If middle school, high school and college taught me anything in the past 10 years or so, it would be that people come and go. It’s such a cliché way of thinking but it’s the truth. The people I knew, talked to, befriended in the 6^th grade are not the same people they are today. But that’s not a bad thing. What I’ve also come to realize is that those relationships from the 6^th grade are not the same as today either. I don’t speak to many of the people I talked to in the 6^th grade. Throughout high school, I did everything in my power not to make friends. Not in a sense of becoming purposely repulsive, but I had no desire to socialize or take part in high school shenanigans like boys and makeup and dances. I did what I could with what I had but high school was not the best four years of my life.

Not to mention, I’m the last person to ever become a fan of having a big group of friends. My group is small and tight-knit. I don’t usually keep a count of how many friends I have regularly but I know it doesn’t take more than 2 hands to do so. While there’s nothing wrong in having lots of friends, I prefer to have this small group and I love each of my friends just the same. The goal isn’t so much how many friends you have in your group, but more so to be surrounded by people that lift you up and support you. My friends do just that.

I wrote last week in regards to self-love and how sometimes we need to thank our friends and family too with their correspondence in that. In my case, I owe my friends a tremendous amount of gratitude for their kinds words and their support in everything. I wish and I hope that everyone has at least one friend that builds them up the way that my friends do.

Here’s my thank you to my friends (and you know who you are): Thank you for the text messages at random to check in and ask about how my day is. Or the messages to tell me about the things I do that make you proud. Thank you for the rants that carry on into the night and the ears that are ready to listen. Thank you for being the ones to drop what you’re doing in certain instances, even when you know you don’t have to. Thank you for keeping some laughter in my chest and a smile on my face and giving me good times to look back on and look forward to. Thank you for understanding that I have 2 or 3 other friends or for being excited to meet the other friends of mine. Thank you for being the greatest cheerleaders of all time and making me feel like I can do absolutely anything that I want. Thank you for being patient with me when I don’t see what it is you see and when I don’t believe you. Thank you for being the ones to pick my brain with. Thank you for being the ones to never turn down a drive somewhere or our loud favorite songs. Thank you for reminding me to stop my madness and smell the roses every once in awhile. Thank you for the big and small lessons in how to love myself the same ways that you do. And lastly, thank you for teaching me what it’s like to see my worth through your eyes and to always have the positive support I need.