doodles, meadows, & tidal waves

Friendship As Fun

This is a friendship defined by fun. In this union, laughter is currency, lightheartedness and candidity are doctrine, and enjoyment a human right. This trio fashions themselves as an open field of wildflowers in tall grass; warmly welcoming all things nearing it. These are my roommates, Amira, Lyd, and Maddy.

I learned this year that thinking too much and too deeply about the world we live in is a guaranteed way to drive yourself into madness. And I nearly have, many times, as so many other college students have. The pressures of academics, social life, family, and work compound so easily, an unbearable weight on our backs impossible to fathom or carry alone. It can leave us depressed, leave us isolated, and leave us desperate for escape, and a lot of the times the coping mechanisms be worse than the actual problems. The healthiest of them all, however, is a good ass time. There are few feelings better than the sensation of laughing so hard you have to hold your breath, and smiling until your cheeks and ears are sore. Our friendship is built on gathering in fun—on having the scent of good food sneak under the crack of your bedroom door inviting you to join, waking up to a coo of ‘good mornings’, coming home after a long day to sit around the coffee table over a cup of tea, a conversation, a tv show. These are the moments of whisking away which keep us sane.

Knowing them is a gift, and even more so a miracle. We often ask ourselves the question “what are the odds?”--- and ponder, imagining all the millions of moments which had to occur for all of us to be together in this very moment despite our vastly different backgrounds and origins.

Lydia Abera(she/her)

21, Aurora, CO

Class of 2023

Amira AlAmin (they/them)

21, Solon, OH

Class of 2023

Maddy Cruz

22, Woodbridge, VA

Class of 2023