When you’re growing up, you don’t realize how precious the friends you make will be later on down the road. In the past few days, I’ve been reminded of just how amazing the bonds are that are forged early in life. I spent a few days at the beach with four of my oldest friends. They are girls who have seen me through everything: bad haircuts, awkward middle school years, school-girl crushes, awful outfits, rocky high school years and the transition from home to college life. They have been a part of every big event in my life since I was six and I couldn’t imagine my life without them. They shaped who I am.
Through the years I’ve met many more friends, all of whom I value in different ways. I have friends from middle school who witnessed my weird hairstyle phase, friends from high school who can attest to my movie-quoting ability, and friends from college who are just beginning to experience my quirky habits. Some friends I’ve had the privilege to keep and some I’ve grown apart from. But of all my friends, there are the select few who, even if we go months without talking, when we hang out it’s like no time has passed. They are the friends who get me and accept me. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve begun to realize how rare that is in a friend. When we all find time in our busy schedules to meet, it’s all reminiscing and talking about the good ol’ days. And not in a living-in-the-past kind of way, but in a finally-coming-home kind of way. I’m completely comfortable with them and in a time of such transition and change that comes with being in college, being able to have people like that is incredible.
So here’s a shout out to my oldest and dearest friends: thanks for living life with me, I couldn’t have done it without you.