After moving around my entire life, I gained insight from experiences that a majority of people won’t ever go through in their lifetime. As a child people will classify you as naïve, but I prefer carefree. You don’t have any worry in the world other than if you are going to have a peanut butter and jelly or ham and cheese sandwich for lunch. I never really realized how much impact moving had on me as a child until I reflected back.
If I could take one thing away from all my moves it’s that I have really seen what a true friend is. Many people don’t realize how half of their so-called “friends” would be so willing to move on once they start a new life. These past few years I have carried friends with me since my moves in the 4th grade, but then on the other hand I stopped talking to some friends after the first month. Coming from someone who has lived in almost six different states now, I have seen firsthand how people quickly come into and out of your life.
We all go through moments or trying times that change who we are as a person. Those people we tried to turn to might be too “busy” to console us. At that point you have to evaluate if that person in your life is willing to do anything for you. Think if that person truly makes you the best person you can be, or if you’d be better off without them. Regardless, each person you encounter changes you.
Moving so much has taught me the best ways to adjust to new environments. So many people I know have had such a difficult time starting college because they never went through anything that caused them to change. If I could give you one piece of advice about adapting it would be to have no judgments about anyone you encounter. Each person is unique in their own way and has a story that can relate to you.
Our generation has a hard time opening up to strangers because we are so used to hiding behind the mask of our social media. You don’t recognize how much you are missing out on when you block out those around you with headphones and text messages. It doesn’t take moving to a new state or town to meet interesting people. Force yourself outside of your comfort zone and talk to people who are completely different from yourself.
The world revolves around change. We either can accept the change or try to fight it. You have to learn to appreciate the people you have in your life and don’t take any moment or friend for granted. Picture how unproductive our world would be if we never experienced changes or revolutions.
Every new place I went, every new person I met, and every new thing I tried, exposed me to a side of myself I had never seen before. Of course it was scary and unfamiliar territory, but think if Martin Luther King Jr. was too afraid to speak out, or if Taylor Swift never sang because she was afraid of what everyone else would think. That stomach pit shouldn’t be a bad feeling, it just means you’re doing something that is going to make you a stronger person in the end. So let yourself accept the changes.
