Friends. They come and sometimes they go, but we all have at least one. As you age, they become one of the most important aspects of your life. They influence you in your decisions—both good and bad. The good ones support you through everything.
The friends you have when you're young are solely your friends due to proximity—like the girl who was your best friend until the seating chart changed. Friendship was fluid and lacked loyalty. They were fun and positive relationships that were short-lived. You sat in class together, played wild games at recess, and shared little secrets. Then, the next week you probably moved on. You maybe found one or two kids to keep up with consistently.
The friends you had in middle school were hard to distinguish. You had a more solidified friend group, but essentially everyone was a floater who couldn't decide where they fit in. Middle school is probably the craziest time for kids. They get thrown together into this mixing pot of personalities and backgrounds, and kids try to stay with the people they know but people move on to new people. It's a constantly changing flow. However, just when you're starting to feel alone—you find a few of your people.
The friends you have by high school are a more solidified group. Everyone knows who everyone is—except those in the grades above you. The stress of schoolwork is driving everyone insane, puberty is causing everything physical to change, but your friends are still beside you. The four years you spend in high school provide you with countless choices that end in countless mistakes, but your friends are there to support you.
When you graduate, you're afraid you'll lose the people closest, but it's okay because no matter how far you move away—they still support you.
True friends are found throughout the years, and new ones can always be added. You meet them in school, at work, or completely by chance. These people are the people you open up to, vent with, and share your best memories with. Never forget to thank these people. For them, we should be forever grateful. No matter how hard life is, how old we get, or how far away - thank them.
So to those who support me—thank you. I could never say it enough because, for me, you all have done so much.