The word home, as defined by the dictionary, is the place where one lives permanently, especially as a member of a family or household. However, I’ve always thought of ‘home’ as much more than that. For me, home has never been a physical or tangible thing. Home is comfort and trust. Home is where the heart is.

I was walking to class the other day, and I began reflecting upon my year at Michigan thus far. All of a sudden, I got this warm and fuzzy feeling. The kind of feeling you get when everything is going exactly how it should be; no stress, no complaints. The kind of feeling you get when you’re home. It was then that I really realized I finally found my people, and there is nothing more comforting than that.

Life is all about who you surround yourself with. Every moment, every laugh, every tear… it’s all remembered by who was there when it happened. Every experience is shaped by who’s next to you through it. Everything would be nothing if it weren't for the people we love. Friendship is one of the most important things in this world, and I’m so lucky to have found the people who make the memories that much more memorable.

Sometimes, people just click with one another. It’s as simple as that. Forget the whole “opposites attract” thing because whether you're similar or you're different, your best friends are your best friends. No questions asked. Sometimes it’s hard to explain; there aren’t words to describe the relationship you have because for whatever reason, you fit together like puzzle pieces. It’s kind of just there, and it’s irreplaceable.

Like my definition of home, friendship isn’t tangible. You can’t hold it in your hands, but you can certainly hold it in your heart. For so many reasons, the two are synonymous; they make us feel the same way. When I'm with my best friends, I am at home.

You know when something happens, good or bad, and you know exactly who you're telling first? Or when you hear a certain song, a certain word, and you immediately think of those same girls you were with the first time you heard it? Or when you see a boy and roll your eyes at him because he did the tiniest, most insignificant thing to your best friend, and it upset you more than it upset her? That’s when you know; that’s when you know you’ve found your people.

So to my people, old or new, thank you for just that– for being my people. Thank you for bringing out the best in me simply by being you. I’m better for having known you, and that is something I would not trade for the world.

I will forever have a special place in my heart for every memory, every time we’ve laughed till our stomachs hurt, every time we’ve been way too cliquey but had absolutely no problem with it and every little thing we’ve somehow bonded over (I mean, blue fuzzy socks are probably one of the most insignificant things in this world but somehow we made it work). When I’m with you, I feel at home. This one’s forever.