Walking across the street from where I was staying in Miami and getting in the car, a familiar voice in the driver’s seat said, “Where’s your Lilly?” Immediately it took me back to what she had always asked me in high school when I was wearing a Lilly Pulitzer dress. Apparently, on their print dresses, the word Lilly is hidden somewhere in the pattern. Smiling, I looked at her and told her that I had no idea where it was. Kristin, beaming back at me, said, “I can just find it later.” And we went off and explored the city of Miami.
Kristin was always someone who I had a great deal of respect and admiration for. She is passionate, caring and considerate of others, among many other things. In high school, we weren’t close. Not because we had different interests or do not get along, we just had different groups of friends and never really got to know each other. Heading into our senior year, we decided to be lab partners in AP Biology together. Considering my lack of talents in the sciences, it was really gracious on Kristin’s part. This was the first time we started to get to know each other.
By the end of the year, Kristin received three different awards at our senior ceremony. I walked up to congratulate her and she smiled, thanked me and teared up a little. I was not expecting that kind of reaction at all. That night she texted me to say how much she admired and valued me. One sentence in that message always stood out to me. She wrote, “Never feel unappreciated or not good enough because, Catherine, you far exceed any simple description of good or appreciated.”
Throughout my freshman year in college, I would often re-read her text when I was having a bad or tough day. It made me feel better knowing that someone who I always had the deepest admiration for believed in me. Often, the idea of inadequacy haunts me. I could tell you on a daily basis things that I could have handled or done better. But I have also started to realize that there are only so many hours in the day and perfection is not the desired goal in life.
This past summer, I saw this pair of gold pineapple earrings and immediately thought of Kristin. She loved pineapples a great deal as a focal point in her food. After not speaking to her for over a year, I texted her to ask for her address so I could send her something. I felt awkward about it at the time but it led to regular conversations over text, Skyping over Winter Break and visiting her in the spring.
Long-distance anything is challenging. Both people have to put in effort in order to maintain a strong friendship. We might not talk every day but I know that she is always there for me and I hope that she knows that I am always there for her. Maintaining friendships outside of your social circle at school is so important. Outside perspectives are often helpful on their own but they also allow you to know and understand someone else’s world.
As she took me on a tour of Miami and her campus, she pointed out various areas of interest. She told me where DJ Khaled lives, mentioned her favorite art museum and showed me the tree that her club worked to get permission to plant on the University of Miami’s lawn. Eventually, the tree will have a plaque with a Margaret Mead quote that will read, "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has.”
Yesterday, Kristin showed me little pieces of herself. It was in the songs she played in the car, the restaurant we went to by her apartment, and through her environmental activism. I am so grateful that she has helped change my world, both in small and significant ways. Kristin encompasses a world of passion and possibility and I cannot wait to watch as she helps make this world a better place.
