When I published my first blog post, the first thing my girls asked me was “can you write one about us?”- at first I wasn’t exactly sure if any one other than them would enjoy reading about my lovely, but slightly dysfunctional, friendship group. And then I realised that, as this is a blog about me, it only makes sense to write a post about 6 of the most special people in my life.

Me, Amy, Chloe, Paige, Erin, Charlotte and Sophie have been best friends for over ten years. We met when we were in primary school, and by the end of year 6 we’d formed a pretty close knit group. That was 8 years ago, and, somehow, different schools, boyfriends, jobs, and arguments (lots) have not stopped us from being friends. Even now, with us all either at uni, college, or working full time, we still speak all the time, and when we’re together (which doesn’t happen anywhere near as often as I’d like), it feels like nothing has changed, which is part of the reason why I think we’ve been friends for such a long time. We all appreciate the fact that we all have other things going on in our lives, and we make time for each other when we can. This is why I am so lucky to have them; I know that no matter how long I go without seeing them, nothing will change, because we know each other inside out. We have literally grown up together- I can name all of their ex-boyfriends, all of the people they’ve kissed (we actually made a game of this once), and I know all of the foods which they hate (Erin-everything, Charlotte-salt and vinegar and ketchup, Amy-cheese). I know all of their parents, their pets, and I know the way to their houses with my eyes shut.

Obviously, there’s more to our friendship than boys and food (although this is the topic of conversation 90% of the time). I love that I can always count on them for advice, for support, or just to laugh with me at something funny. When something happens to me that is even slightly out of the ordinary (which is not very often), my first thought is always to send it in our group chat, where I know I’ll get at least one (hopefully) reply. It is a massive comfort to know that even when I am in London, sometimes feeling a little bit lonely and lost, I can message my girls. It’s like having 6 friends with me all the time- because although they might not be with me physically, they are with me-either on my phone or in my heart.

Obviously, we all have issues, and our friendships are by no means perfect.We argue, we wind each other up, and we all have little things which get on each other’s nerves. But the point is that we love each other anyway IN SPITE of these, and because after more than ten years, we’ve learnt to see beyond them.

Of course, I know that not everyone is lucky enough to have such a close knit group of friends, and not everyone needs one. Plenty of people are content with just one or two really close friends. But for me, having my 6 girls around me makes me feel safe- it’s like a comfort blanket, I know they are always there- as my support network, my wing women, and my own personal comediennes. Without them, I would, literally, feel lost.

So, to finish, the point of this article is not to massively inflate the egos of my wonderful best friends (although I’m sure I have succeeded in doing so). It’s to show how SPECIAL friendship is. I feel like today, in our world dominated by social media, real life friendship- the belly-laughs, know each other’s secrets, tease each other constantly kind, is underrated. It’s been replaced by a new, virtual kind, where no-one really knows each other and friendships are built on instagram likes and edits. And these might fill the gap for a little while, but will ultimately never be a substitute for a friendship which is built on real life memories, trust, and (in our case definitely) arguments. This is why I think it’s so important to treasure your friends; whether it’s meeting for a coffee, FaceTiming, or even just sending a text- just knowing that you have people to lean on can be so comforting. And, in difficult times, having REAL friends to talk to is a lot more reassuring than speaking to a faceless ‘friend’ on the internet.

So girls- this one’s for you. In spite of how much you bully me, I am more grateful for you than  you know. Thank you for all the memories so far, and here’s to making millions more-Ladyboys forever xxxxxxxx

Megan x