I've had a lot of friends come and go throughout my life. When I look back, the friends that stick out are the ones that I had in high school. We made it through the years of classes, drama and college preparations while having each other's backs and telling hundreds of jokes that only we found funny. There are many reasons to be thankful for them, but there are a few in particular that stick out:
1. It was impossible to have a bad day when I walked past everyone else to meet up with them before school.
There was nothing better than walking into the building and hearing everyone's stories from the last 12 hours or a joke they heard that reminded them of us.
2. Every time I had one or more of them in my classes, nothing productive was ever accomplished.
How we ever made it through most of our classes without getting kicked out will always be a mystery.
3. When I didn't do my homework, I could always count on them to tell me the answers as I rushed to finish it before class.
Or, tell me something to say so I had something written down on my paper.
4. There was always a plan in the works for the weekend, which usually involved a week-long argument because we couldn't agree on wanting to do the same thing.
5. But by the time we actually made it to the weekend, there was no better way to celebrate than sitting around a fire on a Friday night and doing absolutely nothing.
I don't think I'll ever forget some of the jokes told in that back yard on those fall nights.
6. If you were mad at someone, you could always count on your friends to either agree or pretend to agree while they listened to your ridiculous rant.
It was always nice to know that you weren't the only one who thought so-and-so was the worst.
7. After the awkward middle school years, these friends were the best gift.
Having friends who would actually laugh at all of my nerdy jokes was truly a blessing.
8. Even after high school, we keep in touch and our reunions are as entertaining as ever.
We have to reserve multiple hours to sit around someone's living room and tell stories about what we've all been doing since our last group meeting.
9. Most of all, although rarely expressed in words, I will never forget the love that we have for one another and all that they mean to me. Without them, I would not be the person that I am now.
I love you guys.
