Everyone loves "Toy Story," and the friendship between Buzz Lightyear and Woody are essential to the plot of the films. Their journey is dynamic and they have three movies worth of memories to prove it! I am so grateful that I have found a friend who I consider to be the Woody to my Buzz Lightyear, and these are some of the reasons why:
"Now Woody, he's been my pal for as long as I can remember. He's brave, like a cowboy should be, and kind and smart. But the thing that makes Woody special is he'll never give up on you...ever. He'll be there for you, no matter what." - Andy, "Toy Story 3"Similar to how Buzz and Woody belong to Andy, we also belong to something that brought us together
Our sorority brought her into my life and although it doesn’t “own” us, we belong to a wonderful organization that encourages us to be as diverse as Andy’s toy box.
She had it all together, until I crash-landed into her life
Woody seemed to have everything figured out, until Buzz showed up to add some chaos. I’m pretty sure she was a normal(ish) girl until she met me…
We had a rocky beginning to our friendship
Although we weren’t as jealous of each other as Buzz and Woody were at first, we also had to go through a lot together before we became close friends. We endured an “intensive” Spanish class and the Greek Orientation process, which left us distressed and clinging to each other for support.
We are very different, but we’ve found many similarities
Woody is an organized realist, while Buzz is living constantly in a world of his own creation. This pretty much sums up our personalities, but somehow, we get along anyway.
Among a large collection of toys, we somehow found each other
There are millions of people in this galaxy, yet somehow she and I crossed paths, and I know how lucky I am to call her a friend.
She is always up for adventure
Whether it’s pulling an awkward prank involving a fish and a Mark Twain quote that no one thought was funny (except us, obviously), or busting out some Shania Twain karaoke, I know I can count on her to go along with a weird shenanigan.
She saves my life (more often than I’d like to admit)
Buzz and Woody are always saving each other or their fellow toys. Similarly, when there’s a crisis, she comes running! If I’m sobbing at 3 a.m., she’ll be there to talk it out. If I am in dire need of H2O, she’s on it. If I forget that our Stats class starts at 3:30 instead of 4:00, she’ll send me a “where are you?” text. Those potential disasters could have ended much differently, had it not been for her loving concern.
Like Buzz and Woody, we bonded over finding our way home
Figuratively, we found a home in our sorority together, and bonded over that. Literally, there were many dark nights as lost and confused freshmen that we had to navigate our way through the new atmosphere we’d found ourselves in. Sometimes this was while wearing togas, and sometimes this was with pockets full of fake dollar bills. Either way, we made it back to safety eventually.
We are both extremely weird in our own unique ways
Buzz and Woody are not the most normal toys in the chest...and neither are we. I’ve witnessed her practice “growling,” which is more than a little bit concerning, and she let me hold her hand for over an hour in a dark, crowded basement because I “needed her support” for an unknown reason.
There’s no judgment
She doesn’t mind that I am a scattered fool with an unhealthy addiction to caffeine and talking too fast, and I don’t mind that she is unusually well put-together, mostly normal, and adored by all people. Buzz and Woody eventually reach a point of not judging each other, and that's when friendship really begins to blossom.
We offer support and remind each other that we are in fact significant, even when it’s hard to see
Buzz is insecure when he realizes that he is a toy and not an actual space ranger, but Woody supports him through this. We are also constantly there for each other: I applaud her and watch in amazement as she rocks the nursing program, and endures labs that last about 10,000 hours on a regular basis. She encourages my passion for pranking and social-workish endeavors.
We hate to say goodbye
But when we do, we make it awkward on purpose. This usually entails petting each other’s head or cheek, or some version of an odd hug. Buzz, Woody, and the others also struggle with a couple of heartbreaking goodbyes.
Somehow when we “reach for the sky,” we always end up “falling with style…”
Sweet Elise, thanks for being the Woody to my Buzz. Thank you for being unapologetically you, and for teaching me what it means to be a true friend. I know that I'll never find another friend like you in a million light years, and I wouldn't dare try! Even though we are as different as a cowboy and a space ranger, I couldn't love you more. I hope you know that for the rest of our lives, you've got a friend in me.
I LOVE YOU TO INFINITY AND BEYOND!!!
