My girl cousins are my best friends. We literally call ourselves “girl cousin sister friends” because that’s how tight we are. And it’s true. They are my cousins, my best friends, more like sisters, my best confidants. I’m so grateful to have them in my life, and I never take our close relationship for granted. Let me tell you why it’s so special.
I mean, this one is probably obvious. But for the most part, we have all lived close by our entire lives too, which helps build our strong relationship. We’ve been apart during college and when people lived in other cities, but our bond remains even when someone’s away. When you’ve known someone since you were born, you can be sure they really know the true you. Of course, we all give ourselves room to grow up and change, but I know that my girl cousins know exactly who I am, and I’ll never have to explain myself to them. It also means we have an absolute trove of funny photos and old home videos to blackmail each other with.
Over the years, we’ve even added “pseudo cousins” to the group. Pseudo cousins mean our friends who love to be a part of the gang and hangout with us or travel with us. We all know each other’s family because, duh, we’re family! But I also know my cousin’s cousins (the ones I’m not related to), and we know each other’s friends very well. It’s nice to know I can tell them about my life, and they know exactly who I’m talking about and what’s going on.
Speaking of travel, we’ve gone on some pretty epic family vacations over the years. Unfortunately, we don’t have any annual traditions (maybe we should start one), but we traveled together a lot when we were younger. The absolute highlight was our trip to my cousin’s wedding in Boston when we were all around 8-15. I don’t think any trip could top this one. We all stayed in the same hotel and did the most touristy things every free day we had. Our families even got matching white minivans (which was super embarrassing?). We’ve gone on some enjoyable trips as adults too, visiting each other whether we live a few hours away or countries away. It feels like home whenever we’re together!
Our bond hasn’t wavered; it’s only gotten stronger as we grow up. I feel so grateful to know I will always have these women inspire me and advise when I need it. They are also great listeners whenever I’m struggling with something. It has been so fun to grow up and see each of us tackle college and careers and the plights of being adults.
When we were younger and went swimming at the lake at my uncle’s house, there were so many of us that every half hour, an uncle would shout out “buddy check,” and we’d grabbed the hand of our designated buddy to show we were both swimmings. Most of us are lucky to have a buddy who is closest in age to us, which is fun because then we usually hit the same life milestones at the same time! It was also great to have a buddy for those days at the lake when the older girl cousins would make us swim like mermaids with our feet together. Thank goodness, we all survived!
It’s nice that we have a range in ages because we can learn from each other and gain wisdom from each other’s experiences. Having older girl cousins made going to college and getting a job easier because they had done it before and could share the experience with me. Of course, we each differ, but that’s what makes it so great. Some of us are creative, others are businesswomen. Either way, we are all boss women in our own rights. We all have something to bring to the group, and it’s our different perspectives that make us unique.
Our moms are strong women who own what they do and have raised families while working, which is no easy feat. Some might say we’re slowly turning into them, but we don’t take offense to that. Our moms are involved in volunteering and various charities too, which is inspiring. We definitely get our drive and our resilience from them!
Like making a thousand pierogis the day after Thanksgiving to freeze for Christmas dinner. Or spending afternoons playing in our grandpa’s backyard. Whatever we do together, it’s never boring. I cherish any time we get to spend together, even if we’re doing something super mundane, like drinking wine on the couch.
I think another reason we all get along so well is that most of us also have sisters with whom we have a powerful bond. Whether there are two or three of us, I think we would all say that our sisters are our best friends and have been forever. Speaking personally, my sister and I have always been really close. So much so that she would come and hang out with my friends even when I would go to their houses. I didn’t always love this when I was little, but now I really appreciate how close we are. Most of us have similar relationships with our own sisters, meaning that we totally understand the relationship and can offer advice and perspective on sisterly matters.
I could go on and on about each of them and how proud I am to call them my cousins and best friends. Especially in this uncertain world, I think it’s essential to keep the people you love close and tell them how much they mean to you. My girl cousins have definitely helped me get through this challenging year and make me feel grateful each day. Love you all!
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