The Boys

Tonight this post is dedicated to a few people who mean more to me than they can EVER imagine. I haven't known them my whole life (well, one of them comes pretty close); I haven't lived with them in the sorority house; I try hard not to let them see me without makeup or with greasy hair (oh, yeah, right... who am I kidding?).

While I love my girl friends more than I can describe, there is just something special about these boys. They make me laugh so hard I can't breathe; they tell me the most hilarious stories; they censor my "love interests" and tell me whether they're appropriate or not; they help me out of the plethora of scrapes I get myself into; they listen to me complain; they make fun of me mercilessly. Ben, Nick, Alex and Josh... here's to you.

Ben is what I like to think of as the Jerry to my Elaine. Sometimes it literally is like we were separated at birth, and we just function better together. We have a zillion absurd nicknames for each other; we laugh at the same ridiculous stories; we talk about books we want to read; we go see off-beat movies (when I can handle the extreme violence that Ben loves so much, that is); we always get each other without having to try at all. I can't wait until the day that Ben is a culinary legend; don't think I won't be milking the advantages that come along with that. Sometimes I can't believe that we've only known each other for three years; it seems like three lifetimes.

Nick is my rock. He's the one I can always count on to be there when I need somebody to lean on and to assure me that things really are going to work out fine. We bitch and moan to each other about grad school; we constantly talk about how unbelievably old we are; we've known each other for, like, ever it seems; if I've done (or said) something stupid, he helps me figure it out; without him I think grad school might actually kill me. We live about 100 yards apart, but the only time I seem to see him is in class. That's okay, though, because sometimes it's nice just to know that he's there. Nick is, without a doubt, the closest thing to a brother I've ever known.

Alex and Josh are my links to my younger self. I know it's hard for some of you to believe unless you've been around me recently, but I really have turned into a professional student. I study all the time, and these two remind me of what I used to be and challenge me to keep up my hard-earned reputation. Just today, (which was Boys Bid Day, one of my favorite days of my entire undergraduate career...) they both called me separately to discuss possible alcohol options for the day's celebration. Should I be embarrassed that I was a little bit flattered that they called me, even though I clearly had no part in the festivities? Whether I should be or not, I wasn't... I loved it. More than all of that, however, they're amazing friends I cherish so much.

Alex is a person who I love to sit and talk with about anything, really. Wise far beyond his years, he overwhelms me sometimes with the maturity and responsibility he shows throughout practically every situation he finds himself in (you know I can't say every situation... we all cut loose sometimes, right?). Alex is one of those people who could be having the worst day, and you would never know it by the way he outwardly presents himself. And, on top of all of that, he can make a "That's what she said" quote out of almost anything. Who could ask for more? In all seriousness, though, he inspires me to look at the world differently and to strive to be a better person.

Josh is the friend I never expected to find. In all honesty, who expects to find new friends in February of their senior year? I certainly didn't, but this guy just came in out of nowhere, and I couldn't help but have so much fun with him. We bonded over BuckNasty 2007, and we've been friends ever since. He's the friend that shows up at my apartment unannounced all the time (which I love); the friend who took me to a fraternity date party and knocked me down on the dancefloor and all we could do was laugh; the friend who tells me I'm still as cool as I used to be (which I need to hear far more frequently than I used to); the friend who listens to all my stories of my most embarrassing moments like he's never heard them before. Josh makes me feel like I can wait just a little bit longer before I pull out my orthopaedic shoes and my walker.

Each of these guys plays a part in my life that could not be filled by anyone else. Some days I feel like I'm that girl on the TV show "My Boys" (a show which I've never actually watched but feel, nonetheless, that I can relate to). There's just something different about being friends with guys, and it's something that I think I definitely need in my life. I don't know whether it's the drama-free existence, the total honesty on all subjects, the security that comes from being surrounded by them or the alternative perspective of the world they naturally offer.

My boys are a big part of the reason my life is the way it is. I guess the actual reason doesn't really matter.