Over the course of my lifespan on Earth, there have been many friendships. Some from high school, some from college, some from the workplace, and some from the strangest of places. Some friendships I’ve accumulated only lasted a few years, these being merely friendships of convenience. I think the best example of friendships of convenience was my freshman year at UCSD, where I spent most of my waking hours with my dorm-mates. To date, I barely talk to any of them.
In a lot of ways, work friendships are the same way. And really, the only way these friendships “last” the test of time is if you put in the effort to continue them long after you’ve left said workplace.
Despite all the shortfalls of Bright Stars School and Rise Kohyang Middle School, one of the greatest parts of working in the trenches was the friendships we’ve built along the way. That shared trauma was a bonding point that still connects us to date, despite none of us no longer working in the charter network and moving on to bigger and better things.
Here’s hoping as the years continue we’ll still celebrate future Friendsgiving, and future white elephants (with or without boba). There’s still a few more weddings to be had before eventual future funerals to attend.
