Friendships are some of the best “ships” you will ever experience. Better than a relationship, partnership, or a cruise ship, for those of us with motion sickness. Some of your best memories are wrapped up in the people you spend all of your time with. From that time you decided to jump off a bridge into the water thirty/forty feet below or the times you went to Pittsford Plaza for retail therapy, your friends were usually the motivating force. However, sometimes even the best of those friendships end.

Everyone says when you end a friendship, never return to it. I am a very accepting person; so for someone like myself to end a friendship, there have to be multiple problems. Whether it be selfishness or blatant disregard for my feelings, when I ended a friendship it was always permanent. However, college has taught me that second chances are more than just myths. In college, we all come to see that everyone around us is at least a little stressed, one hundred percent of the time.

We developed friendships in high school in which our friends could drop everything to be there for us; unfortunately, that cannot be the case in college. Dropping everything would mean missing three assignments to watch Gossip Girl and cry together. Those three assignments, more often than not, end up being worth fifteen to twenty-five percent of your friend's overall grade. Ultimately, we have to learn that dropping everything for someone is by no means acceptable.

This semester has taught me the most valuable lesson of adulthood: just because someone is too busy to be there for you does not mean they love you any less. We have to learn to tough some things out on our own or with our backup person. It’s not going to be fun or exactly what you need, but it will get the job done.

You may not be able to cry to the point of snot pouring out your nose and mascara all down your cheeks, but you will at least get whatever is bothering you off of your chest. Even if it feels like you may spontaneously combust when they cannot be there, do not hold it against them. They are miles deep in piles and piles of assignments. They know you need them and feel extra guilty that they cannot be there, but they simply cannot. Their head may explode if they have to take on even a single additional problem. It’s not neglect of you, but care for themselves.

If you gave up on one of your new college friends or considered giving up on an old high school friend due to their inability to cater to your every need, reconsider. They love you so much and would still do anything for you, within their limits.

We all need a little help sometimes; sometimes that help is a break from outside stressors. It may seem grim to be on your own for some things, but it’s totally worth it. The plus side for you of giving your go to person a much needed temporary relief from duty? When they can be there for you again, you appreciate them so much more!