Last night, I was listening to a song called “Losing My Religion” by R.E.M and found out that it was released in 1991. I was like “Wow! What an old song!” Then I realized, “Wait a minute, this song is 21 years old, but I’m 20 years old!”
At that point I began to reflect on all the memories that came to mind. From the days I was a pre-schooler playing on the playground, to my middle school years, high school and now college. It’s amazing to sit back once in a while and reminisce. As I was going through the memory album in my head, it was evident how much I had changed as a person. “As we grow and mature, our thoughts and ideas grow and mature”. The way I respond to things, the way I act, the way I speak have all evolved as I have evolved. The memories that came to my mind were incredible. But what inspired me most to write this blog post, was the realization of all the people that have come and gone in my life in the past 20 years.
One thing that I have learned from one my close friends was to “NEVER REGRET!” Despite what happens, never regret what happened in your past. Just consider it a learning experience and move on. In the past 20 years, I have met and acquainted with thousands of people including family, friends, classmates, etc…
As I was flipping the pages of the memory album, it became clear to me that the people I acquainted with at every stage in my life were a direct reflection to who I was as a person. The people I associated with were the people who were similar to me and had a similar mindset and outlook on life. Some of these people are still in my life today. However, there are also a lot of people I am no longer connected to for a several number of reasons. My father once told me “The people who you acquaint yourself with are a collection of who you are as a person”. As I changed as a person throughout the years, so did the people I was acquainted to so that my group of friends can have a direct relation to who I am as a human being.
As the memory album was reaching the end, I realized that not only the group of friends I acquainted with were decreasing, but the people within the group were consistently staying the same. This made me realize that as I grew and matured, the choices and decisions I made were also more mature. The friends that I had acquainted myself with in my later stages of life were the “right” friends. This “later stage” I am referring to starts with the high school years of my life. For the past 7 years, my group of friends, for the most part has stayed the same with a few additions and a few deletions. Some of these “deletions” happened naturally and the others because of misunderstandings, jealousy, etc… (this is a different discussion). Despite all this I learned that sometimes in life, there are certain things that are not in our control… we need to cope with those things and make every moment the best that we can.
I can easily say that a lot of the things I have learned and experienced in my life are not through my education, but through the friendships that I have developed, the friendships I have lost and the friendships I have maintained. If you ask me who my “best friends” are I’ll tell you I don’t have any because I consider my “best friends” to be family. I respect them. I look up to them. I am there for them in time of need. They are there for me in time of need. And most importantly I love them.
If there’s one thing that makes me happy in my life, it’s my friends. Money, success, fame are all great. But the power of friendship is indescribable. It is a bond stronger than any chemical bond. It’s a bond that at times cannot be described.
As I was closing the album of my memories, I began to appreciate all the moments in the last 20 years. It’s truly incredible to look back 20 years and see all that you’ve gone through.
At this stage in my life, the friends that I have are the greatest things that have happened to me. Each one of them have a special place in my heart, but also compose my personality and ultimately, who I am. “I love my friends” would be a gross understatement.
I hope this blog post helps you think about your memories. I hope you reflect on your own memory album and come to a realization of what’s shaped you to be who you are. Choose your friends wisely.
Remember these 2 things:
1. Never regret the decisions you make, they will only bring you down. Do what your heart desires and be the best you can be.
2. Friendship is one of the most difficult yet rewarding things in life.
*** This blog post is for all the people in my life today (you know who you are). I thank you for being you and allowing me to create memories that will last a lifetime. ***
Questions and Doubts 