Some girls hold the belief that befriending boys is not a possibility because eventually, that platonic friendship will turn into a full-blown romance. When the transition from the friendship to romance takes place, it is exciting and very much enlightening. However, in the back of the mind, holds doubt that if this turns into a disaster, then there is no relationship at all.
I, on the contrary, am in the latter group of girls whose closest friends are boys and can maintain a platonic friendship. Growing up, I struggled immensely to fit in with girls my age. For a variety of reasons, I never understood (probably still don't) the politics behind what girls think and what they say.
I was gullible in thinking that everyone had the best of intentions when beginning a friendship and learned very quickly how untrue that is. When I came into college, my outlook on friendship-making leaned towards negativity. Thoughts like "new friendships would end in disaster," or "people will always take advantage of you," ran through my mind that first semester of college as I met all these fascinating people. Now six-almost seven years later, I can proudly say that my best friends consist of mainly boys.
This ragtag group of friends introduced me to some of the best times that I have ever had in school. While pharmacy school had all of struggling to keep up with, there was always room for laughs in this group of seven. Without them, I probably wouldn't be where I am now.
With the holiday season upon us, I found that I miss them more and more, now that we have graduated and moved on. So this article is a little shout-out to them for everything that they have done for me (and still are even miles away).
Thank you for welcoming me into your group. We may not have much in common because you all like video games and nerdy boy junk, and I like to read and write, but you still try to find things to do together. Thanks to you, I can hold a pretty decent conversation about League of Legends without having actually played the game. (Throwing in a line or two about the necessity of juggling in the early game really gets a conversation going with new crowds of people).
Thank you for being a good shoulder to lean on in times of crisis. Pharmacy school was difficult, but outside circumstances in my life made that journey particularly difficult. Without a lot of reassurance from you all, I probably would've succumbed to depression and sunk this ship a long time ago.
Thank you for driving me home when we studied late on campus and letting me rant about meaningless drivel in my life without a complaint. I realize that you are not women who can take a lot of nonsense about trivial matters, but you put on the metaphorical dress gracefully and provided a slightly feminine perspective to any situation I brought to you.
Thank you for teaching me the meaning of trying new things. You all were never afraid of trying new things in life, like food or experiences, and tried your best to include me. Vacationing with all of you were wonderful adventures because what starts off as a pretty linear road trip turns into memories that we still indulge into this day.
Thank you for reminding me that every once in a while it is totally okay to relax (and maybe take a Xanax) and chill out. You've always known that I am the type of person that has to have ambition and drive in order to have control over my life. You've taught me that living that way does not help me in a conducive manner and in fact runs my health down to the group.
Thanks for shaking sense into me that I never had to reach for the top seats or gain every accolade, and that you'll still be by side no matter what.
Thank you for opening up to me. Part of a growing friendship means sharing the good and bad. I know that you know that I am closed off in certain areas and you're boys and inherently not all about feelings and such. But when the occasions arise that a serious real-talk needs to take place, you put aside all the discomfort and lay it out there.
Thank you for keeping it real. It is very easy for me to get caught up in the mundane and ordinary parts of life, but you guys get down to bottom of the matter fairly quick and assess it. While most of the time that assessment consists of "forget that shit," or "fuck that noise," it means a lot that you can cut through the BS when sometimes I feel like I'm drowning it in.
Now that we are all further away from each other, by distance or by choosing different paths, I cherish all the laughs, the tears, and memories. Maybe one day our paths will converge and we can pick up where we left off. I'm an extremely lucky girl to have you in my life forever. Thank you for restoring my faith in friendship, kindness, and love.