When I was about twelve years old, I had received an Instagram comment on one of my selfies. A complete stranger, named Abby, had told me that I was pretty. The rest is history.

I hid the friendship from my mother for a long while, mainly because a huge rule in our house was to not talk to strangers-- especially ones claiming to be a ten-year-old girl on the internet. By the time my mom found out (and was completely outraged), I had already built a friendship stronger than any of the ones I had with people I actually knew. After being grounded for my actions, I got myself in even bigger trouble by sneaking my phone back to talk to this stranger.

I had met her in such a crucial time in my life-- one filled with pressures to look, talk and act a certain way that was deemed "acceptable" and "perfect" for society's standards, which at the time that I had fell victim to. I felt as if I couldn't be myself in my everyday life, and talking to someone who didn't know me or had a biased opinion of who I was because of how other people in my town perceived me helped me relieve the stress that came with the facade I had to put up.

The friendship that I shared with Abby is greater than most I have made with people from my hometown, and it isn't hard to realize why. No matter where you call home on this big Earth we all share, every small town is the same. When you live in a small town, your name and how you are perceived by others, whether these perceptions be true or not, taint every friendship you are bound to make in your lifetime. Everybody knows your every mistake, and do not know where to draw the line as to where they form their own opinions. There are people in your town that could potentially be your best friend or soulmate that are completely terrified to speak to you because someone had given your name a negative connotation. Even in larger populated areas, people are quick to judge how a friendship will hold solely based off your appearance.

Nobody knows the true story of a person's life and a person's true character until they talk to them personally without any assumptions of who they are. That is why my friendship with Abby flourished. Living across the country and being a complete stranger, we were both able to open up our true selves. I was able to tell her what was troubling me and she was able to give me unbiased advice based off of what she felt was true and right in her heart. The words of others have a greater impact on you than you would like to believe. If we all could do this when we meet anybody-- forget what we previously heard about them, keep a blank mindset and let the people tell you who they are, truly, this society can improve greatly.

Just this past week, I was given the opportunity to fly from Pennsylvania to California to meet Abby for the first time. The time we spent together truly was the best time of my life, because again-- for once, I could be who I really am and didn't feel any pressure to fit in or put up some type of facade. I am so thankful for the single moment, seven years ago that completely changed my life for the better.

Thank you, Abby.

Thank you for all that you have done and taught me that you haven't even realized. You are my best friend.

DISCLAIMER: This article is not to glorify meeting people in person that you have met online. Although that is what happened in my own situation, there are many dangers that come with meeting people online. This post is simply a thank you to my dear friend, and also a word of encouragement to treat everybody you meet with the same, blank mindset.