Soulmate-one of the most passionate words in the language of love. A soulmate, to most people, is the single person that God has perfectly crafted for them to love and spend the entirety of their life with. But why is it that when thinking of the word soulmate, everyone automatically thinks of the romantic side of the word? With over seven billion people living on this big planet, it is impossible for people to have only one person their soul connects within such perfect harmony.

For the past thirteen years, I have gained, lost, and grown friendships. Sitting down after your senior year of high school and looking back, half of the people you thought that would stick beside you through thick and thin have faded into distant memories. Your group of twenty "best friends forever" from freshman year haven't talked in years and if you're lucky, you'll have one or two good friends. Once high school is over that certain unnameable pressure to feel as if you had to please everyone quickly leaves you. You start to bud into your true self the summer before college.

The people who stick with you through all of this, are your true friends. These are the people you sit outside until late at night and discuss whether or not someone can swallow whip cream without touching their lips, and then test your theory. These are the people that walk into your house and plop down right beside your parents, just like they were your own child. These are the people that don't mind sitting at your place of employment for hours upon end because they want to spend time with you but you're busy working. These are your soulmates.

You cannot search for a soulmate. A soulmate will hit you blindly, and you won't even realize the intensity of your relationship until much later. Think about your friends again. Are you friends with the people you were when you were younger, or are you so indescribably close with people you never imagined you would be? Don't spend your time chasing after a "soulmate" when you already have some that you haven't even realized yet. When you find yourself and find your niche, your people will follow. They are your soulmates.