Friends, oh, how I cherish each of my friends. I have a unique relationship with each person. Some, I have very deep conversations with, and others I love to be silly with.

One thing that I wished I learned when I was younger is that it is okay to have adult friends! Personally, I think that it is better to have adults as friends. With peers, you are at the same stage in life, but adults can give you advice about life.

I find that when I get a new friend, telling them about my disability helps them truly understand who I am. Also, I get better every time at telling acquaintances about my disability the more friends I meet. It’s a process when I meet new people. It takes a couple of weeks to tell them everything about my disability.

My favorite place to hang out with friends is coffee shops. There are no distractions, and it’s a calm environment. Because it is a calm environment, I find it easier to connect with the person because of the limited distractions.

Camp friends, how fun to have a whole week hanging out with friends.  My group of friends has walkie-talkies to communicate when one of us is across camp. It is kind of fun to be able to say “meet me at the nature center!” Then, we have fun learning about nature. Another thing that is fun about friends at camp is coordinating what classes to take. Every morning at camp we madly try to sign up at the dining hall before noon; it’s chaos! Sometimes, we had to have a “meeting “ to try to figure out what classes were most important.

Friends have helped me through some of the most difficult times in my life. I’m so thankful for having support through hard times such as when my grandma was sick. I am very open about my struggles with my friends.
I’m so blessed to have a great group of friends who support me. I’m really excited to see what the future holds for meeting new friends.