Friends are the family you choose.
How true that saying is. Often, friends can feel more like family than your actual family does. They are the people that understand you like no one else does; they can finish your sentences, and make you smile when no one else can. They support you and love you unconditionally. Those friends are worth their weight in gold. They are a rare gift that makes life so special, and that you will be forever grateful for.
I thank my lucky stars every day that I have one of those friends.
She feels so much like family that I actually call her my “unbiological sister.” Growing up, I didn’t have a sister to really turn to. But I was able to find the sister I always wanted, and needed, in my friend.
She gets me like nobody else does. We have experienced similar situations in life, and so she understands where I am coming from and what I am feeling. But even more so, she understands my experiences with mental health, and thus, is able to support me better than anyone else.
The true testament of her friendship and “unbiological” sisterhood was when I recently encountered a rough patch in my life.
When I opened up to her about what I was going through and how it had impacted me, she just let me vent. I remember telling her how at that point in my life it had felt like I was standing in a crowded room screaming, but no one heard me or bothered to look up. “I hope you take some comfort in the fact that I hear you now,” she said.
I remember the tears streaming down my face. It was in that moment that I knew that my best friend had become my sister.
But more importantly, she’s always right there by my side, never judges me, and accepts me for exactly who I am.
I remember when she came all the way to watch me graduate from college. After the ceremony and all the festivities, we went to the beach. As our whole group neared the water, some were hesitant about running into the ocean. I remember telling our group that it was either “go big or go home,” so I ran into the freezing Pacific ocean. But as I was running into the water, there she was running right beside me. Later that day, I posted our picture on Facebook, and captioned it, “Best friends don’t tell you-you’re crazy; they just run into the wave with you.”
But, you see, the thing is that she just doesn’t run into actual, physical waves with me; she runs through all of life’s waves with me. Every single one of them.
Whenever something is bringing me down, there she is running right by my side, ready to catch me when I fall. Whenever something good is going on in my life, there she is running beside me again, but this time cheering me on louder than anyone else.
She’s a constant source of love, encouragement, and honesty in my life. And there’s no person I’d rather call my best friend and “unbiological sister” than her.
Friends are the family you choose. I guess I chose a good one. ♥️
