last night i dreamt you were with me

I’ve learned that no matter how thin you slice it, there’s always two sides. I’ve learned that it’s taking me a long time to become the person I want to be. I’ve learned that it’s a lot easier to react than it is to stop and think. I’ve learned that you either control your attitude or it controls you. I’ve learned that maturity has more to do with what types of experiences you’ve had, and what you’ve learned from them, than how many birthdays you’ve celebrated. I’ve learned that quality is more important than quantity when it comes to friends. I’ve learned that it isn’t enough to be forgiven by others. Sometimes you just have to learn how to forgive yourself. I’ve learned that no matter how badly your heart is broken, the world won’t stop for you. I’ve learned that backgrounds and circumstances might have influenced who you are, but we are responsible for the people we become. I’ve learned that you can’t make somebody love you, all you can do is be somebody who can be loved. I’ve learned that the word ‘love’ has many meanings, but it loses value when over-used and most importantly, I’ve learned that no matter how old or wise you think you are, life never stops teaching.

Somewhere between all the changing and growing and the skipping classes,
the studying for tests, the pretending to study for tests, and the downright not studying for tests,
I forgot.. I forgot what it meant to cry
I forgot that pretending to be happy doesn’t make you happy
I forgot that pretending to be smart doesn’t make you smart
and that pretending to be okay doesn’t make you okay

I forgot that you can’t just forget the past in fear of your future
I forgot that you can’t control falling in love…and that you can’t make yourself fall in love
I learned… I learned that I can love
I learned that it’s okay to mess up, it’s okay to ask for help, and it’s okay to feel like crap.
I learned it’s okay to complain and whine to all your friends for a while …that somehow they’ll make it all better
I learned that sometimes the things you want most you can’t have
I learned that the greatest thing about school isn’t going to be who is most popular or going to the parties
not even the hook-ups, it’s the friendships, which means taking chances
I learned that sometimes the things we forgive and forget are the things which we most need to talk about
I learned that letters from your friends are the most important things and that sending cards makes you feel better
but basically I just learned that my friends, both old and new, are the most important people to me in the world.