Keianna

Sometimes on social media, I come across a single post that makes me want to reevaluate my entire life. Recently, I made my biggest online discovery since memes. Sitting in my grandma’s living room at 2 AM I decided to take a break from watching Masters of None on Netflix (Aziz Ansari—need I say more?) to check my Instagram feed. What I saw was life changing. “You are completely capable of changing your entire life.” I don’t remember what the actual picture was but I remember that the caption made me stop scrolling. I think it might have been how obvious it was—if I didn’t like something in my life why couldn’t I just change it? It was so simple, that I was a bit upset that I hadn’t realized it sooner.

Nonetheless, I opened the notes app on my phone and got to work, it was easy enough to decide on what I wanted to start doing and how I was going to achieve it. I wanted to be awake early enough to not have to rush. Cool, setting my alarm to 5:45 AM and not hitting snooze seemed to do the trick. During class I seemed to always be pulling my phone out to check social media but turning my phone off during class and putting it in my backpack nipped that in the bud. I was so happy that I had made plans and where sticking to them, but there was one thing on my list that I was actively avoiding.

• Think about who’s a good friend to you and drop everyone who isn’t.

It didn’t seem to be that big of a deal when I typed it, but there it was, taunting me. When I sat down with a pencil and paper to write who I was sure were good friends, I got a decent sized list. However, I was shocked that the people I hung out with on a daily basis weren’t there.

What if I had to drop them? The possibility that I would have to throw off the warm blanket that was my friend group and expose myself to the harsh winds of high school was terrifying.

After sleeping on it for a few days, I went to the friends with whom I had concerns. I kept my voice even and strong as I sat down and explained to them what was wrong. Some of the discussions were heated, some even ended with me having to say goodbye to people I’ve known for years. What really helped was sitting in silence and thinking about the best memories I had with the people who would no longer be in my life. It was hard, but necessary for me to live the life I want to, and cross off the last thing on my list. ♦