Graduating high school is weird. You're at this new place in life when you still want to be treated like a child- you want your mom to do things for you and you have no idea how to fix what goes wrong with your car because that's dad's job- but you're about to cross the threshold into adulthood. You're also stuck in a strange place because you have friends that you have known forever, and you aren't too sure if you should keep those friends or try and move on to the next stage in your life. Recently I've learned the difference between what's worth holding onto and what needs letting go. And the biggest difference but also most common factor is that you don't get the final say-so in the matter. You realize that the people you surround yourself with make their own choices. If they choose to stand by you and stay in your life, then those are the people worth holding onto. If they pop up when it's convenient for them or abandon you at your lowest, then you have to learn to let go of those people. If you find yourself making all the effort and the friendship seems one-sided, let them go. Differentiating the two can be hard because some people have been there for you through it all. They have made you laugh and stood by you when you cried. They have been there for you at your worst and climbed to the top with you to see you at your best. But regardless of the laughs and the smiles and the memories, if that person only uses you for their expedience and to their advantage, they are not worth holding onto. They are toxic and do not belong in your life. But then there are the people who make the effort. They hit you up when they know you need it; even if you didn't tell them, they just know because they know you. They look past your mistakes, and forgiveness is their forte. These people aren't in it for their convenience because the only convenience is your company. These are the people worth holding onto. These are the people that cleanse the toxicity from your life. Their presence is soothing, and you can go ages without talking to them and pick right back up where you left off. Cleansing the people from your life that need to be flushed is a tricky road to travel. But when you rid yourself of the people that aren't aiding in your growth, you grow even more. You become a better, stress-free. person, and you fill the whole left behind by their love with your own self-love.