As this is my first article I am writing, of course I wanted it to be perfect. I wanted it to be captivating and unique- something people would want to read. However, after getting a writer’s block with my first idea, I realized after watching a tiktok, what I should really be writing my first ever article about, which is the person that got me into HER Campus in the first place.
You are probably thinking someone from the HER Campus community introduced me to this organization. That’s not the case, in fact, this person doesn’t even go to the same college as me. After complaining to my best friend during a facetime call one night about how I wish I was involved in something at school, she decided to take matters into her own hands. After my numerous, frustrated “no’s” to every idea she threw at me, she eventually landed on HER Campus and was pleasantly surprised to find out it was something I was interested in. Now every interaction I have within this community, I shower her with thanks and gratitude for introducing me. However, this isn’t a story about how I am now a writer in the “leading media platform dedicated to empowering college women around the globe.” This is an article expressing the importance of a best friend. The kind of best friend that will make sure you are happy, no matter how difficult you make it for them.
Sarah and I have known each other since kindergarten. As I explained to the waiter in Olive Garden when asked if we were sisters, we didn’t become good friends until around 3rd grade, went through a big breakup in 5th grade, and finally rekindled in 7th. We’ve been inseparable ever since, emotionally of course as she goes to school in California and I’m in North Carolina. She is quite literally everything I could have dreamed of in a person. The fact that I get to be a part of her life so closely makes me extremely thankful every day. It felt wrong to write this debut article about anything other than her.
This isn’t to say everything is always perfect. Even though most of the time it’s crying-laughter and comfortable silence, disagreements are bound to happen at some point. It is ok and normal to argue with your best friend. Sarah and I have gone through our fair share of rough patches, but this doesn’t make our connection any less. What’s vital to our strong friendship is how we argue and what we get out of it. Arguments are constructive, and both people should learn from it. A fight with your best friend isn’t the end of the world, although it may feel like it. It’s important to listen and learn from each other and grow from the situation. There are expectations you should hold for your close friends, many of which I’ve realized to have from Sarah. This can be difficult because having such a good model for what friendship should look like, it can be harder pursuing new relationships. A true friend is loyal, you shouldn’t doubt that they won’t have your back. Trust is the basis of any relationship- without it, all else will fall apart. You should always want the best for your friends and vice versa. Your best friend should always show up for you. I had a birthday dinner with my dad, his girlfriend, my mom, and my stepdad, and although Sarah knew it was most likely going to be extremely awkward and uncomfortable she still came because she knew I wouldn’t be able to get through it without her.
Finally, you may notice a relationship “love” feel to this article. No, we are not the lesbian lovers my whole family questions us to be. But Sarah is one of the great loves in my life. It’s not the type of love you give to a parent or a boyfriend. A best friend bond is a perfectly authentic form of love where the only thing being shared is the best version of you. I am fully and completely myself when I’m around her. After hanging out after not seeing each other for a while it feels like when you finally get a good deep breath. My true laugh comes out with Sarah. Not the forced kind you get used to that makes you forget what your laugh is like when you’re with YOUR Sarah. And if you haven’t found her yet, please don’t worry. Keep putting yourself out there and being yourself and your person will find you.