Be The One for Someone, Who’s Your Someone?

To many of you, the month of September represents the transition from summer to fall. September is the time that children of all ages begin to head back to school and start a new chapter in their lives, it’s a time that often involves a lot of stress as we attempt to get our lives back on track after months of sun and relaxation. Although many of us are celebrating new beginnings, the month of September also holds a more somber note for some; the month of September is also dedicated to raising awareness for suicide prevention and the mental health issues that lead people to make such tragic decisions. The non-profit organization known as i understand is dedicated to erasing the stigma that revolves around suicide and mental health issues as a whole. I understand hosts monthly events with various community partners in Grand Rapids, Michigan, the organization also hosts a monthly support group that is run by the founder, Vonnie Woodrick. Along with these events, i understand has hosted events that vary from therapeutic rock painting to a dinner dedicated to the memory of Anthony Bourdain- a celebrity chef and adventurer who lost his battle to addiction this past year. On September 10th, i understand will be partnering with various corporations, organizations, and businesses in downtown Grand Rapids. Each corporation, organization, and business will have a tent set up with information that emphasizes the importance of mental health along with bringing awareness and understanding to the subject as well; in other words, it’s Pink Heart Day!

The motto behind Pink Heart Day is be the one for someone because it only takes one person to make a difference in someone’s life. Pink Heart Day is also dedicated to celebrating the people in our life; without these special people, it may be hard to picture a life without them. Our friends are who makes us who we are, they challenge us to be our best selves, they support us in times of crisis, and love us when we may not love ourselves. In honor of Pink Heart Day, I have interviewed three sets of close friends and asked them questions such as what makes your friendship unique? Please describe an instance when your friend was there for you and what does your friendship mean to you? It’s so important to remind the people in our life how much they mean to us, it’s absolutely devastating to know that one day they may be with us and another day, they may not.

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Thuy & Grace

“Grace is somebody really really special to me because growing up I was an only child and having the opportunity to share basically your whole day with somebody has been really incredible. I didn’t realize until now, but it’s something that I really really needed because I always kept my emotions in and she’s somebody that I am able to let my feelings out to. Even though I’m always the one that has a solution for everything, she’s the one that always has a rational explanation for everything. Sometimes I’ll go haywire and think of really crazy reasons as to why things happen and she’ll say something like maybe this is why this is happening and I’ll be like holy shit you’re completely right. Even though sometimes I call her a little ding dong and even though she’s a nut, she’s really important in my life and I don’t think I would be able to function in college without her.” -Thuy 

“Thuy was my first friend in college for sure, we’ve only known each other for a year but our relationship works in a way that we are kind of like an opposite attracts kinda thing. She’s very outgoing and kind of loud and I’m more laid back and chill, but we balance each other out so it works really well. I know that in a heartbeat, Thuy knows exactly what to do and when to do it, she’s kind of like a mom in that way and I’m a total looney tune ding dong. I just have no idea what to do in certain situations so I always know that I can count on her, especially since she always knows what to do and how to fix it.” -Grace

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Connor & Tyler

“Tyler and I have a pretty unique relationship, we didn’t know each other when we came to school and we were kind of thrown in the fire together. I didn’t expect to, but being able to find somebody that you can bond with that quickly and on many different levels is pretty special. I would say that over the past two years, we’ve had a lot of like good memories and I wouldn’t say there are too many bad ones. Every night when we’re going to bed, we always have the best conversations that I will probably remember for the rest of my life; they’re always so funny and entertaining and they just mean a lot to me.” -Connor 

“I think Connor and I’s relationship is pretty unique, he kind of touched on earlier how we didn’t know each other two years ago and we got pretty close, pretty quick. I think that there are alot of different layers to it as well, whether we’re in the gym, or on the ice, even in the classroom, or just hanging out, we are always there to support each other. I think a big thing is that we kind of push each other and definitely try to make each other better. I think that being so close with Connor has definitely made me a better person over the years. As a friend, he’s kind of made me explore different parts of myself that I may have not explored or understood if it wasn’t for him. So that’s definitely a great part about our frienship and we have a strong bond, but I think having someone there for you is important because in the back of your mind it’s comforting to know you always have a support system.” -Tyler

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Sarah & Rodney

“Rodney and I’s relationship is unique because we totally came from totally different backgrounds and different perspectives of life. During freshman orientation, we were put in the same scenario and had to be around each other all the time and it was cool to be able to sit next to each other and be like “Hey I don’t even know your name, but you seem kinda cool”, it really opened our eyes to new experiences; I was able to learn about his side of the world and he was able to learn about mine.”

“One time when Rodney and I were going through the forester guide application process (freshmen orientation leaders) together, we were sitting at a table and the question was ‘How did forester guides impact your life?’ and Rodney said, ‘It allowed me to create relationships with new people, even people in this room’ and he like looked over at me and that reminded me that our friendship is something really special.” -Sarah 

“I would say that our friendship has been really interesting because when I came to school for the first time, I would have never expected to be friends with someone who would be like Sarah. I feel like our friendship has allowed us to reestablish ourselves and not be defined from where we came from, even though where we come from can easily define us. Being in the same space, really helped us let our guard down and like care about our friendship rather than focus on where we came from. We come from very different backgrounds, but when we’re together it really doesn’t matter.” 

“I think the one defining moment when I realized that Sarah was a really close friend of mine was when I went to the hospital once, it was a saturday morning and I was low key not wanting anyone to know because it wasn’t a big deal. I texted her while I was there and was like hey it’s not a big deal like you don’t have to come and she literally got an uber and in the next ten minutes she was there. She sat with me while I was sleeping and everything just to make sure I was okay and if any of you know the hopsital around here (Lake Forest, Illinois), it’s really hard to figure out and she navigated it and figured it all out so well; I was just so blown away.” -Rodney

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