I think the gift of friendship is something that should never be taken for granted. As much as I love being by myself or being alone, I don’t take my friends for granted. If there was a way I could always be by my friends, I’d take it.
But I think it’s funny how the friends who are in my life now are mostly people online and wait till you hear this, people who I have never met. Most of the best of people in my life are people who I haven’t seen physically but have become the very best things that has happened to me.
I entered into 2024 content. I looked around me and saw people that I loved. People that I trusted. Those I would do anything for because I’m aware that they would do just about anything for me as well. I entered 2024 beaming with satisfaction. Nothing could go wrong in life because I had my people and that was enough for me.
And so when in that same 2024 where I fell into the depths of despair, my friends who I call my people showed up and showed out for me. Would I have had been swallowed up into oblivion if they weren’t there? I wouldn’t know. But they acted as a support system. They all became my backbone. Everyone trying to make me laugh, everyone doing their best to get me back to my smiling self, some even entered near-depression because of me, but we all managed to pull ourselves back up into the light.
2024 brought the most amazing people into my life. People I wouldn’t have ever dreamt of being close to. Now there’s never a day where there are not by my side, showing their virtual and physical support depending. But last year didn’t only bring these new, amazing people into my life, it strengthened the bonds I had with those I met in 2023 and before.
More than ever, in the year 2024, we became closer and our bond even stronger. Now, two of the most important people in my life and who I also met on this space are still with me. Talking every day with them, building with them, growing stronger in all the ways that matter with them has become the highlight of my day. And even on days where we do nothing but laze around and gossip, just being around them gives me peace.
And that’s the gift of friendship I can’t stop talking about. The peace that is backed up by the confidence of knowing that you have people. Before I think of being distressed about anything, I remember, “Oh, I have Deraa. Deraa would know what to do.” “Before I panic, let me ask Yemi. He'll know just how to go about this.” “I’m not sure why I am feeling like this, Favour would know what to do and what to tell me.”
Nhaji will tell me to breathe in and breathe out and then we tackle the issue together. Zee will make break my vows of never cussing again, but he would at least know what to say that would put me on the better frame of mind. Wongi would scream with me and we’d have the craziest laughs but all would be right in the end after talking with her.
And every other person that I didn’t just meet in 2024 and became my person, but entered 2024 with me as my person. There’s no greater feeling than knowing that these people are in my corner not because I have much to offer them, but because they love me for me and are happy to be by my side. If there are other lifetimes, I hope these friends of mine are still my people even then. Everything is better with friends and I can’t wait to see what 2025 has in store for me when it comes to friends.
Would there be more people in my corner or would they have some impact or the other in my life without necessarily being my friends? We can only wait and see. But for now, let me celebrate the best friends in the world.
Jhymi🖤
Images are mine.
