ABC easy as 123: February 2013

When I was little, I had a swing set in my backyard. I loved this swing set, because during the summer when the days were sunny, and the clouds were white like cotton, I would go out and swing. When I got high enough in the air, I would lean my head back and close my eyes and fly backwards. It was like flying only you were still on the ground. I would open my eyes and see everything upside down. The wind from the swing flowing through you tangled hair, as the world just faded away for a while. When I was little, this is what made me feel alive. As I got older, I spent less and less time on that swing set, and finally my dad took it to dump because no one used it anymore. I still remember that feeling even today I get that feeling from writing. When I write, I open my soul to everything around me. I don't feel the world around me, it's just me, my pen, and paper. There is no greater feeling than getting a compliment on my writing, or knowing that I've done a fabulous job. I sometimes miss my swing set, and the magical summer days I spent flying away on them to some far off place, but I remind myself that I have something else to make me feel the same way those swings did.

Jim Rohn once said, "You're the average of the five people you spend the most time with." Do you think that Rohn is correct? Why/why not? Who are the five people you spend the most time with? What parts, if any, of those people have you "accepted" as part of your personality? Does that bother you? Or, do you feel that you have become a better person?

I don't think I could have said this better myself. Well, I probably could have, but now is not the time to be talking about the diction. I believe Rohn was right, because when I look at myself I see my mother, Emily, Kaitlin, Zoe, and Harrison. I have taken a bit of each of them along the way, mixed in with a bit of my own a originality to be the person I am today. Some parts I have accepted and other parts I'm still debating. Forming your personality with bits and pieces of other people could be compared to lab experiment: you can't put in too little of the person, nor too much of the person. As for me, I think I have the perfect amount of each in me.

My mother has formed my personality because I am the spitting image of her. I am strong minded because she is, and I've learned to speak my mind from her as well. She guides me through tough decisions and has made it so she is my confidant in life. I have taken from her not to back down when someone makes you feel inferior, for if you stand up for yourself they can never make you feel less than what you are.

Emily could be compared to twin pillars, without which I could not stand. I have taken from her that words are always your outlet in life. They will take you far if you know how to use them. Also, she has given me my confidence, something I thought I lost a long time ago. Emily is an angel. I am convinced of this because I see her struggle with life every day, but she stands strong and keeps smiling through her pain. She has taught me strong will, and that if you want something done right you have to do it yourself. I admire Emily, she is a bright person to a stormy day.

Kaitlin, oh my dear, sweet friend. I can go on and on all day about what this one person has added to my personality, but I think the most important thing she has given me is my ability to smile at anything. When Kaitlin smiles, she gives me reason to smile. She has taught me that love is not a bad thing, and that when you find it you have to hold on to it, because it won't always be there waiting. Kaitlin has given me true friendship that is pure of anything evil, and for that I am eternally grateful.

Zoe is my favorite cousin, and I think she has added something to my personality that no one else ever could. She brings out the little kid in me; the one who laughed at anything and feared nothing. When I am with her, there is nothing I can't do. She gives me wings letting me know I can fly far away whenever I want to. She makes me giggle with excitement and recite movie lines over and over until we're both blue in the face from laughing so hard.

Last, but certainly not least is Harrison. Harrison has added so much to my personality just by being my friend. I look at everything with a different aspect, including where I will end up in life. He's taught me that there's so much more to the world than just the small town of Roxboro. But most importantly, Harrison has taught me about friendship. He'll be going off to college next year and we've already planned our summer together and when I'll be able to visit him at college. I know our friendship is forever. He has taught me that loving someone is what we feel towards each other every day, and that just because you're leaving someone doesn't mean you're not carrying their love with you.

I hope this is what Rohn meant when he talked about our personalities being based off of them, because I think I went into some heavy detail. I have accepted each one of these people and what they contribute to my personality. I know that no matter where I am they will always be apart of me, and that all in itself is comfort enough for me. With these people adding to my personality, I feel that I have become a better person in the past year than I have ever been. They make me the bright, shinning, happy, outspoken, loud, and intelligent person that I am today, and I will always love each and every one of them.