What is the greatest lesson a friend has taught you?
[From a "featured question" on xanga...]
The "greatest"? One is way too hard to choose. But several immediately came to mind...
1) Smile
One of the best friends that I have ever had told me this: "Once when I was having a bad day at ____ I played a game with myself as I walked down chapel and broadway. I smiled at every random person I saw." (There was more to it, but I accidentally deleted it this morning.)
Basically, she told me that happiness is contagious. Smiling at random strangers on the street may make them happier, and, in return, it might make you happier. When times are bad, just keep remembering the happy times.
2) Be myself
There are quite a few people who have taught me this, and this lesson has probably had the biggest influence on my life and who I have become.
I used to be in the preppy, popular group. All of those stupid, superficial girls that we look and laugh at now? They were my friends. I only wore clothes from Abercrombie and Hollister, and thought my friends and I were the coolest. We liked to talk about other people and, even in 4th grade when we should have still been calling boys "icky" and giving ourselves cooty-shots, we had boy-girl parties. In fact, many of the girls had had boy friends since at least 2nd grade. They thought we were all that and a bag of chips.
But I eventually realized how fake all of it was. In order to stay friends with NC, I had to pretend to like MD (at their old school, MD and NC were best friends). NC was a different person about MD, but I had to smile and accept this rude, fake version of her. Even if MD excluded me, I had to smile and pretend everything was okay. SH encouraged me to stay quiet and just ignore MD, but they were all like MD in some way or another.
My decision to stand up to MD was probably one of the best of my lives. I didn't need their fake friendship.
Enter middle school friends and onward. Seventh grade brought new, crazy friends. Many of them would have been people my previous fake friends made fun of, but I had learned to be better than that. These people liked me for who I was and I could become my crazy self around them. ____ will always be remembered as the girl who, although I barely knew her, remembered my birthday and decorated my locker when all of my "friends" (except one) forgot or didn't believe me that it was my birthday.
Since then, I've had many crazy friends and great times with them. Who knew making weird noises, skipping down the street screaming--I mean singing--songs, and not being "the cool kids" could be so much fun? Of course, I'm human, so I still care what people think occasionally, but not as much anymore. I do things because I like to and want to do them.
Being normal is so overrated. Never be normal.
3) Appreciate myself
There are several people that I will never forget because they've taught me to appreciate myself. I believe them when they tell me that I'm wonderful. I believe them when they tell me that people will like me for who I am, and if they don't, they're either blind or stupid. Thank you for... so much.
4) Stand up for myself
Unfortunately, this is one lesson that I have not implemented as much as I would have liked. If people are being rude to me or using me, I really should--I need to--stand up for myself. I deserve so much better. Thank you for making me realize this.
The "greatest"? One is way too hard to choose. But several immediately came to mind...
1) Smile
One of the best friends that I have ever had told me this: "Once when I was having a bad day at ____ I played a game with myself as I walked down chapel and broadway. I smiled at every random person I saw." (There was more to it, but I accidentally deleted it this morning.)
Basically, she told me that happiness is contagious. Smiling at random strangers on the street may make them happier, and, in return, it might make you happier. When times are bad, just keep remembering the happy times.
2) Be myself
There are quite a few people who have taught me this, and this lesson has probably had the biggest influence on my life and who I have become.
I used to be in the preppy, popular group. All of those stupid, superficial girls that we look and laugh at now? They were my friends. I only wore clothes from Abercrombie and Hollister, and thought my friends and I were the coolest. We liked to talk about other people and, even in 4th grade when we should have still been calling boys "icky" and giving ourselves cooty-shots, we had boy-girl parties. In fact, many of the girls had had boy friends since at least 2nd grade. They thought we were all that and a bag of chips.
But I eventually realized how fake all of it was. In order to stay friends with NC, I had to pretend to like MD (at their old school, MD and NC were best friends). NC was a different person about MD, but I had to smile and accept this rude, fake version of her. Even if MD excluded me, I had to smile and pretend everything was okay. SH encouraged me to stay quiet and just ignore MD, but they were all like MD in some way or another.
My decision to stand up to MD was probably one of the best of my lives. I didn't need their fake friendship.
Enter middle school friends and onward. Seventh grade brought new, crazy friends. Many of them would have been people my previous fake friends made fun of, but I had learned to be better than that. These people liked me for who I was and I could become my crazy self around them. ____ will always be remembered as the girl who, although I barely knew her, remembered my birthday and decorated my locker when all of my "friends" (except one) forgot or didn't believe me that it was my birthday.
Since then, I've had many crazy friends and great times with them. Who knew making weird noises, skipping down the street screaming--I mean singing--songs, and not being "the cool kids" could be so much fun? Of course, I'm human, so I still care what people think occasionally, but not as much anymore. I do things because I like to and want to do them.
Being normal is so overrated. Never be normal.
3) Appreciate myself
There are several people that I will never forget because they've taught me to appreciate myself. I believe them when they tell me that I'm wonderful. I believe them when they tell me that people will like me for who I am, and if they don't, they're either blind or stupid. Thank you for... so much.
4) Stand up for myself
Unfortunately, this is one lesson that I have not implemented as much as I would have liked. If people are being rude to me or using me, I really should--I need to--stand up for myself. I deserve so much better. Thank you for making me realize this.