Mackenzie Reese

I’ve always categorized my life by my major friendships. Each era represented by a person that shaped me. A person who created a small aspect of who I am today. I have no hard feeling for these people, even the ones I no longer talk to, because they gave me something I can never payback. A little bit of myself. 

People have always been my number one priority. My relationships come before anything else. Some could say this is stupid, reckless. I mean what about academics? Jobs? My own personal health? Those things should be equally as important. So before you freak and try to shake me through your computer screens hear me out. 

I believe that every person comes into your life for a reason. Maybe it’s something trivial, a laugh or a little confidence. Maybe it’s to teach you something. Or maybe it’s to breathe a little more life into you. But nerveless, they’ve impacted you in some way. Every person you’ve bumped into, chatted with, yelled at, they’ve all subjected your day, your psych. But what about the people that have influenced your personality? 

It’s the people that you surround yourself that make you who you are. They say that you take little personality traits from your friends. The way you speak, certain mannerisms, your likes and dislikes. Have you ever noticed that you start to use the same linguistics that your closest friends do? Your friend all are little pieces in the puzzle that is you.  

So maybe by putting your friends first you actually are making yourself a priority. As they are the people who make you, you. 

When I was in 7^thgrade my best friend of the time and I were ovooing (remember ovoo haha!) and we were talking about going to the same college. At the time we realized we were going to go to separate high school, so to reconcile this thought we tried to pick the college that we would attend together. We knew absolutely nothing about colleges. I’m pretty sure some of the ones we decided on didn’t exist. But at the time I didn’t matter, because it was the first time I really thought about a future that was years away. Fast-forward 6 years and we are no longer friends. I mean sometime I stalk her on Facebook. But we haven’t spoken for years.  I’m ok with that. She created a little a part of me that I carry around with myself. She was the trigger, for thoughts greater than what I’d do the following day. The first person to really make me think.

When I think about 7^thgrade I think about a girl I used to soak my hair in lemon juice to create blond streaks and ate blue berry muffins by the ton with. And with years in between those facts about me haven’t changed. I still love blueberry muffins, and I now go to the hair salon for my highlights but I love them with all my heart anyways. You could claim that I would have figured out these loves by myself eventually and maybe your right. But the fact is I didn’t have to. She helped me create a part of me that I love.  A very small part of my large personality. Just like every enemy, friend, and friend turned into enemy has. 

So in the end, is it really bad for your health to put your friends first. By choosing them, you are choosing a little bit of yourself. I invest into my relationships because they are invested in me. 

To my friends, my frenemy’s, the drunk girls I’ve met in the bathrooms, I’d like to say thank you. I really couldn’t imagine myself without you. 

Until next time,

Kenz