To have someone to come home to and wrap your arms around after a tiring day or hold you while you sleep may sound like a dream come true, and for some, a beautiful reality. The feeling of having a significant other is full of comfort, and sense of security, in that your lover and your best friend are one person with whom you can truly let your walls down and be yourself. Love, true love, is an adventure, a lesson, and an experience all in one that may make you feel a “floating on cloud 9” type of joy.
However, don’t think that because you don’t have someone to call yours yet this feeling is inconceivable. Often, we get so caught up in trying to capture the attention and love of a certain guy or girl that we forget how many other ways we can feel fulfilled. Love does not need to be a romantic candlelit dinner, but can be as simple as laughing in pajamas with your friends until the wee hours of the morning.
When I first lost my significant other, I felt as though I wouldn’t truly be as happy ever again. I wondered who else would love me, and care about me in the same way. I would have done anything for that person no matter what cost it came at, and all I wanted to do was take that emotion and pour it into another person, and feel it reciprocated. But, therein laid my problem, because I only associated love and care to be romantic.
The more I invested into my friendships, whether it be going out to eat with friends more often, or simply leaving my room to join in on the laughter and chatter in my suite, the more I found myself smiling, and feeling as though everything was going to be okay. Those friendships grew, and became stronger over time and people that were once strangers in my life have become such integral parts in it. I can honestly say that the love I have for my friends is as strong as what I once had for the person I was with, and my happiness is no less than what it was when I was with someone. We care for, and support each other whether it be academically, or emotionally, and we are always willing to do whatever we can to help another one of us in need. We learn about each other, understanding the differences and similarities that make us unique, and we appreciate how although we all come from such different backgrounds the love we have for each other is a commonality.
The spontaneous adventures we go on together, whether it be cliff jumping in Ithaca or driving to Wal-Mart at 4 in the morning to grab some Ben and Jerry’s, laughing uncontrollably and singing along to throwbacks are the memories I think about most fondly, and the ones I simply would have missed out on if I hadn’t allowed myself to open up and see what more the world had to offer beyond one person.
Understanding the importance of non-romantic love is so important in this day and age when people always seem to want to find the one. Finding someone is wonderful, however don’t make the mistake of thinking that is all that matters in life, because having a support system of best friends can not only help you grow as an individual, but can make you incredibly happy, maybe even more than you would feel with someone else. After all, the Beatles sang it best, “I get by with a little help from my friends…”
