I believe that everyone should have a best friend. Whether it be a person from school, your mom, your brother, or your significant other. Best friends are important. At least mine is.
Growing up I had many different people who I called my best friend. A girl from kindergarten to second, then a different one from third to fourth, then from fourth to fifth, from fifth to sixth, and during six I had multiple. It seemed like I could never get a “best friend” to stick. When one of us would move, our friendship ended soon after. A couple of times we let people and petty arguments get in the way of what we had. They never seemed to last past a year and it always broke my heart when we would have to part ways. These were girls that I trusted with the childish secrets I used to have. I made up handshakes and dances and nicknames with them in various bedrooms, backyards, and playgrounds. Yet, something as silly as moving was enough to break the bond that we had. Until seventh grade.
I had switched schools and been separated from kids that I had known since I was a baby. It was hard for me and I thought that I would never have friends. Or at least it would take me forever to find those people that I called friends. Let alone a best friend. Then, in P.E. class I ran across Ty’Aunna. An intelligent, beautiful, funny (though I would never tell her) girl took pity on the snotty-nosed new girl and became her friend. It did not take long for us to become best friends and I’m glad to say that this time it has last over a year. 7 years to be exact. She is everything I could have asked for in a best friend plus a bunch of things that I did not know I needed. It is crazy how much a meeting one person can change your life. I know I would be a different person without her. And I like to think she’d be different without me.
A best friend is and can be so many things. A shoulder to cry on, a person to laugh with, a safe for all of your darkest secrets (even the childish ones), a fashion advisor, a study buddy, or anything that you may need. I believe it is important for everyone to have that one person that you can go to for anything. Ty’Aunna is all of these things for me, and me for her. We can laugh at and with each other. She is the only one that I will cry in front of for any reason. I will send her any ugly video or picture just because I can. We have no problem being bored together or laying around doing nothing. It’s easy. Best friends should not be hard.
Of course, every friendship is not going to be perfect. You will argue and ignore each other like anybody else but at the end of the day, they are always there. Ty’Aunna and I argue at least three times a week about little things. We didn’t talk for almost a week straight at one point and when we did talk again, it was almost like nothing happened. Why? Because she is my absolute best friend and I hated not talking to her. I hated being in the same room as her but not being able to look at her and just bust out laughing. Who else was I supposed to do that with? It’s normal to argue with someone with who you spend a lot of time. It doesn’t lessen the importance of the bond that you share with that person. If anything, it strengths the relationship and makes it better.
There are going to be things that you don’t like about your best friend and that’s okay. I wouldn’t expect you or your best friend to love every single little thing about one another. But should they accept them? Yes, without a doubt. You don’t want to tie yourself to a person that makes you feel like you have to change. They should make you feel loved and accepted. Ty’Aunna and I joke with each other all of the time, but we don’t do it with malice in our hearts. We know that we are just playing around and if something were to truly hurt our feelings, then we would apologize. We accept each other with every fault and flaw and love each other for them. But if your friend constantly makes remarks that make you feel bad about yourself or always makes you feel uncomfortable, then that’s not your friend. And it is certainly not your best friend.
There are so many things that people need a best friend for. It is unhealthy to keep everything pent up inside without talking to anyone. You need someone who can be that person for you. I know that if I am having relationship problems or I am stressed about school or my family is bothering me, I can talk to my best friend and she will make me feel better.
That’s the thing about a best friend. They know the perfect way to cheer you up when you’re feeling down. You spend so much time with this person whether it be talking, laying around, shopping at the mall, eating your weight in food, or taking random trips to get ice cream that you learn almost everything about them. I know exactly how to irritate Ty’Aunna, but I also know how to cheer her up when she is sad or stressed. And vice versa.
Best friends are good for so many things and I would be lost without mine. If they truly are that person for you, it does not matter the time or distance. We can go days or weeks without seeing or speaking to each other and at the end of that time, it’s like nothing has changed. She will still be Ty’Aunna, I will still be Nevaeh, and we will still be best friends. Do you have someone like that? Do you have a Ty’Aunna?