College is all about meeting people, trying new things, putting yourself out there, and really, learning a lot. As I watch the next group of freshmen fill the shoes I was once in a year ago, I have been able to reflect and really think about where life has taken me in the past 365+ days of life. There is one story that I want to share, especially before everyone heads to college or starts school again; it's a story about a "friend break-up", a spring break gone bad, and a text about "healthy" Celiac food.
So, let me set the scene for you, starting all the way back at the very first freshmen mixer on campus. I was trying to meet and talk to as many of my peers at this event, but ended up staying in with a group of really cool people from Small Town, USA, which naturally meant we had a lot in common. But the story is not about these guys, this story is about the friend group of upper class-men I saw from a far. If you close your eyes and picture the idealistic group of college friends, that is what I was seeing. I didn't set out to be the 4th member of this already fun-loving trio, but over the course of the semester, I was welcomed in to their little group and really thought I was all that, all because of this friend group.
Over time, things began to shift, ever so slightly. A snarky comment here, a raised eyebrow there. I was beginning to second guess the harmony that was in my friend group. I realized that things were not as I had previously assumed they were. There was this underlying tension that eventually led to this vicious cycle of a fight breaking out among our group, a half apology (or none at all), faking that you aren't mad, letting time go by, then doing it all again in a few days.
Once I realized this, I had already gotten in deeper than I had expected. I had already paid my part of the spring break trip that was a month away. After a great conversation with my mom about the whole situation, she basically just flat out asked me if I would be happy or not on this trip, and that needed to do what made me happy. So I did what I had to do, and I told them I wasn't going and I wanted my money refunded. I want to make it very clear, this was still a month prior to our trip so they could have easily found another person to take my spot. They took this news less than well, and it got real dramatic, real quick. This ultimately led to the breakdown of our friend group as a whole. I am only close to one of the people in our group even now. But the reason I am not upset about it is this, do you remember the "text about 'healthy' celiac food", yeah that is where it comes in. A few days after the initial "friend break-up", I get an apology text, or should I say, a half-apology text. In this text I was told that "not buying a bunch of 'healthy' options for your Celiac disease kind of offsets the cost of the added price for the rest of us going".
...
I had no words. Thinking about it again only makes me laugh to think that a $7 loaf of gluten-free bread they didn't have to buy made up for the fact I wasn't going on the trip.
Moral of the Story: Never let anyone make you feel like you are a burden for your diet. Find friends that are accepting of the fact you have to adhere to it, advocate for your health when you don't or can't and all in all, improve the quality of your life.
Thanks for reading,
College&Celiac
