I hope the headline of this article caught your attention because I certainly have something interesting to share. Well, at least myself and a few others find it interesting.

It was just an average Friday night making dinner, eating tacos, hanging out with my townhouse mates after swim practice, and of course, going to get Handel's Ice Cream. This car ride, however, was far more than average. It was exceptional. We got to talking about the past, friendships, love, obstacles, human nature, and life itself.

My good friend quoted the Scarlett Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne saying, "It is to the credit of human nature, that, except where its selfishness is brought into play, it loves more readily than it hates. Hatred, by a gradual and quiet process, will even be transformed to love, unless the change be impeded by a continually new irritation of the original feeling of hostility."

We never quite forget those moments that ripped us into pieces, made us feel weak, caused us to tremble, made us see that not everyone thinks the way you do, which means they don't always have the same heart. It's so difficult to look past the hurt and see that some people don't intentionally mean to hurt us. I like to think that man is not inherently evil, and I know thousands if not millions of people would argue this with me. No matter your opinion, I hope you take the time to think about what other people have going on in their mind when a situation turns sour.

Thousands of words and thoughts ran between my dear friend and I. From, "I don't think hurting you was ever intentional," to "He/she is not a bad person. Sometimes life just happens." Isn't that the truth, though. Life just happens. Maybe we lose our best friend, fall out of love, fail to reach expectations, and we keep stumbling.

I want to let you in on a secret, though. Life must be chaotic and messy before we can truly appreciate the beauty in something more relaxed and organized. Life will not always be perfectly calm, but I hope you recognize and find the person(s) who will accompany you through the storm.

I think you need to recognize that you are your own person before you become/are anyone else's. You create your own happiness. You need to find the means to radiate joy, love, kindness, compassion, hope, and genuine beauty on your own because once you do, I guarantee you someone unexpected will recognize just how wonderful you are.

We are not always meant to walk hand in hand with someone. Sometimes we must let go, discover what life is like on our own, and move forward because "what lies ahead is far greater than what lies behind." Speaking from some experience, the future has so much to offer. It has shown me what I was missing. It has shown me what it means to achieve a lifelong dream, to know how to give love and receive genuine love in return, to be humble, to stay happy, to shut up every once in awhile, and to live with purpose.

Humankind is not always intentionally cruel or hurtful. I promise. Sometimes, we must go through the worst of situations to come out on top. We must learn to "Fight it. Take the pain, ignite it"- Twenty One Pilots. We must recognize our worth and continue striving for not just something better, but for the absolute best. You are worth it.

Life is too short for crappy conversations. I hope you get a chance to ride in a car with your closest friends, eat good ice cream, and shoot the bull for awhile about the past and how it brought you here.