Moving four hours away from my hometown not knowing a single soul was one of the biggest adjustments I have ever had to make. I came from a small town where you couldn’t turn the corner without seeing someone you knew. Every drive across town was done with the windows down so you can wave to a car passing by. Moving into a small city where there wasn’t a familiar face in sight was definitely a step out of my comfort zone. I was hoping to make some friends when I came to college, but I never expected to meet my literal other half, sidekick, partner in crime, and best friend. So here is a little excerpt on how Upstate New York gave me my future maid of honor.
My best friend Emily, who lives about a half hour away from campus, played softball with me our freshmen year of college. She was a pitcher and I was her catcher. She started off as this dainty, quiet, straight-faced girl who barely made a noise when she spoke. Me, being loud and outgoing, never thought we would get along. I just assumed we would go to our lessons, do our work, and leave. As time went on, I started to see Emily come out of her shell, and man does that girl have a personality or what. We were driving to the grocery store one day and the song “Caroline” by Anime came on the speakers. Now with Emily coming from a country farm town, I never would’ve imagined that she knew that song. As I go to skip the song on my phone, she stops me and turns the volume up.
“Are you crazy?!? I love this song!” she said to me.
Ever since then she has just grown to become such an essential part of my life.
Three years later we rented a house off campus together and I couldn’t have asked for a better roommate or best friend. Even though Emily decided to not play softball anymore, she still comes and supports me at my games and is there to pick me up when I fall (both figuratively and literally.) Even with our very hectic schedules that never line up, we manage to find time to sneak out and get pints of ice cream and devour the entire thing in less than ten minutes. In such the short amount of time that I’ve known her, she has managed to see me at my absolute worst and be a main reason as to why I am able to be at my best.
Many people may argue that living with your best friend is a disaster waiting for happen and yes, in some cases, some friends aren’t meant to live together. Thankfully, mine is someone that I can hang out all day and not get sick of. She knows what I am about to say just by reading my facial expression. While our time in college is running short, I know that when we cross that stage to get our diploma, it will just be one milestone in our friendship. I am so fortunate to have the sister I never knew I needed living just down the hall from me.