the new year.

We're four days into the new year and things seem so pessimistic. After the death of Tristan, I've questioned unfortunate events. For example, why was such a young, kind teenage boy taken away from his family? Why are we fighting in a meaningless war? Why do people feel the need to judge and criticize diversity? At this point in my life, I've come to realize that I must accept the flaws and evils in this world in order to move on with my own life. Specifically, I need to learn to live for myself in order to achieve greatness. I must learn to do things for myself and then begin to transform the world. I think my purpose in life is to make a difference. I'm here to help people and to help them see their potential. I want to be that person that my friends can turn to when things seem dark and frightening. But I also want to have my own "go to" friend. My sisters have become major rocks in my life, helping me discover who it is that I am. If it weren't for them, I'd have gone insane years ago. They give me their honest opinion, unafraid of hurting my feelings. Along with my sisters, my boyfriend has played a major role in my self-discovery. Normally, I wouldn't say that but this time, it is different. He has loved me in such a way that encourages me to excel. He loves me because of who I am and because of who I'm becoming. I think our love, after two years, has blossomed into something only the two of us can understand. Without him, I'd be lost. Does that seem extreme? I'm unsure if he'd say something along the same lines, but I feel like he saved me from a downward, scary spiral. I've changed over the past two years. Kyle showed me that I didn't need to fit in with a particular crowd. I realized that I stand out because of my uniqueness and thirst for knowledge. I like to think that at the age of 18, I know who I want to be with and who it is I want to become.