All through high school I was mostly a drifter. I had a group of athletic friends, a group of "band kid" friends, choir/thespian friends, atheist friends, religious friends, "popular" friends, "regular" friends & one Best Friend. I was not really sure what it was like to belong to one group of people or know the real relevance of high school friendships. So much so, that I uprooted myself completely from my home school and started somewhere entirely new.
I had good relations with people at work, church, school, etc, but I didn't really invest too deeply into most people at this phase in life. Outside of my life-long friend, Jessica, I didn't see much investment from other people. I was perfectly capable of being friendly and sociable with a multitude of people, but didn't have many I would call at 3am.
This ultimately led to a very challenging high school experience which made it rather confusing when the friends I had made senior year were so devastated at the idea of leaving. In a way, I envied there ties to there school and their friendships there; however, I longed for deeper relationships with people. While I wrapped up senior year I met three women that, to this day, I hold very dear to my heart. Each of these girls are people that I have carried over into my "post high school" friendships and I couldn't be more blessed to have them.
As I continued into my life, after graduation, I have found that people are much more capable of genuine friendships after high school. It's easy for us to get wrapped up into a "clique" that makes us feel like we belong. We like knowing that we always have a group to sit with in the cafeteria, people we can call to go see a movie, or someone to host sleepovers- so we settle for that group. So, ultimately, we close ourselves off from potentially beautiful relationships. Not to say that high school friendships aren't legitimate or that there is anything wrong with finding your "people-" I just want you to know that as great as you feel those friendships are, they get even better outside of it.
I finally have my group of girlfriends that meet up for game nights (I love you all), my far away friend who FaceTimes me to play Candy Land, my local friends that treat me to Mexican cuisine & trips to Books-A-Million, seasoned friends who offer me a multitude of wisdom, and a best friend to start annual vacations with.
The thoughts of post-high school can be incredibly intimidating & it becomes very easy to "hermit up" and seclude yourself from new people. I urge all of you to find your people, whether it be 2 or 20, and let them know how loved they are. Take the pictures, make the memories, share your scars and genuinely invest. These are the people that help mold you into the person you are. Choose wisely & love deeply.
