If I can thank Madison, WI for anything, it would be for the friendships I have made here. Which leads into if there is one thing in this world that you could not live without, it would be your best friend(s).
The ones you stay up talking to on the phone, the late night snack runs, "Bachelor" Monday's, nightly dinners, walking down state street, the adventures, the thrills, the laughs, the movie marathons, the road trips and of course, the ones you tell everything too- your secret keeper. They are the person you run to when the going gets tough or when something exciting is going on in your life. The person you trust with your life, the person you have too many inside jokes to count all of them, and the best of all.. the stories and memories of your friends and you share. Your best friends.
Throughout my life, my eighteen years of breathing in this world, I have gone through many, many, many forms of different friendships. Some that last, some that have faded from the distance and growing apart, and those who ended up in flames from miscommunications and misunderstandings that happen and occur. If I am going to be legitimately honest with you all, many of those who I considered my 'best friends' from my younger years and middle school I do not talk to that often anymore. Not because something came between our friendship or it went down with flames of fire. Its because it is life, and new opportunities happen and distance become a thing that happens. The person you used to know so well, is someone you recognize and say hello to on the streets, but you don't know what is going on anymore in their life. And that is more than okay.
Then, there are your school friends, the ones you only hang out with, well you guessed it, during school hours. Even in college we have these friends, the one you study with for upcoming exams because you are in the same class, and then next semester begins and you hardly see these people anymore. Then there are the friends we grew up with and connect with later on in life that we end up growing old with, the ones who see you grow from who you use to be. Those friends, who stick around with you after year, after year and after year. Those friendships that come effortlessly, those are your best friends you are incredibly lucky to have. This is because with doors opening and closing, going to college and thousands of miles are between us. Everything remains normal. When my childhood best friend comes back from college, although she is miles away, it feels as if she never left Madison.
Then you have your friends you meet in the work field or at college that feel like you have known them for years when in reality, you have only known them for a couple of months. These girls (or guys) that you just recently met, you all have shared unforgettable memories, so many laughs, and they really want to see you succeed in life and academics. Of course, we can not forget about the countless times crying in the library studying for exams is a classic college friendship memory and the wild nights experienced running down N. Park St. (the struggle really is real). These friendships, yes, may fade, but is unlikely due to finally finding out who you are rather than who you want to be. But the friendships you formulate in college are more likely to stick around as you find those who want you take opportunities for your future, who motivate you to be the best version of yourself, make sure you are doing good and have similar goals. Once the college academic year is over, and summer begins, these friendships still somehow keep in contact even though you and your friends may be miles apart.
Friendships are strange but without our best friends, life could and would feel unbearable. The laughs and memories that make you smile would be non-existent. For friendships that may have ended, take it as a lesson. Those people who left your life were there to teach you something, whether that be a mistake that needs to be mended or what you deserve in a friend you have not noticed before. No one is put in your life by accident. There are people you may consider your childhood friends, or people you have just met that feel like you have been friends for forever. Each and every single friendship you have with someone is special and some can never be replaced when they are lost.