy or how much I hate a class. Thank you
for having an interest in my life and for actually caring about what I have to say.
3. Thank you for showing me my worth as a woman.
I’ll never forget those nights we’ve spent lying on the scratchy carpets of the residence hall,
crying over some guy who didn’t love us back, listening to Hozier. Who found someone more
interesting, with bigger tits, or a prettier face. Thank you for reminding me not to define my
worth on the attention of a man. Thank you for reminding me that I am strong, I am
independent, and I am worthy of everything and all of the love in the universe. Thank you
for not letting me fall to deep and for picking me up after every heartbreak.
4. Thank you for being unapologetically honest no matter what.
If it wasn't for you, I would have gone to class with my entire ass and jellybean underwear
showing through my leggings. That's why I love you. Thank you for telling me everything
straight up and for always being open and honest with me.
5. Thank you for not judging me and for being there with me as I make bad decisions.
I know some of the things I do are questionable. Thank you for not thinking I’m a weirdo.
Thank you for not judging me when I thought about having sex with that guy that one time.
Instead of thinking I was a freak or hitting me, you made sure I was ready and asked what
kind of lingerie I was going to wear and then we both laughed about it for an hour. Thank
you for letting me use your shaving cream, so I wouldn’t leave without silky dolphin legs.
Thank you for not judging me after all of the stuff I tell you, like how I loved the feeling
after drinking too much Bacardi or how I had that thing with that guy that one night. Thank
you for sharing this weird, crazy, messed up experience with me and for giving me Tylenol
when I experience my first hangover.
6. Thank you for daily pep talks.
Whether it be before a huge exam, or before a hot date, thank you for always pumping me
up and keeping me in check.
7. Thank you for always being up for food.
No matter what time of day, or what you're doing, thank you for always being up to
grabbing food with me. Whether it be 7 p.m. and a not-so-delicious dinner at PCB or
ordering pizza at midnight, or calling in some insomnia Cookies at three a.m., you're
always game for food.
8. Thank you for taking road trips with me.
Thank you for always being cool with going on random, spontaneous road trips and for
helping me navigate the GPS that can't seem to stay on my car dashboard.
10. Thank you for showing me there's nothing I can't do.
Thank you for encouraging me every day to do everything I ever wanted to do. Thank you
for encouraging me to apply for that study abroad program in some foreign country or
that internship nobody thought I'd get. Thank you for showing me how to live with a full,
loving heart. Thank you for keeping me sane during exams, breakups, hookups, crazy nights,
and pillow fights. Thank you for listening to me ramble and being my designated crying
buddy and drinking pal. Thank you for being my other half. Thank you for making this huge
college not seem so big after all. Thank you for being my lifevest when I felt like I was
sinking in this giant ocean called college.
This was one of those chain Facebook posts where I'm supposed to tag my "Life-Long Friendships Made in College"—which I was in the process of doing when I realized it could be read as a low-blow.
(A little background information:
One of my best friends from high school and I are in the middle of not-speaking. It started several months ago when I realized the mean words passed between us weren't in teasing anymore. At least, they didn't feel like they were teasing—and I am extremely good at hearing underlying texts. Then again, who needs underlying texts when someone calls you a "fucking cunt"?
Anyway, to avoid a rant—because that's not what this post is about—she and I are no longer talking and currently in the "not friends" zone, so posting something like this seemed like I was rubbing it in her face.)
So I'm posting my responses to this article here!
Thank you:
Ally and Dez - I'm not really sure y'all count since we met while we were little, but I'm counting y'all anyway, because you two really are my best friends. You two have been there through everything! From raiding your mother's closet for clothes to get all date-worthy, dressed-up in to summer pool parties and fireworks in the front yard to my homeward bound support system in everything I do. Dez, thank you for putting up with me through our semester of roommate-hood (because I know I drove you nuts), and Ally, thank you for tolerating me through all the awkward years of childhood and my wuss self.
Beanie, Angelique, and Hayla - You three made London feel not so far away from home. I dedicate my favorite moments of studying abroad to my friendship with y'all. And although we're far away now—with two of you in Arizona and the other still in London—I truly believe our friendship with last the test of time.
Mary - While I met you through Dez, you have proved a true friend to me and I love you for it. You were creating a niche for me long before I ever stepped onto campus, and as such, your friends opened their arms to me. Before I even knew it, I had a great circle of friends that eased the trials of college. Thank you so much for always standing by me!
And last, but certainly not least:
My kindred spirit, Kathleen - Since that first day in Chorus when I finally broke from my shell and spoke to you and we realized we had so much in common, I have known that you are truly my twin. You are the one I call when I need food at some insane hour, I want a book recommendation, or I'm just bored and sick of homework. You are the one who will go on midnight drives with me in your adorable little car, Norman—who I have learned to love as though he was mine. We mesh scarily well and I know—even after only just over a term of knowing you—I know we will be friends forever. I love you, girl.
To the friends who I have lost over the years, maybe we'll come back together in the future; maybe not, but I know that there is someone out there who will be your Life-Long Friendship from College and you'll be the happiest you've ever been when y'all are together.
To all those friends I'll make in the future, I can't wait to meet you and explore all our adventures that are waiting just beyond the horizon for us!
— KGratiaM
No comments:
Post a Comment