I feel like I've known the lyrics to the "Friends" theme song long before I started even watching the show- between reruns and its cultural popularity, "I'll Be There For You" by The Rembrandts is like "Sweet Caroline;" everybody just knows it.
But lately, since Friends was put on Netflix and at any given point you can hear an episode streaming from someone's room in my apartment, I've realized I've now reached a point in my life where the song isn't just a song anymore; the lyrics are basically autobiographical.
So no one told you life was gonna be this way
Every since I was little, I was so excited to grow up and go to college and be a big kid. College and adulthood always seemed like a mythical, wonderful place full of no parents and tons of parties and so much fun. No one really warned you about the classwork and the fact that no parents and no rules means you have to be accountable for yourself and your actions and adulting is hard.
Your job's a joke
The jobs and internships we take through our college and young adult years are usually so silly or boring and we get paid entirely too little to do a lot of work or sit around. Or, if you’re like myself (I waitress at a bar), your job is so much fun and you never want to leave and you don’t understand why your parents don’t want you to be a waitress forever and always.
You're broke
Who knew how expensive life was until you slowly have to start becoming financially independent? Growing older and starting to take on my own expenses and seeing how much things in this world cost has made me so appreciative for my parents and all they’ve done for me.
Your love life's D.O.A.
A boyfriend? What's a boyfriend? In this hook-up-centric world, what is dating? What is a relationship? Who actually has time for one, and where can I find a guy who isn’t completely immature, completely disrespectful, and can actually be a human?
It's like you're always stuck in second gear
Sometimes you think you’re maybe doing this growing up thing properly, but something always feels slightly off. It’s like driving and knowing your going in the general direction you need to, but your GPS won’t connect so you don’t know the specific details of the route.
When it hasn't been your day, your week, your month, or even your year
Mondays: finals week. The entire first month back at school. Senior year when you have no motivation left.
But I'll be there for you/(When the rain starts to pour)/I'll be there for you/(Like I've been there before)/I'll be there for you/('Cause you're there for me too)
But at the end of the day, the people I’ve met since I’ve come to school and entered into my twenties have been the people who have seen me at my best, my worst, and everywhere in between. We’ve made more memories and shared more experiences that have shaped me as a person than I can count, and I know these are the friends I will count on for the rest of my life.
