One Thing I Am

I am strong! Well... Not physically strong. I am strong-willed. Unwilling to bend to outside forces. I never compromise who I am to fit into a group of people. I'm not sure how I became this way. Maybe it was from the strong female role models I had in the form of awesome aunts... Or maybe it's something that was pre-programmed into my character while still in the womb.

My first memory of demonstrating my strength was when I was in the 8th grade. Toward the end of the school year, the high school has tryouts for various activities that have summer practices. Well, I wanted to be in the color guard. I got teased for it by my other classmates, and I just didn't care. I didn't let those people sway me from a decision that I had made. I wanted to be in color guard and dammit I was going to do it. It was a wonderful part of my high school experience that I'll never forget.

In high school, I continued to be my own person. I had a small group of friends who truly knew me. Those people are still probably the ones that know me best even though I haven't seen most of them in over 10 years. We parted ways after high school simply by going in different directions and losing touch. However, in many ways I'm just an older and better version of my teenage self. It was generally known that I wasn't one to give in to peer pressure. I wasn't a person who abandoned their morals and values to fit in. Being like everyone else just isn't who I am. So widely known in fact that no one ever offered me drugs because it was understood that I didn't want it.

I'm still like this in many ways. The people I hang out with now generally know that if I don't want to do something, I won't. It doesn't matter if I'm the only person in the group not participating in the Jager shot or not getting drunk. I never waiver. Don't get me wrong. It's not like I haven't engaged in those behaviors. I do. Sometimes excessively... Sometimes not... But it's always on my terms. You can pour me one, but if I don't want it, I won't drink it. I'll pretend to drink it, then dump it in the sink or just give it to someone else.

I like being my own person. Though I'm sure it has lead to alienation at times, but I'll never regret who I was at any point in time in my life. I was always true to myself. This is one of the traits I like about myself. I am actually quite proud of this specific trait. Life is so much easier when you don't care what other people think about you. The only other person's opinion I care about is Dave's. He is my voice of reason when I lose sight of what is right for me.

I love who I am. So why would I compromise myself just to be part of the group? If it means I'm a loner, then I'm a loner. I'll accept that. When it comes to friends, it's quality, not quantity. Just be you and do what's right for you. It's probably the best advice anyone can give.