As I’ve grown older, relationships have become one of the most important aspects of my life. The connections I have with people have inspired, uplifted, and pushed me further in life than I never could’ve imagined. It’s crazy when I am surrounded by “my people,” how happy and confident they can make me, and how much they can love me.

The greatest love stories always seem to revolve around romantic relationships, but let me tell you, my best friends know me better than any boy will. Through deaths in the family, graduations, studying abroad, break-ups and make-ups, break-ups and make-ups again, phone calls at all hours of the day, ice-cream and pizza runs, sleepovers, hysterical laughter and tears, it’s been my best friends I’ve created these memories with.

For some reason, we don’t talk about how great the love between friends can be, or how much it impacts us. It seems that as soon as a love interest comes along, that’s what people really want to hear about. Friends are always part of life, but they’re viewed as part of the background. In reality, they’re center stage for most of the best parts of our lives.

Now don’t get me wrong: I’m not saying romantic love isn’t something I want for the future, or that it’s not all it’s cracked up to be. But it’s really sad to see friends of my own and other people to feel so unloved because some guy or girl doesn’t want to be with them. I’m just reminding everyone that we already have so much love in our lives from our friends, and that love is just as good, and sometimes even better than the romance we see in the movies. We’ve put romantic love on such a high pedestal, that we often forget about the love our friends give us.

Here are four reasons why I believe friends are the ultimate soul mates:

They’re the ones who pick up the pieces of our broken hearts.

I think this is one of the main reasons why I am a firm believer that my best friends are my soul mates. And it’s also one of the reasons that so many forget about. I see so many people enter a romantic relationship and get so caught up in it that they forget about their friends. I’ve set aside the belief for now that some man is going to waltz into my life and everything is going to become perfect because he becomes “my other half.” It doesn’t make sense when I’ve had such amazing people in my life, some for over a decade, who have never left my side. Never will I put more emphasis in a relationship than I do in a friendship.

My friends hold parts of my heart that no one will ever be able to replace. They have been through milestones of my life, seen me grow, and been there to cheer me on. I have a bond with my friends that will never be broken, and no guy can break; no matter how attractive he is or how much he makes me laugh or how well he treats me. My friends are the ones I run to when things go wrong or when I need a pick-me-up. They’re the ones who have given me life advice, given me ice cream and watched "Titanic" with me because I needed a good cry. No matter how many guys it hasn’t worked out with, the one constant thing in my life has been my friends; and I will never make them less of a priority over romance.

I think a lot of people forget how much our friends are there for us, how much they do for us, and how much it hurts them to see us hurting. A lot of people take advantage of their relationships with their friends, and I realized that and I promised myself I would always love them unconditionally. Because in reality, I would not be where I am if I hadn’t met my friends. I am parts of them, and vice versa.

They’re the ones who have seen you at your worst and still love you.

Now this can go both ways for a romantic relationship and a friendship, but let’s be honest: my friends have seen a lot more of me than any guy has. They’ve seen me freak out over boy bands and movie stars; they’ve seen me pick apart my body when I didn’t love myself. They’ve seen the little dances I do and noises I make. They know my thoughts and dreams and secrets. I know I’m no walk in the park; I’m a handful as a friend, and I love my friends for loving me as much as they do. They have seen my ups and downs, my strengths and weaknesses, and have still stuck by my side.

The loyalty between my friends and I is something so strong, so sure, that I will be shocked the day I find it with someone romantically. I will defend my friends till the day I die, even though I may not agree with something they did or said. I will drop what I’m doing if my friend needs me, because they’ve done the same for me. Friends are the family not related by blood, but by experiences, laughs, tears, and love. They choose to stay when the going gets tough, to be your backbone when yours crumples, and to be the sunlight when it’s cloudy out.

You chose them.

I always see on social media that quote about how weird it is on how we make friends. Like yes, you are another human I like and I can handle your weirdness: I choose you. It is really weird to think about, but we choose our friends for a reason. They bring out the best of us, they want to see us succeed, they get excited for us when great things are happening and are there to pick us up. My friends and I chose each other and accepted our weirdness and flaws, and we’ve stuck through it all together.

Have I lost touch with some friends? Of course, it’s a natural part of life. But that’s what makes the friends who you keep that much more special. Everyday, you choose to talk to them, to take pictures and look back on those moments, to share your life with them. When you think about it, you don’t do these things with just anyone; a friend is someone that becomes a part of you, and it’s a relationship that takes constant effort. The best part though? In a great friendship, you don’t look at it as a chore; it’s always another opportunity to talk or see some of your favorite people.

They surge you forward when the world tries to hold you down.

Society places such an emphasis on finding the love of your life and living happily ever after, when in reality, I have that with my friends. Your worth is not in a single man or woman; it’s in yourself, and your friends realize that. It’s hard to watch my friends beat themselves down and say that “they aren’t good enough,” “what’s wrong with me?” or “why does no one want me?” because I want to scream at them and say, “You are wanted! I want you! You are my friend and you are great and you are loved by so many people! So what if that bozo doesn’t want you? I want you. My love for you is enough, because you are a great person and you are one of my best friends. I would do anything for you, and the love of a friend is a lot more powerful than that jerk who just broke your heart.” I don’t scream, but I do tell them that, and I wish that they would believe me more.

I may or may not find the man of my dreams, but I’m not worried about not finding love, because I already have so much of it in my life. These young years I will dedicate staying up late and making impulsive, crazy decisions with my best friends, because they will be the ones I will always call, care for, and count on. I can truly be myself around them. They are my soul mates, and our bond can never be broken.

Now, people will argue that I don’t know what I’m talking about because I’m a girl who has never been in love before and doesn’t know what it’s like to have found “the one.” And you’re right. I haven’t gone through that experience, so I admit that I am biased. But when you’ve had as great of friends as I do and lived the life I have, I think it would be pretty clear as to why I put so much emphasis and effort into my friendships. They’re the ones who have been there for me when I needed love the most. And we all have seen someone we love get treated less than they deserve by someone they’ve dated or been married to, and it has got to be one of the most frustrating and hurtful things to go through as a bystander. Watching that happen from my freshman year of high school till now, it’s shaped my views a lot and why I value friendships a lot more than romantic relationships. I’ve been on both sides of having a good friend and being a good friend, and those instances have strengthened my relationships. For a person to fight so hard to help someone else to try to make them happy; that is true love.

My friends mean the world to me, and I would do anything to make them happy. So, call me ignorant, but I know the love for my friends is one of the realest things I’ll have in my lifetime, and something I’ll always cherish till the day I die.