Family & Friends

I am a teenager. As a teenager I am often a pretty awful human being, I can be very moody, irritated, angry, annoyed, rude and just pretty miserable. I'm guessing you reading this is currently a teenager or was one at one stage, and I'm guessing you can relate to this, a lot. It happens to us all and the more I realise this the funnier it becomes really. All this anger, frustration and misery has to be let out eventually, and I think most of us, definitely including myself, let these confusing emotions out to our close ones. Especially close family and our very best friends. It's these people that are so close and dear to us that take a real bashing, because we know they can take it. We know they love us. We know they care enough to stay, no matter how awful we are. It is this unique bond that is something indescribable, because you'd think that eventually they would have had enough. I know I've probably been a pretty awful person to be around the last several months, but the people that matter haven't flinched for a second. How amazing is that? These people try harder to help us every day, they love us until our hearts are filled up again, until our energy has been replaced, until the negativity has been drained out and a new found positivity poured into us. These people revive us, and for me the people around me have made the difference to me being the person I am now. As a teenager you go through a lot, and I know I am still very young, naive and clueless about a lot of things, but I understand one things very well, and that's that the only thing that really matters is being happy, and the people that bring the happiness out of your soul and paint beautiful images with it. So I guess what I am trying to express in this long and confusing post is that none of us teens appreciate this unconditional love we're given from our inner circle and often don't acknowledge giving it out to people either. It is so important to keep the balance of giving and receiving in proportion, and I've come to realise that even if you're feeling absolutely rubbish for a solid week, you can't spend that whole time sulking, being negative and complaining about it, because how selfish is that? These people that we lean on in bad times, our friends and family, they all have problems of their own, everyone is dealing with something, and we all have to balance out our giving of love and receiving of love. If you manage to keep your tank of love nearly full most of the time you'll feel good, maybe not always great, and maybe sometimes you'll feel pretty miserable, but it's these people around us that make us see the light at the end of a long and dingy tunnel. At this age the tunnel seems to keep stretching, the light getting smaller, the path getting more uneven. We stumble, we fall down, we stand, we jump, we run, we crawl, these actions are jumbled, confused, frustrating. Our heads are confused, some more than others, we're trying to figure our selves out and discover ourselves. We are scared. We don't admit it but we all are really. Could you honestly tell me you're not? But it's the friends and family around us that keep us on our feet as much as possible, that lead our way through the darkness, that give us a lift up when we're struggling. These people should be treasured like the finest silk or purest gold. We take  them for granted, we don't appreciate them as we should, but we need to learn to. If we can stop, breathe, think and remember all the times these people helped us grow, taught us important lessons and listened to us at our lowest maybe we'd stop lashing out and bringing them down too. This is a weird concept, it may not sound like one, but it may be hard to put into practise. This respect for these people is a lot different to an authority figure as we don't need to be polite and friendly. And I'm not saying you should be polite and friendly all the time, not at all. The beauty of having these people is that we can expose the truest, purest forms of ourselves and still receive love and care. These people will take us as we are and help us grow, patch up scars and nurture our poor souls like a garden of roses, watering us, feeding us, protecting us from harsh weathers. We are all so stuck in our ways, our society teaches us that everything can be instant, love is earned through likes and followers, happiness is found through a flat stomach and worth is shown in our wealth, but really what makes us loved happy and worthy is our friends and family, our close relationships and the ability to know you have someone who's shoulder you can cry on but also makes your cry tears of laughter and joy. The euphoria and intense pleasure of being with these people and being happy. Simple happiness. Having your tank filled with positivity, being cuddled when you're crying and knowing that they'll stick up for you no matter what. If you haven't found these people yet reach out and find them If you have ben thinking about a group of people while reading this, remember how happy they make you, remember all the things they've done for you, remember the love they've shown to you and next time you're feeling down, angry, depressed or irritated know that they'll be there to help you through, and when the time comes for them to feel equally miserable you'll be there too. Together this inner circle forms a barrier of love that not even the world and all of it's problems can brake through. Hold on to these people. Tell them you love them. These people, your friends and your family, are what matters the most. So tell them.