Does anyone else remember One Direction? You know, the bubblegum pop boy band that people never took seriously and supposedly only had fans because of their looks? Luckily for the rest of the world, I haven't stopped thinking about One Direction since the day I found them, six years ago in 2012. And not only have I kept up on all the latest gossip, I've also followed, loved, and supported them and (most) of their endeavors over the years.

This past month was the 8th anniversary of 1D's formation and let me tell you, it was an emotional time for the fandom. As I'm typing this, we are currently on day 956 of the One Direction hiatus and there is currently no end in sight. All the boys are working on solo projects, whether that be new albums, world tours, or TV appearances. Niall and Harry have each released an album and have gone on two tours around the world since the hiatus started. Louis and Liam have both released some singles, Louis is judging on the XFactor UK, and Harry is an executive producer on a new TV show on ABC. They've all been keeping busy, which is great, I love 1D content in any form, but honestly, I just want them back together already.

Since the hiatus is dragging on (even though they said it'd only be 18 months and they promised they'd come back) seeing the 1D Twitter account resurrected on their anniversary was a hard pill to swallow. It just brought old memories and a feeling of nostalgia I haven't experienced recently. All the account was posting was old 1D lyrics every hour on the hour but it gave me war flashbacks to when I first found them and how much the group, and I for that matter, has changed over the years.

Now this is going to sound extremely corny and cheesy and most people who don't like the band will make fun of me for this, but One Direction truly has made me into the person I am today and changed my life. I have no idea where I would be without them and they have had a major impact on my life, personality, confidence, as well as the amount in my bank account (oops). I found the band when I was 15 years old, I was a sophomore in high school and to be completely honest I don't really remember what life was like before I found 1D. Over the past 6 years, I fell in love with music again, I would have never found all the music and artists I listen to today, I found Twitter and made amazing friends through the app, I found an incredible love of concerts, and I obtained a community and sense of belonging which translated into more self-confidence and self-love; all because of a stupid boy band. I never thought I'd end up here.

One Direction has sparked so many positive things, memories, and changes, in myself, that I might not have ever experienced and I'll forever be grateful. Harry, Niall, Louis, Liam, and I truly grew up together and I have developed such a deep love and admiration for them that will never fade. I will never be able to thank them for all the things they've directly and indirectly done for me but that's okay with me. I'll just keep buying merch and concert tickets and spamming them with love on Twitter. Cheers to eight years boys; how does One Direction 2020 sound?