During my first semester in college, I learned a lot about myself and other people. After having the same friends all throughout high school, my friend making skills were a little rusty. However, I managed to make a solid group of friends, in and out of my sorority. I have also maintained those friendships I made in high school. Here are six things I’ve learned about friendship in my first semester of college.
1. Having a long distance best friend sucks, but it is manageable
My best friend and I are 767 miles apart, and it sucks. We only get to see each other for a few months out of the year and if she has a game close to where I live. However, we have managed to stay close over the last six months and I think we have become even closer. We are still in constant contact with each other and continue to tell each other everything about our lives. 767 miles doesn't have anything on us.
2. New friends are fun and exciting.
Getting new friends is like getting a new toy. You want to spend as much time with them as you can. There is so much to learn about your new friends, and you don’t want to waste a minute. You get to have all these new, fun experiences. There is always something new to be learned.
3. Work friends are awesome.
Going to work and knowing I get to spend the next few hours hanging out with some of the funniest people is a blessing. Going to work sucks a lot less when you enjoy the people you get paid to spend time with.
4. Not every friendship is the same.
Every friendship has a slightly different dynamic. There are friendships in which you are both in a similar place in your life and have similar problems, and that is what bounds you. Other friendships are more of a role model relationship. The best example I have of this relationship with my big. I look up to my big more than anyone else. She is my go-to for when I need advice on anything. She knows when I need words of encouragement or just someone to talk to. She tells me what I need to hear and when I need to hear it. I always wanted a big sister, and now that I have one I wouldn't trade her for the world. Everyone needs someone like this in their lives.
5. Some friends don’t require constant contact.
My best friends from high school and I don't talk every day, but when we do it's like nothing changed. We are able to pick up right where we left off. You are both able to grow on your own, find yourself and come back to tell them everything. You would never know you have gone days, maybe weeks without talking. These are the people that will always be there for you, no matter what.
6. Old friendships are just as awesome as new ones.
Old friendships are comforting. They already know everything about you and they lived through all the stories you tell your new friends about. You can still laugh at inside jokes with them, and they will never judge you. They went through your awkward stages right by your side. They saw you at your worst and loved you at your best. Honestly, God bless them for sticking around during those rough patches because without them, you'd be lost.
I am a firm believer that good friendships make life worth living. There are so many things I have learned the last few moths of college, but these are the five most important things I've learned about friendships, and myself.
