People always say that you meet your best friends when you come to college. Now, I absolutely love my high school friends, and still consider some of them to be my best friends. Along with that though, I have made friendships in college that are unlike any others. So here's a letter to the friends who changed my life.
Dear new college best friends,
In August, we all came to college excited, scared, and from all different walks of life. Here, we were strangers to one another, knowing nothing about each other's pasts. First semester, we crossed paths, learned each other's names, and began to awkwardly interact as we began to learn details about each other's lives. Slowly, we went from strangers, to acquaintances, to friends. And then we left for Christmas break.
Once home, we reflected on our past semester. Some of us grieved over wrecked relationships, and some rejoiced over newfound friendships. We reunited with our friends from back home, and spent time listening to each other describe the new friendships we had formed. As Christmas break neared the end, some of us could not wait to go back to college, while others of us dreaded the day we would return. Yet, most all students thought about their college friends, and who they could not wait to see again.
During the first few days back, all kinds of sweet reunions with unexpected emotions occurred. Running to hug one friend in the caf, I was overwhelmed with the fact that I had missed her so much!
However, as weeks went by, the most unexpected events occurred. New friends entered my life at the most crucial time, and in the most unanticipated of ways. We had all been in the same place for an entire semester, yet not once had we engaged in conversation. Like first semester, we once again associated with each other in awkward interactions, but quickly realized that we actually really liked being with one another.
In what seemed like the shortest period of time, we went from strangers, to friends, to cramming all seven or eight of us in one Jeep on the way to Sunday morning Church. We hung out until the darkest hours of the night, yet could not wait to wake up the next morning and hang out again. We learned what makes each other tick, each other's weird quirks, and how we were able to challenge and encourage one another on a daily basis.
Through these new friendships, I learned what it looks like to genuinely care for another person. Although they did not always express it verbally, I knew that these friends always had my back. I could hang out with these people for hours, yet not get tired of hearing the same story again, or another of the same dumb jokes. We could go from laughing hysterically to deep theological conversations in the matter of seconds.
These are my college best friends, and these are the friends who changed my life.
Sincerely,
An incredibly grateful college student
