A Debt Of Gratitude

Have you ever become friends with someone, only to have them become like family to you? The bond becomes so strong that you start to refer to them as your family. Truly, our biological family members are the closest people in our lives, but there are those who become family through friendship. They are the unsung heroes of our lives. When our family is not there for us, they provide comfort, support and love. In today’s world where technology has taken over every aspect and vices are swarming around, it is easy to get lost and make friends with bad people- the wrong people. The importance of friends in my life cannot be overstated. Looking back, I’m grateful to the friends I have made and the ones that stood by me during difficult times. In this post, I’ll share my experience about the one time my friends literally saved my life.

This happened a few months ago. The previous day, I traveled from my house to school, which happened to be my worst experience ever. nstead of a 2 hour journey, I spent more than 10 hours on the road because our bus broke down. To worsen the situation, the sun was scorching. After the sun had dealt with me, the rain came to mess with us. I got scorched and drenched. When I got home that day, I started feeling feverish. Immediately I entered my room, I jumped on my bed and slept off. The next morning, I woke up with a crazy headache. I expected it. The whole traveling stress contributed to it. It would have been best if I rested that day, but I had an important class to attend.

When I got back from school, my temperature was boiling hot. My head was banging. It was as if a band of musicians were playing in my head. I took a short nap and when I woke up, I felt pain all over my body. I couldn’t move. I was just there- on my bed. Lying down and rolling from one corner to another. I felt like I wasn’t going to make it till the next day. It was midnight, and I had no one to call. I tried to sleep, but I couldn’t. I slipped from the bed to the ground. I tossed and turned throughout the night. And when it was 6 am, I couldn’t bear the pain any longer. I had to call my friends.

In about 30 minutes, I saw them in my doorsteps with fruits and drugs. I felt very weak, like a baby around them. I allowed them to take control and did whatever they wanted to me. The only times I have ever felt vulnerable was when I was sick and with my mom. They asked me if I had eaten and I responded that I ate something small earlier. They bought some drugs for me which I used immediately. Immediately I swallowed the drug, I felt nauseous and vomited . To my surprise, my friends helped me lie down and cleaned everywhere. After they were done cleaning, they encouraged me to eat some fruit so I would have strength. Afterwards, I used my drugs. This time, I didn’t throw up because they made me sit upright. They stayed with me till evening when I had strength and was feeling better.

I wonder what would have happened if I was a loner and didn’t have any friends. My mom is the only person that’d do these things for me- you know, clean up everything when I throw up, I was really surprised that someone who is not my family would do this. That experience opened my eyes. It made me realize that friends can become family.

Thanks for reading.