In honor of one of my best friend's (since kindergarten!!) birthday this week, I felt compelled to meditate on how lucky I am to have kept such close ties with her after all these years. Not only with her, but even so with the friends I have made and kept from high school. Yes, college provided me with even more friends and experiences for which I am forever grateful, but the relationships I created and maintained since before college hold a special place in my heart.
I’ve discovered that the saying, “You’ll find your real friends in college” to be exceptionally true. It amazes me how God has given and taken people in my life, all for the better. I have come to terms with that fact that I have grown apart from certain friends from the past; we lead different lives now and that's okay. Yet it amazes me even more how I still have friends from high school, even middle school, that I have grown even closer to as college progressed. And to me, that is truly beautiful friendship. A special bond is formed between the people you kept around during middle school and high school; we've watched each other grow. We experienced the awkward "dating" period where you didn’t actually talk to the person you were dating, shared in the excitement when we could call friends on our new flip phones, and carpooled to the crazy Friday nights of high school football. Just the same, as we go through college, we continue to grow together. We celebrate dating new people, mourn together over breakups, keep each other company when studying, and tailgate for home games.
There's just something about sharing the same hometown, high school alma mater, and memories of the past ten years with someone. I can easily fall into a conversation about things or places back home, how family friends are doing, and reminisce on memorable high school teachers we've come across. Even more, because we all grew up in similar settings, with similar schedules, we all share similar morals and beliefs. These are the people who keep me accountable in going to church, who, because they've been by my side growing up, know what to say and when to say it when something is wrong, and the only ones I'm comfortable enough to bring on week-long family vacations. It is these friends, especially those that have followed me to college, that made college more homey.
Since college has started, I’ve found people who share the same beliefs and morals that I do; I’ve also grown apart from those that didn’t, and I’m finally okay with that. The people I have in my life are exactly the people I need right now — they’ve seen me in my worst and in my best and love me all the same throughout.
