Ever since middle school, people have had their "groups." They hang out with the same people every day and are best friends with every single person in their group. I remember seeing this while walking the halls in middle school and seeing pictures of these loving friend groups on Facebook when I was in high school. I remember being so jealous of these people for having so many friends who loved them and always having someone to hang out with. I always thought they must have so much fun together and I must be missing out because although I had friends, I didn't have a group.

Even now as a college student, I see the same thing. Somehow, girls seem to go away to college and click with a bunch of different girls immediately and before you know it, you're seeing pictures of them all squatting and holding hands together on Facebook (because for some reason that's become a thing and normal looking pictures are a thing of the past). I'm happy that these people I have known for a long time have made friends so quickly in college, but that was just never me.

I remember thinking as a high school senior that I would make many more friends in college, it wouldn't be like high school. The truth is, I don't make friends so easily. Now don't get me wrong, I have made a few very good friends so far in my college years...but I still have never had that friend group. I have never had a group of people who were always there to hang out with every single day. And it took me a really long time to realize that not having a friend group is okay! In fact, at this point in my life, I'm pretty damn happy without one.

I have realized that what matters is quality, not quantity. I am picky about my friends and that's okay. I've let some people into my life in the past who definitely didn't deserve to be there and I'm sure I am not the only one who feels that way. So, why shouldn't I be picky? I don't want to spend my time with someone who does nothing but cause drama and is always the center of it. I want to spend my time with people that I have fun with and people that I can talk to and open up to. I haven't found that in a "group" of people but I have found a few great people individually in different parts of my life who fit that description perfectly for me.

I have my long-term boyfriend and very few close friends (most of my friends don't even know my other friends, not very well at least). It may not seem like much, but it's all that I need. I may not have someone to hang out with every single day because we are all busy people...but I always have people who are there for me when I need them. I know that all of my friends are just a text or a phone call away whenever I need them or whenever they need me. There is less drama as well. Let's be honest, the more people you put into a situation, the more drama there will be...especially when you're talking about teenage/college age girls.

There is nothing wrong with having the typical friend group, but there is also nothing wrong with NOT having the typical friend group...I wish it hadn't taken me so long to realize that I really wasn't missing out on anything. There was nothing wrong with me and I'm not sure why I craved having a friend group so much as a teenager. Some people fall right into place in a group of people, and some people don't. Even though I always thought that I would eventually, I never did. But I couldn't imagine being happier.