A Triple Threat
By Alisha, age 23, Massachusetts
Sweet Designs Featured Writer
Sometimes in life you find someone to confide in, someone to trust. Just one person can change your life by being a part of it. To have someone there to make you smile and laugh until you cry and can't stop is one of the best feelings in the world. Someone to make you see that there is good in the world amongst all the bad out there. It's a great feeling to know that there is always someone there to have your back and always be there when you need them the most.
When your world is dark and grey or falling apart, it's good to have someone right there to lift you up and see that there is more to life than being sad and depressed all the time. With lifted spirits, the world will be brighter and fuller, instead of dark and empty. A true friend will guide you to the right door that is waiting to be opened. This is a forever friendship, a forever relationship. This true friend is truly someone special, one who gets you through the hard times, the sad times, and even the confusing times. Getting past these dark times, they will always be there for support and encouragement. Wherever you may go, wherever life may take you, that special someone, that unique friend, will always follow.
Anytime you feel lost or like no one cares, they will always be right there to guide you and cheer you on along your journey. They will always be there to hold your hand when you need them the most. With the comforting feeling of their hand in yours, you are reassured that everything is going to be okay in the end. When you find this friend, you just know; you'll just feel connected. You feel happy and complete because they make you feel a need not to worry anymore. With this forever feeling, this special friend will be a forever part of your life, and if you think about it, forever has no end. Everyone has a forever friend to confide in, a friend to trust, whether one or a handful, whether a boy or girl - everyone has at least one.
I was lucky enough to find more than a handful, but three really stand out from the rest. Chris, Melissa, and Rachel, amongst others, have entered my life at various times, changing and inspiring it by simply being a part of it. Three different people with three different stories, all showing me different paths in life, ones I wouldn't have taken on my own. Each one of these three people has touched my life in a different way, yet in some ways they all have touched my life in exactly the same way.
Chris has been my best and closest friend since third grade, and we have grown closer and closer to each other as the years have gone by. He has been by my side through everything, through the tough times and through the happy times. The hardest times were in middle school when I was being picked on by other kids and only had a select few friends, but Chris was always right there for support. Through those three middle school years, I was constantly called names from ET to stink bomb, and when in class the kids who sat behind me would break pencils and stick them in my hair. When enough was enough, I just wanted to cry, but Chris was there with a shoulder for me to cry on.
Middle school was the hardest three years of school, but without Chris in my life it would have been that much harder, and although my other friends have always been there for me and have had my back, Chris was always the first person to be at my side. He was supportive and encouraging through what felt like a horror show. It was like God sent me an angel to protect me and look out for me. My middle school years grew easier as I ignored the people who picked on me and teased me all the time. With just one look from Chris, I knew I was safe, and without him saying a word I knew that I could trust him. He made life through middle school bearable.
After middle school was over and we entered high school, we parted and went our own ways, which was hard on me at first. I stayed at the same school while Chris went off to a whole new school. It felt like I was drowning in loneliness - what a horrible feeling to have at the start of high school! It felt like a part of me was being ripped out right from under my feet. But it was not long until I decided that enough was enough and transferred to another school. With Chris attending a different high school, transferring high schools sophomore year made me feel safe. Although still at different schools and still apart from each other, Chris and I grew closer, and by the end of our high school careers we reconnected and exchanged cell phone numbers. With the exchanged numbers, we talked through text messages almost every night.
There is a saying by an anonymous writer that goes: "True friendship isn't being inseparable, it's being separated and nothing changes." Though attending two different high schools with two different groups of friends, it was not the fact that we were always apart that was the hardest; it was knowing that he was not always around in person and was not always by my side when I needed him the most. Being at a new high school with new friends, I felt that I fit in and that I was able to express myself without being teased about it.
Being at a new high school with a whole new set of friends made me kind of (but not really) forget about Chris. This new set of friends made me feel safe and that they had my back, and I knew in the back of my head that was something Chris wanted for me. Although I cherished all of their friendships, they were nothing like Chris' friendship and what it meant to me. His smile made me smile and made me realize that nothing is impossible and everything happens for a reason. With his arms wide open, I knew that with just one hug and one time with his arms wrapped around me that I was safe and nothing bad could happen.
By the time high school was upon Chris and me, it was the separation that brought us closer together and made us realize that we were lucky to have one another. Although we lost touch through high school, as soon as it was over and as graduation came and went, we found each other again, and despite going our separate ways, it was like nothing happened between us. Nowadays, he is one of the best people in my life; he truly is an angel from God. But he wasn't the only angel sent from God - Melissa was also a gift sent from above.
Melissa stepped into my life about halfway through my middle school years when I was having a tough time trying to get through to the next day. She was there with a smile and there was a comforting look upon her face. She was new to the school and new to the town and didn't have many friends at the beginning. Melissa was that shy, quiet girl who didn't talk much, but once she got to know you she was a talking machine. She was one of those people you knew right from the start would be a friend till the end. I knew from the beginning that she would always be there for me no matter what. Melissa and I grew closer together as time moved forward.
Although nine months apart, Melissa and I were nothing alike, but as the years went on, we realized that we were more alike than we thought. She grew up in Natick, a city just outside Boston; I grew up in the small town of Sutton, southeast of Worcester. She was not used to a small town like I was, but as time went on this small town grew on her even though her heart still lies in her hometown. Our interests were similar, yet different at the same time. Melissa is more of a country girl who loves horses and going horseback riding; as for me; I was more into playing soccer and have a touch of the 'girly girl' side.
When it came time to enter high school, although Melissa and I were entering different schools, we were closer than ever and hated going our separate ways, but in the end it only made our relationship that much stronger. Once again, it's like the saying "True friendship isn't being inseparable, it's being separated and nothing changes." We were apart for three of our high school years, but by the time I was a high school senior Melissa and I were reunited by our mutual friend Jim. We went out to Davis' Mega Maze with a group of friends and had a blast together. From then on, Melissa and I became close again and our friendship was renewed.
After being reunited at the end of our high school careers, we exchanged phone numbers and that was it - our friendship skyrocketed through the roof, and what a friendship we have! Although we may be different and have many similarities and differences, we have found that we have more similar interests than different ones. Sports is where our strongest interest lies. For both Melissa and me, sports is heaven and that is where we want to stay. From hockey to baseball, it's where our hearts are most of the time. Melissa and I and our story can go on and on, but the most important thing about us is that we have become sisters, and no matter what goes on in our separate lives or the fights or disagreements we might have, it's the love we have for each other that matters at the end of the day. She's been there for me since day one and I know she'll be there to the end.
Last, but certainly not least, Miss Rachel walked into my life during the middle part of my freshman year of college. As I struggled through, Rachel and I were introduced by our mutual friend Jura. After that first meeting midway through my freshman year, Rachel and I were always together, whether walking to class or a meal or just walking around outside. Most people just look at what's on the outside, but I looked deeper into her heart and saw that she was someone special. Even though I have met many people throughout my lifetime with big hearts, Rachel wins the prize for having the biggest heart of them all.
There are a lot of things about Rachel that I love, but the things that I love the most are her openness about her life growing up, her honesty and loyalty, her friendship and kindness, her lovingness and gentleness, but most of all, her trust. She is one of the most selfless people I have ever met. She thinks of others before herself and she is always willing to lend a helping hand to someone who needs it. She always has open ears to listen when you need someone to talk to and she's always willing to listen to you before she even says a word. Her stories from her childhood are nothing but inspirational, and they have made me realize that life shouldn't be taken for granted, and that every day is a new day, a new beginning, and that we should live in the moment, live for today.
At times when I felt invisible, Rachel saw right through that invisible barrier and saw me for the person I really was. She never gave up on me and she knew that I had the potential to do anything if I had the right mindset. From the start, Rachel didn't give up on our friendship, and I'm thankful for that, because nowadays I couldn't imagine my life without her being a part of it. She is one of the most trustworthy people in my life, and I know that, no matter what, I can tell her anything and she won't tell anyone.
As my college years went on, Rachel and I grew closer, and we went from acquaintances to friends to best friends to sisters. By the end of my freshman year of college, I was hanging out with not just Rachel but with Jen, Lance, Jon, Catherine, Joe and Tim. As time went on and I was close with everyone, Rachel and I were the closest; it seemed that I had more in common with her than the others. Rachel and I put our trust in each other and she's the one who helped me express myself easier and has helped me find the person that I am today.
One thing that has made me feel good was when she put her faith in me and trusted me enough to teach her how to drive at night. I took her out a couple times a week until she was a little more comfortable with the whole night driving experience. To have that feeling of trust from Rachel, I knew I had a forever friend, a forever sister, a forever angel watching over me, no matter where we are or where life takes us.
There are many people who take their life for granted as well as the people in their lives. Life is too short to hold grudges or hate someone. Everyone needs someone to put their trust in and have someone always there for support. I feel so lucky to have more people in my life that I can count on and trust than people who bring nothing but bad influences into my life. Chris, Melissa, and Rachel are only three of many people who have shown me that there are good people in the world, and without the three of them, with their love and support, I don't think I would be half the person I am today.
