Growing up, I always thought that because of what I saw on shows and in movies that it was normal and necessary to have a big, close group of friends. I constantly strived for it and thought that the more friends I had, the happier I would be. I struggled to keep a big circle in middle school and high school because of that girl drama that everyone just LOVES, and I felt irrelevant and lonely because of it. I would never be a “popular, pretty girl” who everyone looked up to. I never appreciated the people I had around me and I would neglect existing friendships to seek out new ones.
The summer before I left for SLU, I rekindled a relationship with an old friend and developed a deeper friendship with an acquaintance, and before I knew it, I had a tight circle of four girls surrounding me. It made me so ecstatic to feel as if I finally belonged to a group, though it was smaller than my preteen-self imagined it to be. When I got to college, I was sad to leave my recently founded friend group, but I was determined to make another one (the SLU version!). I ended up becoming best friends (and still to this day!) with my random freshman roommate, and we soon added a third and a fourth! I did it again folks, another group of four lovely peeps. Again, I wanted more new friends, but I kept thinking about how lucky I was to have each person in my life and how they meant the world to me. I found my people, and I’m so grateful for all these tight-knit friendships that I know will last a lifetime. I can confidently say that each friend I have in my life is my ultimate best friend, without a doubt. I’m able to share the peaks and valleys of my life with each and every one of these incredible people, though there may not be a large squad of them. ;)
I encourage everyone reading this to take a moment and let every friend in your life know how much you love and appreciate them; whether that’s one person or 20. Friendship is one of the greatest and most beautiful aspects of life, and I’m so blessed to have created such strong and lasting friendships! And to all my forever besties (you know who you are), I love you all with my whole heart. <3