Friendship can be a complicated thing. We’re all searching for the Cristina Yang to our Meredith Grey — our person. Some people find their person when they’re in elementary school on the playground, but some of us are nearing our 20s and can’t really say we have found someone who gets us.
True friends are the people who unexplainably understand you and are there for you through anything. As we get older, we never really understand the importance of those people who get us. In a world as big and scary as ours, it’s easy to get lost in the chaos if you don’t have those people to bring you back to reality. I know it’s hard for some to find these people who are somehow made to fit perfectly in our lives, but once you find them, it’s all worth it. For example, I found my people after years and years of cycling through friends that, honestly, were never really there for me and weren’t what I needed. But as unpredictable as life is, the universe gave me not one, but two people. I wasn’t looking for them, but there they were — and little did I know hanging out once after work would turn into almost nightly dinner outings and plenty of Disney trips.
Once you find the people who get you, you get this sense of security and belonging that we all strive for in life. It’s a big deal in our society to feel as though we belong somewhere, and sometimes the feeling of belonging doesn’t come from a place, but from the people in our lives. That’s the great part about finding the people you were meant to meet — you feel like another puzzle piece in your life has been put in the right spot and you can sort of make out what the big picture is supposed to look like. It makes you feel less alone and less lost.
If you haven’t gotten the message yet, here it is: if you haven’t found the people that get you yet, don’t worry: they’re on their way. If you have found them, hold onto them. We need these people more than we think. They become our safe spaces where we don’t need to hide or pretend, which is important. Make sure you appreciate these people every day; you’re their person too, after all.