The phrase, “You’re my person,” was popularized by the ABC TV show “Grey’s Anatomy.” Christina Yang is Meredith Grey’s “person,” the one she turns to when she needs help, or someone to talk to or the person she would call to “help drag the corpse across the living room” if she murdered someone. Your person is the who is there through thick and thin no matter what.
I thought I had my person. We had been friends since elementary. We grew up together, supported one an other through countless break ups, did most activities together, and prided ourselves in the fact that we spent almost everyday of our lives together. There was rarely a decision we made without consulting the other person. She was my person.
Until one day, she dropped me faster than a speeding bullet, for seemingly no reason at all. I was hurt that she was able to throw away years of friendship at the drop of a pin, I cried for days and tried desperately to figure out how I could fix our now broken relationship. The hardest part was that the person I usually talked to about everything, my person, was the person who didn’t want to talk to me. I was so lost, and unfortunately we never fixed our relationship.
I learned a lot from our years of friendship. I learned compassion and patience, skills that I value highly and know I will need for the rest of my life. I learned that when you love someone, you should be able to put your needs aside and make sure that they are okay. I learned that ice cream and tissues and sad Nicholas Sparks movies can cure any broken heart or bad day, and I learned that “Sex in the City” will never, ever get old.
We made countless memories together, from being caught in the wrong place at the wrong time, to getting acceptance letters.
I also learned the qualities that I need in my new person. I learned how someone should treat their best friend. I learned that while making sure your person is okay and putting their feelings before yours is important, you also can’t do that all the time. You need to make time for yourself, too. You need to make sure that you’re okay, not taking time for you isn’t good for you, nor can it be good for those that you love. I learned that even the best relationships can have toxic undertones if you do not address problems right away. My old person taught me that I should never settle for anything, nor should I settle for someone who does not care about me or respect me the way that they should.
And so, this is a shoutout to my ex-person; thank you for everything you gave to me. I wish you were here to share this knowledge with me, but I’m glad that you were able to teach me all of it.
