Summer is supposed to be filled with fun summer nights, good friends and whatever else that cliche summer quote says on Tumblr. Well in my case, summer was filled with cutting my so called "friends" off and gaining miraculously 15 pounds in a month. Is there such a thing as the "Summer 15?" Well if not then I totally just made it up. Growing up sucks because now you see things for what they truly are. I wish I could go back to the days of being naive and clueless. As Kylie Jenner would say, Summer 2017 was the summer of "like, realizing stuff. " Yes, I speak Kardashian so I completely understood what she meant.

You realize not everyone wants the best for you

Not everyone is your cheerleader wanting you to win. Not everyone wants to see you shine when their light is dimmed. The saddest part is that most of the time it’s the one person whose opinion you cherish the most that knocks you down. Don’t listen to anyone’s negative feedback, it’s just them throwing their insecurities out on you. Some want to see you doing well but not better than them. The only validation you need is from yourself. Why listen to anyone else’s opinion when you know yourself better than anyone?

You realize not everyone is your friend

No Frauds by Nicki Minaj has been my summer anthem. As you grow older you realize everyone is not your friend and that’s sometimes hard to grasp. Friends are supposed to uplift and motivate you but sometimes they’re wolves in sheep's clothing. Recently, a “friend” of mine stabbed me in the back and I had two choices. Either sweep it under the rug or sweep her under the rug. Well, you can guess I swept her under the rug and now she’s dust. Bye sis!

You realize nothing good happens after midnight

But what exactly happens after midnight? Well for me it would be strolling to Taco Bell getting a Loco Taco and enjoying my single life but for others.. I can't say the same. In my experience, if he or she hasn’t talked to you all day and you randomly get a text or call at 1 am then you already know what that means, and I’m not talking about catching up with episodes of Keeping Up With the Kardashians together. After a while, that can break a person’s self-esteem down and they’ll start to believe that’s all they’re good for. Remember that your body is a temple so don’t treat it like a dumpster.

You realize things will get better

Things won’t always be bad and that’s a fact. Life can a get a little bumpy at times but after all the bumps in the road, you’ll soon come upon smooth pavement. Summer 2017 was a life changing experience. It taught me about personal growth and everything your parents warned you about growing up. Even though I wasn't swimming in the Bahamas this summer, I was lucky enough to swim in some knowledge. TTYL