More Than This

Being a teenager is all about looking for something more than what's offered on the surface. College can be tough because friendship can happen in the most shallow of ways. I'll admit, I've got tons of acquaintances, but very few friends that I would actually hang out with, talk to outside of class/in passing, or even eat with. It's a harsh reality. Sometimes you've got to cut the crap, and look for something more than this.

More than this means wanting and striving for even more. The only place you should settle as a teen is court (as long as you're not on Jerry Spring, you're alright). Other than that, you have the right to want more, to expect better, and to demand excellence from people. That goes into every aspect of your social life. From friends, relationships, classmates, and even co-workers, they all are obligated to live up to a standard - the only catch, you're subject to that same standard. It's up to you to make it known what you expect of people, and be prepared to get call out if you ever forsake those standards yourself. College is the opportunity to connect with some many different people, people you would never interact with otherwise. It's an amazing situation that you'd best monopolize on or miss the "money" train known as everlasting friendship. Do your part, make some new friends, be vulnerable, and show who you really are. Dig down deeper, cut the crap, and let people in or you'll end up with meaningless acquaintances that are worse than a creeper whispering sweet nothings in your ear at a club (yeah, I went there). I don't know about you, but I want more than this.

If you don't about my unbelievably high standards, you must not know me at all. Very rarely do I ever trespass against them either - it's called integrity and accountability. That brings me to Friday, I rolled out of bed hitting the interstate to strug city hard before making it down to my honors college class. I'm sorry, but I can't even deal with life much less learn at 8:30 in the morning, plus my professor is just not doing it for me - I'm not invested in the class. I take a break from the world and soon it's on to chem lecture where once again it's jam packed - I just want the underachiever to start skipping class so we can spread out and some of us stake our rightful claim to the back-front center seats. I'm coming for my seating throne - I deserve more than this. Off to religion where we do a sort of competition I end up standing for like half the class period (oh normative & non-evaluative religious comparisons). I head back to room to do some hardcore calendar-ing to fulfill my role as Phi Mu Delta fraternity VP of records and head off to lunch with Sam in the "fishbowl" of the student center. It's just a room that's like glass and you just sit and there and stare at literally everyone. We're there for a while talking and complaining back and forth (which is how all my friendships are) and eventually it was time for me to head to biology lecture. I'm walking out and I see my friend Christopher from last semester, and Felicia (who I run up to causing a scene; I haven't seen her since Monday - let me be dramatic) before taking my seat in the lecture hall. The class is just ridiculous, rollerblading kid,  a girl seriously wearing a fanny pack, the man-baby kid who looks like a wannabe Prince William, and of course preppy pro who tries to out prep me (in a nonexistent competition for best dressed) on a tri-weekly basis. Class ends it's back to the Heights where deliver some t-shirts to my unofficial favorite first years on the second floor, Sam & his cohort. Back to my room where I lay around and decide to go to dinner with my Sam (yeah, I claim possession of my friends - deal with it) and Christopher. I walk outside eating a Twizzler and this group of girls cat calls me saying, "boy eating the Twizzler, you eat that licorice nice and slow - looking good." Like I'm not some man meat to be toyed with. I see my #collegecrush waiting at the bus stop and do a lingering look before having a hilariously geeky dinner with Christopher and Sam. Back to my room to watch Melissa & Joey, Baby Daddy - do a candy run and call it a night at midnight. I want more than this #studentleaderproblems.

Demanding more doesn't make your high maintenance, prissy or my least favorite "princess" - I prefer prince people (prince of everything). It just means you expect better from people, and if you're living up to a certain caliber, everyone should respect you enough to do the same. Saturday morning entailed me waking up and struggling to put on my fraternity gear. It was off to the Davis Center where my fraternity, Phi Mu Delta had a presentation by PhiredUp! on recruitment. Brothers from other schools came from near and far to join us and learn the power of a handshake, eye contact, and being authentic with our social interactions. It lasted pretty much the entire day, 10am-6pm. I made friends with some of the bros from other schools which was awesome, and I finally made it back to my room to shave (once a month) and shower to get ready for the day. Sam and I caught the bus downtown and had dinner at SkyBurger. We were on the lookout for the waiter-dude that was our adviser's dream-boat future hubby - the food was great and the service was awesome. We walked down to the waterfront and swung and just talked in the dark about our lives and how we wanted more from this year, more than this. More than just having each other for friends, ya know - we've deff got to broaden our social circle this year. We swing until I felt sick and we even saw Christopher doing his man-thing with a lady friend. Get some homeboy. We walked back uptown to My Little Cupcake where I got cake pops and she got a cupcake. We made the journey back to campus in walking (can you believe it - I almost broke a sweat). Back to the room where I watch another amazing episode of Teennick (by way of the Aussies) SLiDE which I absolutely love. Bro talks with Joelly-Bear and Krabby Patty happen, and somehow we end up talking for 4 hours. Everything social status, economics, politics, race, sexual orientation, friendship, 90's TV - everything. I legit love my roommate and suitemates, there's no doubt about that. We've got this, we've got more than this.

Being a teenager is all about demanding the best and never settling for less. We all deserve to have people who truly care about us. Friendship in college doesn't have to be the superficial, surface deep acquaintance crap that people throw around. It can be the kind of friendship that leads to best-men and maids of honor at weddings, god parents of kids, and lifelong friendship. Never settle for mediocrity, you deserve more than this.

My blog post question for the day is ... if you could be friends with anyone in the world who would it be and why? I would say Spencer Boldman and Brenton Thwaites - I'm pretty sure we'd form the most epic bro-pack of bromanceship in all of existence.

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