While growing up, you learn a lot more about yourself than you ever thought you could. Sometimes, you learn the easy way, other days, unfortunately, you learn the hard way. Life is full of tough choices and while some are harder than others, they all equally affect you the same. There have been several times where you feel like you lost yourself in the process, but what I've learned more than anything, is that the bruises in your life make you stronger and they give you the courage to stand up for yourself in a way that you probably never could before.

Peyton Sawyer used to always say, "People always leave," and she was right. Throughout your lifetime, people will continuously take the easy way out and walk away when the going gets tough. Later on in "One Tree Hill", Peyton also added, "People always leave, but sometimes, they come back." She was right there, too. Sometimes, people leave because they need a break, they need time to think, or it's just too much to process at the time, but they come back eventually, when the time is right, and the relationship is better than ever. But what Peyton Sawyer didn't say was, "People always leave, but sometimes, they come back, but sometimes, they leave again or you find the strength to walk away," and that is what seems to happen more than anything. Many people don't believe in second chances and usually this is the reason why. This leads people to believe that they've wasted their time on someone or something that was never worth it in the first place, but if I've leaned anything at all, it's that wasted time is something to be thankful for.

You taught me that I'm a fighter.

I may not have fought to keep you in my life, but I fought to find my own happiness in the end. I fought to find the light at the end of the tunnel that I could no longer see, because you blocked it. I fought the voice in my head that told me this pain would be worth it some day, because my heart told me there was a bigger reason why it was time to walk away and I just didn't understand it yet.

You taught me that you've got to go through the bad to find the good in life.

The time that I wasted on those who would just walk away again led me to find some of the best friends I've ever had. The time I wasted giving you a second chance led me down the right path, and showed me what true friendship and sacrifice looks like. All the harsh words, the mistreatment, and the endless tears led me to find the good in others and the goodness inside of me. Sometimes one door needs to close before another can open and while you don't know what is behind the new door, it's an adventure worth taking.

You taught me that you learn from your mistakes.

I'm a firm believer that people need to make their own mistakes to truly understand and learn from them. No matter how much someone else can try and protect you, sometimes it takes hitting rock bottom before you truly can see why it was wrong for you. Sometimes you want to hold on to the few good times instead of acknowledging the abundance of bad times. But, once you learn from your mistakes, it is easier for you to open your eyes and see the bigger picture next time. Is she worth a second chance? Am I taking a chance on someone I know will hurt me again? Forgiving him was a mistake in the past, has he really changed? Your decisions are easier to make and you don't try to talk yourself out of it again because in your heart, you know you've been there and you don't want to go through it again.

You taught me to stand up for myself.

The more time I let myself be miserable just to make someone else happy, the more unhappy I made myself. Putting other people's feelings before my own was something I always did, but what happens when you forget about making yourself happy? I sat there and let you walk all over me, let you treat me horribly. I let you mold me into something you wanted me to be and what did I get from it? It took everything out of me to finally say something back after holding it in for so long, but once I did, I was thankful. I was thankful that I had time to think about it. I was thankful that I didn't blow things out of proportion in a rage of anger in the moment. I was thankful that I gave myself time to decide if standing up to you would even be worth it, but I'm glad I did. You may have walked away, or maybe I was the one who did, but I'm so much better now that I know when to draw the line. I know when enough is enough, and I won't make that mistake again. From now on, I will always stand up for myself. No longer will you or anyone else try to control who I am.

You taught me that sometimes, it won't end in a tragedy, because sometimes, people are worth fighting for.

You made the decision to walk away and I watched you leave. I stopped trying and I put the ball in your court and while I believe I wasted all this time on a friendship that ended so fast, I realize all the wonderful things that I learned along the way. I never thought you'd ever come back and while I played it off like it didn't matter, a part of you will always be in my heart. At least, so I thought. Maybe it was the other way around and I was the one who walked away, but even then, I stopped caring and stopped trying to make us work. But sometimes, tragedies find their happy endings anyway. The amazing thing is though, sometimes, after being apart for a long time, you remember why you started fighting for each other in the first place and the time you wasted apart brings you back together again. Olaf the snowman once said, "Some people are worth melting for," and boy, was he right. Months away from you killed me on the inside, but led me to remember why we were friends and what we were capable of. You meant the world, and sure you made a mistake, or maybe I did, but sometimes second chances are worth giving. And if you're real lucky, sometimes the second chance is better than anything else you could have ever asked for.

So, I'd like to say thank you. Thank you to those who walked out on me. You taught me how to find strength in my moments of weakness, and how to find myself when I was lost. Thank you to those who left, but came back. You taught me that true friendship has no boundaries and that special friends are worth fighting for, no matter what. Thank you to those who I gave a second chance to, but walked out once again. You showed me that sometimes people don't change and that second chances are sometimes a mistake, but they're a mistake worth making. And lastly, thank you to those that pushed me to walk away from them. You gave me the courage I needed my entire life, the courage I wish I could have had sooner, and the courage that allowed me to realize that my wasted time made me into a better person.