Be. Thankful. For. Your. Friends. 

This one goes out to my girls. 

Finding people you click with can be so hard, and if there is anything I have learned throughout college – it is that making friends is hard, and small groups of people are the best groups of people. Sure! I have lots and lots of friends and people I like to try and stay in touch with, but when you reflect on how many of them you can lean on in times of need, who can you count on? 

I’ve seen so many individuals find themselves in a place of darkness because they couldn’t quite find the right people to open up too. I promise you, finding those people is worth the wait and the effort of putting yourself out of your comfort zone to find the people you want to hang around all the time. Relationships build overtime, and I feel like everyone always says “you will meet your best friends at college right away.” This is not always the case and it takes time to find the right people to surround yourself with. I did, however, find the right people to surround myself with when I got to Belmont, but we become closer and closer everyday, and with time spent together. Relationships take time. The biggest aspect that comes with finding your people is trust and reaching out. Making the effort to check up on the people you want to be surrounded by is the key to a solid relationship. Solid friendships are vital to our mental health, and I have witnessed this in so many ways with my friends. 

Throughout my time at school, I have gone through so many ups and downs. I have struggled with loss, heartache, failure, and anxiety. I can tell you, without a doubt, I would not be the person I am today without my friends. They have continued to be my listening ear, shoulder to cry on, and my biggest motivators in all aspects, and constantly have given me the best pieces of advice. They also have been the people who I have shared countless belly laughs with, and overall, they have seen me at my best and my worst and I wouldn’t trade them for the world! 

My biggest motivator when finding friends begins with your own motives and goals. Find people with similar interests and mindsets. Finding these people is hard, but I encourage others to put themselves out there and to not be afraid to see what others have to offer you because most of the time all you need is some friends to spend your time with. 

Moving past the sappy finding your friends type stuff…. 

Have you ever looked forward to something SO much, and it came and went so fast, you were sad when it finished? This past week, I had Spring Break, and I was SOOO ready for a break. This semester has been QUITE draining on me because I am taking 19 credit hours – it has been rough. The thick of the semester is about to hit, and the week-long break in the sun was much needed, but I did not realize how much I needed it until I got home and reflected on the time spent with my friends. I thought about how amazing it is that I have a group of people to spend all my time with, good and bad, and through thick and thin. 

After reflecting on this past week, the word that comes to mind is thankful. Be thankful for the ones who surround you. Be thankful to those who are checking up on you. Be thankful to have people in your life who genuinely want to spend the time with you. Be thankful for those who motivate you. Literally, at one moment on my trip, I sat in the car, and was just like, “Gosh, I am so thankful for them.” My friends are truly blessings and I could not do life without them. 

People you really connect with don’t come around often, but when they do, do not take them for granted because they could be gone in an instant. Reach out to your people, take care of your friends because those people make your time spent together a little bit sweeter. 

Words of Encouragement – Reach out to someone who you haven’t connected with in a while. Tell them you are thankful for them. Show them you care.

Here are some pictures of my friends and I this past week (: