A lot of people come in and out of our lives. Someone once told me that the people that are put in our way are either a blessing or a lesson. In other words, you met them for a reason. Call it fate. Call it whatever you want. People are put in our lives to teach us something. Sometimes, we get burned, but other times we see how much of a positive impact someone can have on our lives.
Friends are no exception. I've had friends that have been both blessings and lessons. I've found friends, and I've lost friends. But with every friendship, I have learned something new.
The hometown best friends are a blessing. They are the ones that know you better than anyone, sometimes even better than you know yourself. They were by your side through the sweet days of elementary school, those awkward middle school encounters, all the way to walking across the stage at graduation. Maybe you met them when you were both 6, or maybe they became one of your best friends during high school. They have seen you at your lowest, and when everyone else ran, they were the ones who never left your side. Your hometown besties have shown you what unconditional love is. They have taught you what a good friend is. They have shown you that they will be the constant thing in your life, even when nothing else seems to be that steady. And for just that, we owe them a huge thank you.
The toxic friend was a lesson. In the beginning, everything was great. You were best friends once, until you realized that the friendship was not a healthy one. Stepping away was anything but easy. You were hurt, but you have to admit that you found strength in yourself that you never knew you had because of that. For a long time, you thought they had changed you for the worse. They turned your entire world upside down. You were burned by that friendship, but looking back, you realized they changed you for the better, and you found strength in yourself that you never knew you had. And for that, we thank them.
Your new college friends are a blessing. In such a short amount of time, you have seen each other at your best and worst. You have helped each other through long nights of studying, surviving 8 am classes, finals, and the adjustment of living away from home. You have supported each other through tough weeks of exams and papers and stress, and have celebrated when you survived those weeks. They have shown you that you can count on them, whether it's 3 pm or 3 am. We thank them for taking us as we are (weird quirks included) and showing us that being who we are is the only way it ought to be.
Now, the friends who have drifted away are both a blessing and a lesson. You have both grown a lot over the years, and now your paths have brought you to where you are right now. You have not talked in a while. You don't know what is going on in their life, and they do not know what is going on in yours. You miss them. You miss the times have spent together. You miss talking to them and the inside jokes. They are a blessing because of all of the good times you have spent together. They are a lesson because maybe you need to figure out who you are without them. It may not seem like it right now, but we are thankful for these friends, too. They are a part of our past, and hopefully one day will be a part of our future.
The friends we make from here on out are a mystery. Some will be lessons, and some will be blessings. But that is OK. What I have learned from my experiences with all of the friends that have been put in my path, I couldn't have learned from anyone else. Sometimes we just need to let our guard down to learn from the lessons, and to find those blessings.
