Growing up, Farrell would sit next to the library shelves in her kindergarten classroom. She described making bonds as boiling down to “you look for what is similar.” She spied the only other blonde in her class, Elle McCreadie, and the logic of a 6-year-old says they were destined to become lifelong friends. Through school and summer, they have always had each other. But as Farrell and McCreadie have gone through grade school, middle, and now most of high school they have grown more differences than similarities.
These differences cause them to get on each other’s wits end here and there, but even though they get on each other’s nerves from time to time, Farrell said, “We’re just loving someone through the things that you know, make them, them.”
Turning towards romantic relationships, Farrell has come to realize her boundaries. “It’s interesting to see what I used to settle for,” Farrell said. “I used to assume that my needs were too much.” She accredits this fault to the lack of communication she’s experienced in the past.
With her current girlfriend, she is happier than ever. But setting boundaries and expectations can feel uncomfortable. With both Farrell and her girlfriend being non-confrontational people, establishing how discourse should go beforehand helped them realize that they don’t always have to agree.
“When you go into every confrontation or talk with someone assuming that you’re going to end up on the same page and you don’t, it can just be a letdown,” Farrell said.
But after their realization, communication between them became more of a dialogue rather than a monologue. Changing the tone of the discussion has proved beneficial for Farrell and her girlfriend. It’s like how in real estate they say Location, Location, Location, except with relationships it’s more Communication, Communication, Communication.
Farrell believes that if you have the choice to love someone, do. “Love people, it’s kind of fun,” Farrell said.
Through the crossfires of hormones and heartbreak, Eleanor Farrell has loved and learned. For Farrell, relationships come in all shapes and sizes, and nourishing the connection between friends, family and partners has been one of the biggest learning experiences for her.
