Things my friends taught me...

1. How to have fun without relying on cheap thrills.

We hear of all the dangerous things one can do, but are they really worth it?

2. How to be myself, even when others are watching.

You soon grow to realize that all the other eyes around you aren’t watching you, and if they are, give them a show.

3. How to watch horror movies because lord knows I cannot watch those alone.

Even with the eye-covering blankets, they are always a good thing to have around.

4. How losing someone doesn’t mean the end is near.

You can lose a friend, a family member, or anyone you loved, but you still have those who are living and around you. Cherish them rather than mourn the ones who walked away.

5. How to truly love, but not that teenage love that is defined in months, Snapchat streaks, Instagram comments, and petty Twitter fights.

Love beyond words, feelings, and thoughts. A love so pure that hardly anything could break it.

6. How your home can be located in three different houses.

You become so attached to the places, the smells, the tastes, and the sights that they are always a safe place for you.

And things my friends did NOT teach me...

1. Who to run to when they aren’t down the block.

When the dog bites, or the heart aches, you always went to them. But who to run to now?

2. Who to call at two in the morning when they are all sleeping.

Not everyone is going to listen to you cry for three hours, and that is going to be hard to learn. Not everyone will be there for you.

3. Who to trust in a world that is not as loving as them.

It has taken years, memories, and many all nighters to instill that trust within them. How can one suddenly put some of that trust in other people?

4. How fast time flies.

Everyone preaches it, but no one truly believes it. No one stops to think about how much time has gone by until it has, and then it is too late. In just a blink of an eye, these words will be ancient history, and these friendships will be things locked in the 21st century. Locked in the past.

5. How to picture a life without them.

They are so constant, so positive, so influential in every aspect of your life. How could one possibly live a life with them not in it? It is impossible.

6. That someday, I’ll be the father.

I’ll be the one looking down at my child with his group of friends and realize that I was once that. Realize that there are things he will not tell me but he will tell them. Realize that he might smile for me but cry in front of them. Realize that one day, he will take my place. It took me these words to realize this truth.