When everything seems to come apart, you typically want to be alone, right? In my experience, I’ve realized that even just telling a friend just to air out the negativity is good. That’s what true friends are really for: being there for you at your lowest and loneliest times.
The whole past week has been hell, and I’m sure we can all attest to that in one way or another.
For me, it wasn’t a week. It was just that one day, and I’m sure you all can imagine which day that was.
I felt so low and lost within myself that I feared I would never resurface. Dark, haunting images of just leaving swam before my eyes. But I told myself that running was cowardly, and the problems would only grow and follow you, just as shadows do. I believe that shadows hide my darkest demons, so that’s why they’re always behind us, sometimes never fully in view but always there.
Friends, true friends, make those shadows and fears smaller. Maybe it’s just a hug that gets me through the next day. Maybe it’s a long phone call filled with their patience and them listening to my tears hitting the phone screen as I go on about how I never cry, but for some reason, something caused the floodgates to open. Maybe it’s just a text saying ‘ily’. Maybe it’s a long conversation of them just listening and once I finish, they just say that they care about me and will support me no matter what because they see me as a strong individual. I treasure each and every interaction. They keep me going.
Not all my friends have the same views as I do, but I still acknowledge and accept their views because I love that person. No matter who they voted for or what they believe in, they are still my friend because they come back to me time and time again supporting me as I do for them. That kind of generosity and dependability is only found a few times in a lifetime, and I’m so glad to have found those relationships so early on in life.
It’s funny, really: when you meet someone, you have no idea how important they will be later on. It makes me wonder if I could go back in time and tell myself that before one friend graduates, or before one goes off to another college, appreciate the days you have.
I wish there was a way to know we were in the good old days before we left them. Because, right now, it may not seem wonderful or good, but these are our college days. These are meant to be the best years of our lives and they are supposed to be spent with people that make relationships last for lifetimes.
Through all our troubles, I don’t think I could have made it without the people I have met here at Wittenberg. So, try to really appreciate the people beside you because before you know it, you’ll be stomping on that seal and leaving the good old days behind.
