This one goes out to all of the people that aren't in my life anymore. To all of the friends I grew apart from, my "ex-best friends," and even to my "ex-boyfriends," I just want to say thank you. This is not a sarcastic thank you either. It's a genuine thank you.

Thank you for being you. Without you, I would not be the person that I am today. It doesn't matter how we ended or the fact that we are not apart of each others everyday lives anymore. We'll always be connected somehow. The people that you associate yourself with will determine the type of person that you become in the long run. Yes, your family also plays a big part in who you become as a person, but those outside of your family are equally as important.

To the friends that I grew apart from-

Chances are we were only in each others lives for a short period of time. We probably only knew each other from a sports team or maybe we had a class or two together in school. We might've even hung out outside of school once or twice. We most likely already knew that we wouldn't be "best friends forever", but for that short amount of time you were one of the most important people in my life. For that month that we hung out or talked or texted, you changed me. It might have been a small impact but i promise you it's still there. Maybe it was something as simple as a phrase i picked up on, that i now can't stop saying or it could even be something as big as my outlook on important situations in life. We may not talk anymore and we may never talk again but I'll never forget you. You don't forget the people that have made you become who you are.

To my ex-best friends-

The word "ex-best friend" itself is so harsh. We're most likely not "best friends" anymore over some ridiculous argument or disagreement that neither of us could get over. As dumb as that sounds, it's just a part of life. I'm sure if we met up years from now, I wouldn't be able to tell you why we stopped being friends. I'm sure the argument will seem so irrelevant and petty. To whatever the reason is that we no longer consider each other "best friends", I forgive you and if it was my fault then I'm sorry. Just know that you'll alway be important to me. You helped make me the person that I am today. You're the reason I laugh at random times over silly memories, you're the reason I break out in dance moves to throwback songs, you're most likely the reason I can sing every word to "Fergalicious," and you're one of the people that helped make me strong when facing some of life's biggest challenges. You taught me to be myself and for that I will be forever grateful. We don't talk anymore and as of right now we may not even acknowledge each others' existence, but that doesn't mean that you're irrelevant. We'll always have the memories we created and the lessons that we learned together.

Of course you can't forget about the ex-boyfriends-

Despite how things might have ended between us, you've impacted my life forever. Nobody forgets about an old relationship. Your name has probably popped up in conversation from time to time. I owe you one of the biggest thank you's of all. Thank you for teaching me what a relationship should or shouldn't look like. Thank you for standing by me and helping to guide me as a person, emotionally. For teaching me that it's okay to trust people. Obviously the relationship didn't work out but that's okay because it taught me that it's okay to fall sometimes because I know that i'm capable of getting back up on my own. Most importantly, I want to thank you for teaching me what it feels like to love and care for another person because one day we'll both find the person we're meant to be with. Thank you for making me into the strong person that I am today.

Just because someone isn't in your life anymore it doesn't make them irrelevant. Everyone that walks in and out of your life impacts you in some way, shape, or form, whether you realize it or not. You are who you are because of the people that you surround yourself with. Don't spend the rest of your life ignoring or disliking the people no longer in it. Instead, thank them and accept that they will always be apart of you and that's not a bad thing.