If the past few months of my life could be summed up into one word, it would be hectic. With the stress of college applications and scholarships, volunteering when possible, the average teen activities, a handful of serious family dilemmas, and welcoming into the world a new member of the family, it can be hard to slow down long enough to see that you’re changing along with the world around you.

I had always assumed that senior year was the time for letting loose and having a grand ol’ time without a worry in the world, which is definitely not the case for me. I’d usually crumble under the amount of stress I’ve experienced this year, but thanks to a handful of new friends I’ve made this year make all of the stress a little more bearable. These are three things my peeps have taught me this year, and lets hope they don't end here!

1. Faith Is Fun Ya’ll

I’m not going to lie, I haven’t had the best or most stable relationship with the Lord, that is until this year. I wasn’t an active Christian, but it was something I was silently hoping to become, not knowing how to go about it. After going to a handful of student led Bible studies, I felt incredibly inspired. Seeing many of my friends so passionate about Christ was a major motivator to me to better my own relationship with Him. Finding a group of people I can learn and grow with is incredible, and has seriously changed how I see the world around me.

2. Dance Like No One Is Watching

For as long as I remember I have been a fairly reserved person. Though I avidly socialize with people, I would constantly worry about how I was being received by the other party, which is pretty exhausting. With the new friends in my life, they unintentionally started to break me out of that shell. It’s such a relief to not worry about the opinions of those around me, and instead be able to act how I want with my friends, however, obnoxious it may be.

3. Passion Fuels Passion

Seeing so many of my peers excel in their passions is such a humbling and motivating experience. I don’t know why my idiotic thirteen-year-old self-thought being a slacker was “cool," because it sure isn’t. Watching people work and work and work and finally reach their goal is so much more rewarding than taking the easy route. Even if the passions are drastically different, you can build off of each other. Productive and (hopefully) successful people are the best kind of people to be around because you know that they’ll always be fighting towards something along side of you.