My Best Friends

I have three best friends and they are all aliens from outer space…or at least I think they must be considering the fact that it’s really unbelievable that best friends like them exist in this world— or anywhere else for the matter. Each one of them is different from the other. Each one has her own different priorities, opinions, and interests; yet, somehow, in one way or another, I still find common ground with each one of them. I love them all like family.

Having been betrayed by a number of people I once thought would stand by me, I never had the heart to trust anybody. I used to be the type of person who would give up so easily from every challenge— be it a difficult looking math problem or being chosen as a contestant for an inter-class competition. I was an unhappy child, relentlessly being bullied by the people I so desperately wished to befriend me. I would smile and laugh so often, no one ever really noticed that inside I was crying, searching for true friendship in apparently the wrong places.

Fate is really funny. Oftentimes, the things you expect to happen don’t always go the way you want it to, but the other way around. Just like in my case, I had never expected to find such true friendship in such implausible people. But then again, why let your expectations rule your future?

Do you notice how in movies they always seem to talk about destiny? The main idea is always this: we are all destined to meet The One who will change our lives forever. When I think about it, maybe there is such a thing as destiny. How else can I explain my new positive outlook, my desire to become a better person, and my newfound passion for life? It was my destiny to meet these three amazing people who have indeed changed the course of my life.

My best friends are simply the greatest because they were given to me by God. Even though I think I’m the most self-centered, materialistic, immature person in the world, they still accept me for who I am and love me anyway. They’re always there when I need them and even when I don’t. I know I can always count on them to be here for me through thick or thin. When I am overloaded with school work, they give me a hand despite the fact that they also carry the same amount of heavy load as me. When I’m feeling down, they listen to my constant emotional breakdowns even though I can tell that they’d rather do something else. They are honest with me when I’m being too much of a drama queen and give me strength when I feel like giving up all hope. They let me fight my own battles but immediately step in when they know I can’t fight anymore. They are my soul sisters, cheerleaders, tutors, supporters, and everything else in between rolled up into three neat packages.

I look up to them because of how beautiful they all truly are, not just physically. They all have such beautiful hearts that continue to inspire me to be the best me that I can be. They do not judge me by my words or actions, but for who I am inside. They are the type of people who make me actually feel wanted. They make me feel so special and loved even though I don’t believe I really deserve it. They inspire me to reach for my dreams even though to me they seem too far away.

I remember one afternoon, just before one of my best friends left to pursue her studies abroad, she had a talk with me. She told me, “Barbara, you are a talented girl and I know you have the potential to be a great writer some day. That is why I want you to promise me that you’ll get into U.P. for me.”

I want to be able to keep that promise, not only because I really do want to get into the University of the Philippines, but because I think it’s the only way I can give back all the kindness and support they have unconditionally given to me. I want to prove to the world that I can do it because I know that even though I may not be the most intelligent student in the world, I know they believe in me and always will. That, to me, is all that really matters.

Although I treat all of them differently, I love them all the same. To me, everything they have shared with me is so important— the happiness and the sadness, the moments to last —that it is impossible to compare my affection for them, just like how you can’t compare the sun and the moon to which is more beautiful. I can’t imagine how my life would be if I had never met them. True friends are already such blessings from God, but best friends are even greater. That is why I’m so grateful that out of all the people in the world, the Lord led me to them and I truly hope that our friendship will last for more than just a lifetime.