A Serious Moment

Most of the people that I know now, I have known for a very long time. Some of those people I have considered really close friends. In fact, I have considered some of them best friends. Friends to count on in times of need or friends to support me in big moments (like moving to an entirely different city...alone). Unfortunately, things don't always turn out the way we expect. Unfortunately, people we thought would be there, aren't there anymore.

While this may seem like a negative post, it really isn't. To be honest, I think we all go through it. We make big changes...we move on...we grow up. And the big question remains, "Who is going to be there for me?".  While it hurt me, I had to come to the conclusion that someone I truly cared about and someone who I thought I did so much for, just turned on me and pretended like there was never a friendship there. It's not a fun feeling. Trust me, I've spent night after night after night wondering why someone I have always tried to be a good friend to gave up on me so fast...without a second thought.

However, regardless of the cliche, I do believe in the statement, "Everything happens for a reason." Although I can't put my finger on it right now, there is a reason for everything that happened. There is a reason (an unfortunate reason) that this friendship ended; a friendship that had previously lasted head-on competition, many nights with too many cocktails and too many other things.

Moving to Chicago has given me a sense of clarity. Although I miss those who used to know me so well, I am thankful for those who have stuck by me. It's important to recognize those who understood what a hard time I was having when I moved here...those who talked me through it all and gave me confidence in who I had/would become.

Since technically I am suppose to provide some sort of insight in my posts, I will say this...

Moving away from someplace where you felt so comfortable has its disadvantages. It's not all fun and exciting. I wish I could say it were. But, it's hard and unfortunately, you realize that not all your friends will truly stick by you through everything. That's a hard concept. It's something that most people don't want to face.

But once you face that, I promise, it gets better. To me, it's about focusing on those who have been there...those who truly understand what it's like to be a friend, through thick and thin. It's about believing in each other and trusting that with the support of a good friendship, you can make it through anything. I wouldn't have made it through living in this new world of mine without the support of my wonderful family and those friends who chose to stick by me.

Life isn't easy. We all have moments that we aren't proud of and we all wish situations would have ended differently. Everything happens the way it happens, but the way we deal with it is what defines us and shapes us into the people we will become. 

In the end, I’m thankful for all types of friendships. However, I’m most thankful for those friends who have stuck by me because they’ve shaped me into the kind of friend I want to be.

To my close friends, you know who you are <3