By Paola, 16, sophomore
When I was little, I had all the friends in the world. In Pre-K, my best friend was Michelle. The first time we talked was when my crayons broke, and she asked me how I could write like I did (I’m left handed.) From then on, we kept talking about how we both liked to draw certain things, especially Disney characters. Having common interests is obviously the best way to get new friends. I shared, played, laughed, cried and everything in between with her and others.
As I got older, we drifted apart. I made new friends, but the transition wasn’t easy. It feels awkward going into a group of people you don’t know, which is how it is for many teens nowadays. As always, making new friends is part of life. Overcoming the obstacles of awkwardness and adjusting to conversation will be gone eventually.
In the group of friends you have now, think for a moment about where you stand. Is everyone happy and everything dandy? Do you go everywhere together, never missing an event? Or are you sometimes left out or feel out of place? If you do, just shrug it off. It’s kind of a syndrome everyone gets when they start to get used to people. In a couple of days or weeks, it will be over. If you don’t feel awkward or anything, then that’s awesome, you have a new group of friends.
Sometimes, I feel out of place in my group of friends because I may not like what they like all the time. When that happens, I don’t worry about it. Most of my friends are really social and love to talk to new people, but I’m more of a shy person, keeping my distance. That’s when I feel out of place, but I can’t help it. It doesn’t mean that they aren’t my friends; it just means that I’m different.
Just because you feel out of place sometimes doesn’t mean that there’s something wrong with you. It just means you are your own individual and probably have your own strong opinions. There is nothing wrong with that. On the other hand, if you fit right in with your friends and never feel out of place, then that’s even better.
The most important factor in these situations is your individuality; the one thing that no one can take from you. It doesn’t matter if you don’t fit in, it just means you have to find the right puzzle piece to connect with.
In the future, chances are you’ll have only a select few friends from the ones you have now, maybe even none. Personally, in the beginning when I realized this, I was in denial. I thought that I would always have the friends I have now. After talking to a few older people, mostly seniors and people in college, they said that they hardly talk to the friends they had when they were my age. I came to accept that fact. Life goes on.
“Today you are You, that is truer than true. There is no one alive who is Youer than You.” ― Dr. Seuss