Throughout my life, I've always been the friend who never fit in. The weird thing is that I've always had friends, I just didn't actually have friends. It just seemed like every time I got close with friends, there was always stupid drama and arguments. So, when I moved high schools in 10th grade, I made a point to not get too close with anyone. I hung out with different people but I never got too comfortable with anyone. It wasn't like I was anti-social or anything, I just knew that girls are rude and they will be mean.
When I moved high schools, I was friendly and tried to fit in as best as possible for a 15-year-old who just changed schools. But even then, girls who didn't know me treated me like sh*t. And I didn't blame them because I knew I would be the same way on the other side. And that's when my perspective began to change. I realized that you understand people and things a lot better when you look at things from their side.
That's when I found myself getting along with people better. But still, I knew not to get too close. I was that one friend who you would call when everyone else was busy or when you had nothing really better to do. But the thing is, I didn't really mind that. I've come to peace with being that friend because it saves you the drama and it makes you become an observer. Everyone comes to you with their problems about their friends and you just listen. And it makes you think, "Damn, I'm happy that this isn't happening to me." You learn a lot about others, and also about yourself. When you're an observer, you see just how messed up people can be. They can say the most awful things about each other behind closed doors, and it makes you think, LOL, why would I even want this?
And then I came to college ... I met a group of friends, and we became pretty close and we didn't really seem to have too many problems — we actually got along pretty well. And then I realized I didn't have to be so reserved because having friends isn't a bad thing. Me and my friends all decided to pledge for a local sorority, Omicron Xi Omega. After expanding my friends even more, I saw just how important it was to have bonds with people. I became closer with my sisters than with anyone I had been friends with before. I had people there to vent to about my boy problems and other things. And we also spent endless hours laughing with each other.
The moral of this sappy little story is to show that having a bond with people is important. The past doesn't have to be the future, and seeing other perspectives really opens up your understanding of the world. And in the end, the more you understand others, the more you will understand yourself.
