To be honest, I don’t think you should waste your time when it comes to friendships. Spend time with people who you want to spend time with. Spend time with people who help you grow. After many years of trying to make everyone happy, I’ve come to the conclusion that it’s actually impossible. There’s simply no way to do it. So when it comes to your relationships, you shouldn’t forget to make yourself happy.
I often feel like I’m attempting to balance my time and energy between many different things: school, student organizations, friends, family, etc. I can’t help how much time I spend doing certain activities. For instance, I need to spend an inordinate amount of time doing homework and writing essays so I can stay in school. I need to spend so much time working on “The Hilltop Monitor” because I’m on scholarship and I can’t afford to lose that (granted, I enjoy both my schoolwork and the Monitor, but that’s besides the point). But something you can control is your relationships and friendships with people, and which ones you choose to devote time to.
At least for me, when I have a chance to be around my friends, it’s a luxury. Like many other Jewell students, when I come home after a long day of classes and student activities, all I want to do is take a shower, lie in bed and watch Netflix. So on the off chance I have some free time, I try and make a conscious effort to choose who I spend my time with. I’m not trying to suggest that my time is more precious than other people’s, but because all of our time is valuable and precious to us, we should spend it with friends who make us better people and who we enjoy being around.
College is not easy; in fact, it’s the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do. So when I get the opportunity to be around people I love and who love me, I take it. Friends should be centering, encouraging and supportive. Hanging out with someone shouldn’t feel forced or feel like a chore. I guess what I’m getting at is that we should all conscious of how we spend our time and we should appreciate the friendships we have because they are so, so special.