Strength of friends is uplifting

Throughout high school, when I would sit down to write my column, I would stare at the screen for a long time trying to come up with something ?exciting? in my life to write about.

I always thought it would be much easier to write my columns in college, when I?d always have fun things to share.

So after staring at my screen for about 30 minutes and visiting every single website I could think of before finally managing to write one sentence, I?ve realized that?s not exactly the case. I still seem to lose my entire vocabulary the second I open up a blank Word document, but now I do have so many fun, new experiences I could put on paper.

While I?d love to go into detail about my first K-State football game as a student, my first day of classes or my first time swing dancing, those things mean nothing compared to what I really want to write about: the people I call my friends.

I always tend to look up famous quotes that go along with the subject of my column, and this one from Helen Keller stood out to me: ?Walking with a friend in the dark is better than walking alone in the light.?

I?ve been blessed with old friends, new friends and friends in the form of family members who have walked with me in both the dark and light.

Pictures of memories made with my old friends line the walls of my dorm room. The term ?old friends? doesn?t mean friends who are just present in fond memories; they are the people who I?ve spent the last 19 years growing close to and continue to make new memories with.

Although the time of my life where I got to spend every school day with these friends has passed, they remain an important part of my everyday life. I don?t go a single day without looking at the pictures on my wall and thinking of my amazing tennis teammates or the girls I traveled to New York City with.

My old friends will always be there for me, as they were when I decided to switch colleges, and I will always be there for them.

While I miss my old friends a lot when I?m away from them at college, I?ve had the pleasure of making some equally amazing new friends here in Manhattan. Through a campus ministry called Cru, I have already made some friendships that I?m sure will just continue to grow over the next few years.

In two short months, I?ve already made some incredible memories with my new friends, such as riding a big blue van all the way to Missouri for a retreat or rapping the ?Fresh Prince of Bel Air Theme Song? in front of a coffee shop.

My birthday was earlier this month, and I was a little curious about what my first birthday away from home would be like. I knew people would wish me a happy birthday and it wouldn?t be completely awful, but I also didn?t think it would be anything special without my old friends to celebrate with.

But that night at a Cru community group, my new friends went above and beyond what I had expected, surprising me with a cake and presents. At that point, I realized that these people were becoming friends whose pictures would soon be added to my wall as well.

Some of my most important friends, though, are the ones that I didn?t exactly choose: my family. My mom, dad and sister have always supported and loved me through all of my craziness and mistakes. Had they not been so understanding and encouraging during my week in Missouri, I probably would not have been brave enough to admit I had made a mistake in my college choice and come back to Kansas State, where I am most definitely meant to be. I wouldn?t be who I am today if it weren?t for my incredible family.

Whether old or new, related or not, friends can make a dark day brighter and a funny joke funnier, and I thank God every day for these that people I call my friends.

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