In 2013, I lost twenty pounds from going to the gym every day, twice a day, for an entire summer. I would say my gym buddies and I had a beneficial friendship or a symbiotic mutualistic relationship (for you science nerds). I encouraged my friends to go to the gym; in return, they lost weight. They encouraged me to go to the gym; in return, I lost weight. Going to the gym the whole summer was worth it because I learned a lot about myself.
The more I grow “older”, I realize that I need to do more things that are worth it. For example: I should eat a salad because in return I’ll be healthier. I should study for that test because eventually I’ll get good grades. I should be friends with someone who cares about me because one day they might be a major part of my life. I should go to church on Sunday because it’ll help me throughout the week. I should go to bed early so I’m not a walking zombie at school.
One thing I found not worth it, though, is investing in vampires. “What the heck? Vampires?” Yes! That’s exactly what I mean. No, I'm not talking about the sparkly, fast-running, blood-sucking Edward Cullen.
When I refer to Vampires, I mean those friends who suck the life out of you instead of giving life. The friends who don’t spend time trying to text you, call you, snap chat you. The friends you always have to be the first to invite over and the ones you always have to text first. I’m talking about the friends who didn’t call you on your birthday, who didn’t sit with you at lunch, who didn’t ask if you were okay when you didn't get the promotion, and the ones who didn’t congratulate you on your job well done. I’m talking about the life-sucking, un-loving, judgmental “friends” that you keep around for security.
I kept vampires around because I settled. Now, I love all people, and I believe it's essential to show love to everyone; however, I was so complacent about my poor friendships that I didn't take care of myself. One day, I found myself texting someone, begging them to hang out with me when I hadn’t heard from them in months. I stopped, put down my phone, and questioned, “Why am I texting them? I haven’t heard from them in forever...” I decided it was time to cut the vampires, and when I did, I found a lot out about myself. I like photography, painting, The Office, cooking, shoe shopping, and dreaming. I found out those things about myself because I stopped investing and trying to spend time with life suckers and started loving myself. If you love yourself enough, you’ll take care of yourself and find friends who really want to invest in you. Like I’ve always heard, “You should never stop loving people. However, sometimes you just have to let them go. Love them from a distance and just do you.”
