Student Life
Apr 02, 2017
Freshman Year, As Told By Friends
no one told you life was gonna be this way
2392

Dear Grandpa,
The first thing I want to say is that I miss you with all my heart, forever and always. I never stop thinking about you or the memories we had made.
They say that the loss of a loved one often changes someone's life. I'd like to agree.
I hate that I had to lose you at such a young age. I am old enough to remember your smell, and remember how contagious your laugh was; that always made us think you were up to something suspicious. But I was too young for you to get to know the real me. I'm still trying to figure that out who that is.
I wish you could have been at my college graduation. I know that you would be cheering louder than anyone when they called my name to walk across the stage and receive my diploma. But I know you'll be watching from up above with all of my other past relatives cheering me on, as I continue on this journey.
I wish that you would be there when I say "I Do" at my wedding ceremony some day. I wish that you could meet my future husband and approve of him (it would mean a lot coming from you because you were so protective of me) and then maybe scare him a little. I wish you could be sitting in the church as I give my vows and promise to love my future husband as deeply as you loved me and our entire family.
I wish that you were around to hear that we still talk about you. We all still laugh about stories from vacations and how you would get mad if someone took your seat at the dinner table on Christmas.I wish you could hear us all trying to impersonate the way you laugh or how sarcastic you liked to be. I wish I could hug you one last time because you gave the warmest hugs every time I every need a pick-me-up or just because hugs are better than words.
I wish I took more pictures with you. I wish smartphones were a thing when you were still here, so I could have had videos of your voice with me always. I barely have any pictures with you and now it's too late and i regret it. But i will always cherish the one that we have together.
I want you to know that I miss you so much and I wish you could be around to see the woman I became. Not a day goes by that I don't think about you. I wish heaven had visiting hours. I miss you so much, but I know you would be proud of me.
If Heaven wasn't so far away I'd be there everyday.
I love you so much, Grandpa.
Love,
Your Granddaughter
Baseball's Opening Day has inspired countless writers, fans, and players throughout the years. Some notable quotes we remember about this special day are:
And it did not disappoint. Aaron Judge hit a home run in first at bat
AARON JUDGE HOME RUN IN HIS FIRST AT BAT OF THE SEASON pic.twitter.com/IJQ391g4ia
— Talkin' Yanks (@TalkinYanks) March 30, 2023
Baseball is back, let's go !
Dear Old Friend,
I decided we aren’t friends anymore and you may not fully understand why.
I recently read To The Bestfriend Who Decided We Aren't Friends Anymore and it struck a chord with me. I realized that I was that friend who walked away, who gave up. I hurt you and that hurts me. But, the reality is, I decided we aren’t friends anymore because… we just weren’t.
I think about all of the memories we shared, too. I haven’t forgotten all of the years we were never without each other. And if we were apart, we were texting or counting down the minutes until we would be together again. I think about the times when it wasn’t even a question if you were going to celebrate my birthday with me, binge-watch Netflix and eat junk food, or hug me until I stopped crying and forgot his name. Because all that mattered was us. We were like Blair and Serena. Everything would be OK as long as we were together, right?
But we aren’t together.
My heart is broken when I see you post pictures with other friends tagged #bestfriend #rideordie #girlfriend, when I hear one of our songs and you’re not there to sing horribly with me when I am alone or scared and you aren’t there like you’re supposed to be.
You’re just not there anymore and you haven’t been for over a year.
I moved away. I will take responsibility for leaving, for transferring colleges, for making new friends, for growing up. I know I left you, but that didn’t change our friendship for me. I never stopped being your best friend. I know I had to go days at a time without texting you back.
I know I had to go months without visiting. I go to a new college, I have new friends and I don’t live 15 minutes away anymore, but when did that stop me from being there for you? When another jerk broke your heart, I was on the phone with you until you stopped crying. When you experienced loss, I got my shift covered and drove down to you as soon as I could. I never called anyone else my best friend, it was always you; my new friends even knew that. But it was never enough for you.
Maybe I am the one who officially decided we aren’t friends anymore, but you decided too.
You decided we weren’t friends anymore when you stopped being my best friend, but expected me to be yours. You decided we weren’t friends anymore when you intentionally tried to hurt me because you felt justified in doing so.
You decided we weren’t friends anymore when you chose a boy over our friendship — over and over and over again. You decided we weren’t friends anymore when you chose to be jealous instead of happy for me. You decided we weren’t friends anymore when you made our friendship a one-way street.
Friendship, like any relationship I have learned, can’t be a one-way street. It isn’t petty, it isn’t cruel. True friendship is supportive, accepting, understanding and is never less important than a boy. Best friends never, ever intentionally hurt their best friends , no matter what the reason may be. Once you do that, you just aren’t best friends anymore.
Now, I know that when you love someone, you fight. I know that there are going to be rough patches, but I stuck around for longer than I should have. You know this. I know you know this. I forgave you over and over and over again. I forgave you for things that I never in a million years could imagine myself doing to you, or anyone for that matter; because I love you. Even when you did the unspeakable, I still loved you. You were my best friend. That meant the commitment to me. That meant loyalty and unconditional love. Until it didn’t to you.
I kept choosing you when I should have been choosing me. Well, now, I choose me.
I stand by my decision in deciding we aren’t friends anymore, but it will hurt me every day. I just know that it will hurt less than it did desperately try to save our friendship, trying to save you. You have made it clear that to you, our friendship isn’t worth saving. You have made it clear that you don’t want to be saved. So, I have no choice but to let go. I have nothing to hold on to anymore.
Despite how it has ended, I still thank you. Thank you for our years of friendship. Thank you for all of the amazing memories — memories that I, to this day, can’t imagine being topped. Thank you for showing me what true friendship is and what it isn’t. Thank you for teaching me how to be selfless, how to be forgiving and how to be a loyal friend. Most of all, thank you for being the person who finally pushed me to choose myself.
Love,
The Best Friend You Pushed Away
Don't miss any of these ideas to make your trip complete!
Whether it's a day trip, an out-of-state journey, or an experience leaving the country, here are some tried and true traveling tips.
Before any trip, we all think about what to pack and what to bring. We may have a strict itinerary, or we may have looser guidelines for what to do when. But we should also consider the following - make them goals:
Even if you're going to a place you've been before, go somewhere you haven't been. That might be a tourist hot spot, a restaurant, a park ... it doesn't matter. Just somewhere new.
It might just be small talk, but meet someone new each day you're away.
Take note of where you've been and what you're doing each day. You never know when you'll want to look back on this - it could be years down the road!
It may sound cliché, but securing some sort of a momento & bringing it home with you is a great way to remember a trip. And part of why we travel in the first place is for the memories.
It doesn't even have to be something physical. It might be a good impression with those you encounter, a bit of advice for someone, or anything else in the "leave it better off than you found it" realm.
You're not even doing it to brag. Think about it as letting people know about a destination you found appealing; making a recommendation; promoting some local tourism. And logging that memory for yourself.
Make time for yourself while traveling. It's easy to forget this but moments of stillness and reflection are key.
As an aspiring author, Hunter knew writing for Odyssey would be a great fit for her.
Response writers are what make the world go round at Odyssey! Using our response button feature, they carry on our mission of sparking positive, productive conversations in a polarized world.
We're excited to highlight one of our top writers on our homepage each month. Our March writer of the month is Hunter Johnstone of Eastern Michigan University. Read on to hear her story of becoming a response writer!
Want to become a response writer? Email us! You’ll get to choose your own topics and write one article a week. Your work will be featured on our homepage and in our weekly Overheard on Odyssey newsletter. Plus, for your first 10 articles, you’ll be compensated by HQ at $10/response.
Hi, my name is Hunter Johnstone and I am a response article writer for The Odyssey. I have been writing articles for the platform since November 2022. I attend Eastern Michigan University majoring in Media Studies and Journalism with a minor in Creative Writing. Last November, my News Writing and Reporting professor sent out an email that had details about working for The Odyssey. I was immediately intrigued as I love to write and I want to be an author one day, so I immediately reached out to Glorie. Not long after, I was offered the position of response writer.
Being a response writer is really interesting because you get to read other people's takes or views and then respond with something that you make your own. That, and your responses can vary in the subject matter. For example, sometimes I post listicles about books or movies while other times I talk about personal experiences. I feel like I can really talk about things that I am opinionated and passionate about without judgment.
Now when it comes to my work being published, I really enjoy that. It is helping me build a writing portfolio and I get such a proud feeling when I see an article written by me and that it is being read by an audience. The feeling of having my voice heard by others is such a gratifying feeling. I also get paid for my articles which is really cool since it's like a reward for writing quality content.
Overall, working for The Odyssey has been an eye-opening experience and an amazing opportunity for myself and my work. I can’t wait to make more content and to further find my voice in my writing.
Songs About Being 17
Grey's Anatomy Quotes
Vine Quotes
4 Leaf Clover
Self Respect
1. Brittany Morgan, National Writer's Society
2. Radhi, SUNY Stony Brook
3. Kristen Haddox, Penn State University
4. Jennifer Kustanovich, SUNY Stony Brook
5. Clare Regelbrugge, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign