Coffee and friends–two things that most of us can’t live without. I wake up every morning to the aroma of coffee wafting through the hallways and cascading down to my room, while I go to bed every night talking to one of my best friends about my daily mishaps and ugly moments. These two things that seem to be so prevalent in our lives take on two different forms and, on the surface, seem to be completely disparate. But, if we think about the characteristics of some caffeine-infused coffee and die-hard friendships, we’d realize that maybe they come from the same place...or in this case, bean.

First off, they wake us up. People sometimes ask a coffee addict, like myself, what happens when I wake up and there is no coffee. The answer is I don’t usually wake up. There’s something enchanting in the first jolt of a hot coffee in the morning that runs unparalleled to any other beverage or breakfast food. Me before coffee is a completely different me after I’ve had a steady caffeine intake. But just as a good ol’ cup of joe awakes a sleepy sense of ourselves, our friends wake us up from bad situations. There have been countless times where I found myself contemplating doing something stupid, when one of my friends got ahold of my head and made me wake up my own logic. Friends shake us into a certain sense of realization when our own brains end up in a foggy daze. Regardless of what anyone says, I want to have a friend in my life who will have the nerve to tell me the truth. I want someone to jolt me to my senses, kind of like an espresso… but just not as bitter.

Next, they bring a sense of energy. After I’ve had my coffee, I feel like I could have a showdown with Vladimir Putin, end world hunger and watch all nine seasons of "The Office" before lunch. It’s insane how effective caffeine makes me. This wild energy begins to usurp the blood in my veins for caffeine, and there’s nothing I can’t do…. Until I crash around 2 p.m. But, that same sense of energy also comes with a night out with our friends. There’s no way you’re going to fall asleep in the car with three of your best friends blasting Taylor Swift. Our friends make us energetic and give us some of the best memories of our lives. They make us realize that we’re only here for a limited amount of time, so we better make it count now. In other words, drink coffee now and party with your friends…you can always sleep when you’re dead.

In addition to the high intensity perks of a daily cup of coffee, we can’t overlook the soothing effects of a decaf cup before bedtime. A hot cup of coffee while reading a book, watching TV, or even while gossiping with your friends can be some of the best forms of relaxation that this world has to offer us. The slight burn along your tongue almost numbs your anxieties and you just begin to drift slowly to another place. Soothing effects of coffee are also mimicked by our friendships. The best of friends know that being able to calm someone down after they’ve had an awful encounter or stressful week define the what a friendship is all about. It’s great to have someone to always go out with and have a ton of energy around, but the real friendship between two people occurs when there’s nothing going on and you can just talk.

And finally, both coffee and friends are extremely reliable. Every day I know a single cup of hot black coffee will brighten my spirits, and everyday I know that a single conversation with my friends will uplift my worries. The weather changes, fashions fade and some TV series get taken off of Netflix. But friendship and coffee, well, those two are going nowhere anytime soon.