They say there is one person for everyone, that everyone has one soulmate they are destined to meet. I think this is true with romantic relationships, but I also believe you can have other soulmates that aren’t romantic. My experience with female friendships in college has proven this.
The best part of my college experience has been meeting the strong, beautiful, kind young women I am lucky enough to call my friends. To have found a group of girls I can laugh with one minute and have a serious conversation with the next is such a blessing. My friends and I have had so many great times and memories together, but what I’ve come to learn throughout college is that friendship is not just about having good times; It’s also about having candid conversations about life, love, relationships, the future, etc. These conversations are so important because life is full of ups and downs, it isn’t sunshine and rainbows all the time. If you have friends who just want to have a good time all the time, they may be fun to hang out with, but you don’t necessarily have a real friendship with them. Real friends will be there with you in every phase of your life: whether you’re happy and having fun or feeling down and need support.
One of the best parts of female friendship is the support that it provides. I know my friends will always be willing to listen when I need to talk, and I will do the same for them. A phrase that we use often is: “If you want to talk about it, I want to talk about it.” I can always go to them whenever I am feeling sad, angry, insecure, or self-conscious, and they always know the right things to say to pick me up when I’m down. I have found that having real friends is not just having someone tell you what you want to hear; what a real friend does is tell you what you need to hear. Friends don’t let you put yourself down, they don’t let you allow others to push you around. They help you see when you’re overthinking something and when you’re not thinking about something enough. They don’t just tell you when you’re in the right, but they also tell you when you’re in the wrong. Real friendship isn’t just about support; it’s also about honesty. That sometimes means giving advice that’s hard to hear, but it always comes from a place of genuine care for the other person.
My friends are the kindest and most empathetic people I know. Something that has made our friendships so great is that we always make sure to consider the feelings of every person involved in a given situation. We always think about how something may make another person feel, and we each put that above our own feelings, not at our own expense, but in the way that you do when you care so much about a person that you consider them above yourself. This empathy for each other allows us to understand each other in a way I don’t think I have ever experienced in any other relationship before.
My friends are always uplifting each other, and we are genuinely proud of each other for our accomplishments. This is important especially in our time, as our society tends to encourage competition among women, pitting them against each other. But my friends and I don’t buy into this. Whenever any one of us achieves something, we all celebrate that achievement. We don’t get jealous of each other. Instead, we are genuinely happy for each other.
Being surrounded by such a kind and supportive group of women every day has truly made me a better person, and it has taught me so much about friendship and love. Whenever I spend time with them, I just feel so much joy. Even when things are tough, I know my life is good because they are in my life. I truly believe they are my soulmates, and I couldn’t imagine my life without them.