Going away to college means going away to a new place with lots of new people; leaving old friends and a comfortable environment behind to embark on some new adventure. I had heard people describe college as somewhere to “find yourself,” which I believe can be true, but college is also where I’ve found my soulmate(s). In this crazy campus of four thousand people I’ve managed to find the girls who not only keep me sane every day, but will be by my side (literally or figuratively) for the rest of my life. It’s a little bit crazy to think that these are the girls that will be in my wedding—the girls who my kids will call “aunt”—and the girls that will be there for anything life decides to throw at me in the future. Although I am and will be thankful for them each and every day, these are five reasons I am so thankful they are here for such an influence and temptation filled time of life: college.

Good Influences
College is freedom. Even at a school where we live within a giant black gate, we are (mostly) free to make decisions regarding our actions. I’ll leave it at this: I’m just thankful to have friends who recommend Friday night baking, sappy romantic movie watching, and climbing crazy mountains because we have a blast doing it.

Saying Goodbye to My Comfort Zone
We all have our boxes of comfort. The great thing about my best friends is sometimes our boxes overlap, and, sometimes, they are very different. We are constantly pushing and advising each other on how to grow as people and become better every day. Even if that push turns into an awkward moment or two, we all know we will be there to rescue each other and laugh about it later.

Accountability
“Hey do you want to go on a run?” “Are you going to bible study” “How’s your homework this week?” No matter the question, my friends know how to keep me accountable to my goals every day. Because of them, I am healthier, a better Christian, and more driven to never let them (or anyone) down. There’s no way I would stay on track without their friendly reminders.

So. Much. Laughter.
I’m not quite sure what it is, but there’s something about getting together with your best friends after the most stressful week of your life that makes you laugh for hours on end. Whether is mutually laughing at the ridiculousness of a situation, laughing off some stress, or just laughing at something for the five hundredth time that is way more funny than it should be (Gluten Free Duck video, look it up), the best laughs I’ve shared are with my girls.

Mature Trust=Sanity
In those seconds we’re not laughing, we’re typically having some sort of heart-to-heart conversation that involves a large amount of trust. There’s a certain maturity in college that tends to leave the “he said, she said” of high school behind (most of the time). I know I can trust these girls with anything, and they can help me through everything. These life talks keep me sane and offer a unique and helpful perspective surrounding all of life’s problems.