To My Freshman Friends,
Two hundred and fifty-five days: That is how long I have known you. Two hundred and fifty-five days since you walked into my life and gave me one of the best gifts in the world; a piece of yourself. As I pack my room and watch you haul your things into your car, as a tear falls from my eye, I know that this is not the end. I may be being a tad overly dramatic, but truthfully, you guys have shown me what it means to laugh, love and most importantly, live. But as most of us know all too well, all good things must come to an end. We may have met a mere 255 days ago but each one of those days has been a gift. According to the ever-so-wise Google, a gift is "something given willingly to someone without payment; a present." You are some of the greatest gifts. You all have given me the gift of friendship, the gift of love, the gift of laughter and joy and asked for nothing in return.
So thank you. Each and every one of you. To my roommate: we may not be the best of friends but I thank you for always being there. You don’t know how much it to me to have you there saying a simple goodnight. A huge "thank you" for putting up with my messiness, my 8 a.m. classes and the constant state of craziness that was my side of the room. Thank you for putting up the constant smell of feet and B.O. Thank you for being respectful of my schedule and always allowing me to have my own space. Thank you for always being there for me when I lock myself out. You are the first person I connected with, and I treasure the time we spent living within the same small four walls.
To the two girls next door: thank you for letting me be an honorary member of your room. Thank you for giving me a space to hang out, talk and just be goofy with you. Thank you for letting me barge into your room when I had a funny story to tell or just wanted company. Thanks for listening to my terrible stories and giving me a place to nap and cuddle. The memories I have from your room are some of the best. To the first friend I made, you allowed me to feel comfortable enough to be my own person. You let me know that who I was was enough. I didn’t need to change to make friends. You accepted me just the way I was. To the girl who lets me snuggle, thanks for being my human teddy bear. Thanks for putting up with the lesbian jokes and the constant awkwardness. But I mostly want to thank you for returning the warmth of a good hug. To my guy friends, thank you for listening to the stupid girl drama and not cringing during all our girl talks. Thank you for making me feel like I had you on my side. Thank you for keeping me from making bad decisions and making sure I felt safe.
To the friend in my major, thanks for putting up with my annoying rants 24/7. Thanks for helping me keep my schedule straight. Thanks for working on assignments with me and staying up late to finish projects. Thanks for being the one person who understands the drama and lets me rant, knowing that my secrets are safe with you. Thank you for making sure I made it 8 a.m. classes on time, too. Thanks for automatically sitting next to me and giving me someone to lean on whenever I needed you. To the friend outside of my major, thanks for putting up with my hundred questions and letting me learn more about your world. Thank you for wanting to learn about my major but also teaching me about yours. To the friend who lives off campus, thank you for always wanting to spend your free time with me. Thanks for wanting to be a part of my group. Thanks for making us as important as your home friends.
To the friend I never thought I would be friends with, thanks for being yourself. I remember thinking how strange and aloof you were. I remember thinking how cool you were and that I would never be as close to you as I am. Now, I consider you to be one of my closest friends here. To the friend whose closet I always dug through, thanks for letting me borrow an array of articles clothes and not complaining when it took forever for me to give them back Thanks for letting me browse you shoe collection, and making sure I always looked my best.
To the girls on my floor whom I pass everyday, thank you for sharing a bathroom and showering at the same time—I know it took some getting used to. Thanks for always smiling and waving as we pass in the hallways. To my RE, thank you for making the floor a fun, loving place to live. Thank you for helping me through all of the ups and downs of freshman year. Thank you for guiding me and helping me learn the ins and outs of the school. Thank you for never being too busy for me.
To my best friend back home, thank you for never giving up. Thank you for always being there for me. Thank you for the hundreds of texts and Skype calls. Thank you for letting me make new friends and never getting jealous. Thank you for giving me the type of friendship that can go the distance.
To the friends who made it all the way through this long, cheesy and sappy article, Thank you. You mean the world to me. Here's to a celebration of the past 255 days and many more to come. Here’s to hoping that sophomore year will be filled with as much laughter, love and joy.
Love,
Your Freshman Friend.
