In my first year of university, I was lucky enough to become super close with one of my roommates. After an awkward first year (thanks to COVID), we managed to keep a solid relationship over the summer. In our second year, we were not lucky enough to live together but, thankfully for us, our unlucky streak broke this past year. The problem was, after spending so much time apart, we needed something to do that we could bond over. Thus, craft nights were born.
It is such a simple thing but it is something we can easily do together. Usually, we will put on a movie or continue with our Once Upon A Time rewatch while we spend hours doing little crafts. Just as some examples, we have done plenty of paintings on canvases, painted Christmas ornaments, painted pumpkins, painted ceramic decorations and even tried our hand at making little clay sculptures.
Now, it probably helps immensely that we have access to a Dollarama right across the street from our house and yes, you can find just about every craft you could ever want from Dollarama. However, I would say that, as much fun as our craft nights are, they are more than just the access to Dollarama.
Specifically, craft nights are a way to connect. Even when we are watching a movie or show, we are still talking to each other and maintaining that bond. It makes me so grateful to know I get to have that relationship with someone and even more grateful that she is excited to have that relationship with me.
Something I have discovered recently, is that many of the friendships I have had in the past were not very kind. For example, I have made a lot of friendships that were quite competitive, so it is been difficult to feel as though I can have a safe friendship. However, this simple act of doing crafts and strengthening that friendship I care very deeply about, has reminded me that not only can I have those friendships with people, but that I deserve them. The bond that my friend and I have created, thanks to our craft nights, is something I had been searching for a while, I just did not realize it.
There is neither no competition to craft night, nor should there be. It is a quiet moment between the two of us where we do not have to worry about anyone else. I am supportive of her and she is supportive of me and while that support may have sprouted from the crafts themselves, it lingers in everything we do.
I will be forever grateful for the roommate I had in my first year and the craft nights that helped us become best friends.
All my love (especially to you, girly) <3