Can Life be Meaningful without Friends?

 Hey guys, welcome back to my blog!! So um, surprise, I’m in Paris!! We literally booked this last Thursday and arrived here last Sunday which is making me wonder, maybe posting about Paris last week managed to manifest us a holiday here? Anyways, I am so happy we’re able to go on holiday because honestly, I really needed a break from the world. Even though I am doing little bits of studying here (because I have tests the second day back from school), it feels amazing to jut have a bit of a change from my usual environment and to be able to do some fun activities alongside studying.

This week’s topic is just really random, I’d be lying if I said I didn’t search up interesting topics to write about because I’ve been in a bit of a funky mood lately. Also bear in mind, I’ll be speaking from my own experiences obviously so obviously not everything will resonate with everyone but I guess anyone who wants to read my blog should always approach it with an open mind anyways because sometimes I do like to go off on a the odd controversial topic, you guys have most definitely NOT seen anywhere near the worst of it yet.

Friends?

What even is a friend? In my books, a friend is someone who you can always rely on no matter what but also someone who feels comfortable enough to rely on you no matter what. I think friends are a really special thing, it’s just so weird how people who aren’t even related to you and who you could literally meet by chance because of a school seating plan can be the people who you hold such a deep amount of love for and could really be the people who inspire you and change your life.

Growing up, I’ve always been pretty shy, I would try and be the nicest person people came across because from a young age, I have always felt a deep need to help the people around me and just be there for people. I never really had very many friends and I even remember coming home from school a lot of the time crying and telling my mum I really wanted to change schools. 

From a young age, around primary school times, I had kind of figured out that a lot of people used to take advantage of me laying my life down for absolutely anyone.

 In secondary school, I told myself I’d make myself as approachable as possible and be there for anyone who needed help. I’ve always been told I’m a very old soul and I never really understood that till I got to secondary school. Everyone had very different interests to me and for the longest time I really struggled to fit in and find “my people”. Along the journey of making friends I DEFINITELY had my ups and downs. As every person does, I encountered a lot of people put in my life as karmic lessons, there may have been a time where I disliked those people because I felt drained from being “friends” with them and I realised there was a pattern that I was always a shoulder for everyone to cry on but when I needed someone, very few people were there for me. I felt very lonely for many years in school when I was constantly told that these would be the best years of my life. 

Even though I thought I disliked them, I realised that those people were great people and there was nothing wrong with them, it was just that we weren’t compatible as friends. We all had different needs and interests and being the people pleaser I am, I found myself constantly trying to meet all of those needs.

Those people helped me understand myself better. I was able to understand boundaries and most importantly, my self worth. 

Coming into year 10, I had exactly 2 people who I was close to and I was happy with it, we weren’t able to always talk everyday and we had different lives but I was so grateful for them. I always tried to be an approachable person who listened to people talk about their problems because that part of me never will change but I also had some people who I could rely on. 

Throughout year 10 and 11, I made some of the most amazing friends in my entire life. I used to always think “oh I don’t need anyone, I am happy with my own company” and even though that is very much true to this day, these friends I made really added some extra meaning to my life. I was grateful that there was a phase where I didn’t have many friends because it allowed me to discover the true meaning of my life and the real value of friendship, friends I made in the past 2 years and even recently when I started sixth form have really made my life so meaningful, more meaningful than I ever thought my life could be. 

Can Life be Meaningful without Friends?

I think the answer to this is definitely yes. Sometimes you meet “friends” who make you feel more alone than you’d ever feel, even if you had no friends, but that may lead you to a journey of self discovery and growth which helps you find the meaning in life. Some people just generally prefer having less friends (like myself) but that doesn’t make your life any less meaningful than the person next to you who prefers having many friends. I think that the meaning of your own life is discovered by yourself but having some supportive and loving friends along the way doesn’t hinder the journey, similarly, not having many friends also doesn’t make your life insignificant and you can most definitely have a meaningful life whether you have friends by your side or not.

I hope you enjoyed this week’s post!! Sometimes I feel a bit guilty when I talk too much about myself on this blog but then I remember this blog is literally written by me so obviously quite a lot of it would be about me. Anyways, I hope you guys have a smashing week and a really fun halloween! See you guys next week, love you <33