This past year has been one of the most interesting years of my life (yes, I am counting from February 14, 2009 to February 14, 2010). This time last year, I was in my final semester of high school and eagerly awaiting graduation in June. Things were going well. Grades were fine. Classes were fine. Friends were amazing. And then June came, and I finally graduated. One of the biggest days of my life so far, of course, and it was spent with some of my closest friends. Summer passed. I had a temporary job for a few days. And then September rolled around, and I started college with one of my best friends. Once again, classes were fine. Friends were amazing. Then, in October, I added to my life when I joined TooMuchAwesome.org, where I made some more amazing friends. Since October, things have, on a large scale, been about the same.
Over the year, though things have, overall, been great, there were some bumps in the road, and that is where you all came in for me. Those bumps, possibly surprisingly, had a bigger impact on my life than the giant Michigan potholes. Without the little or big things you have done for me, I really do not know how I would have been able to get through some things without completely losing my mind. Yes, I could have managed, but the burden would have been on my shoulders longer than necessary. And it is because of those things that I felt it necessary to write this. On Valentine’s Day.
See, people always seem to concentrate on the “fact” that Valentine’s Day is only about romantic, significant other love. But, really, in all honesty, it can be about all forms of love. Love for friends and family is just as important as love for a significant other, and that’s not acknowledged nearly enough in society, I think. So, I figured I would concentrate on that for this Valentine’s Day. I wasn’t sure how to do this, because it has never really been done around me before, but then this idea popped in my head. The idea to write a little blog/letter kind of thing for everyone. It’s probably unnecessarily long, but I have never claimed to be a professional, or even good, blogger or writer. Because of that, it actually scares me half to death to be writing this and posting it for people I care about to read, but I figure I can take the risk. You all can judge me as harshly as you want. You can just feel guilty about it later when you realize how much I love all of you. :)
First of all, I want to thank all my Twitter people. You probably have no idea how much I enjoy reading your random ideas, stupid things you did, or going to the insane links you post. Really, sometimes, those little things have gotten me through the day. Also, whenever someone @replies to me, it makes me feel like someone cares about what I have to say, which is always a nice feeling. So, though it may seem rather small to you, just know that everyone’s random tweets throughout the day or simple @replies to my non-sense jabber never fails to make my day slightly better.
Second, I want to thank all you musicians. I feel like I often take for granted the fact that you make music. In fact, I feel like I often take music for granted, and then I try to write my own, and I realize how much time and effort it can take. Therefore, I want to thank you. Whether I have listened to one of your songs or all of your songs, you have impacted my life in one way or another, probably without even realizing it. I may have told only some of you that your music has helped me get through, oh, let’s say, a Walmart parking lot or that your music has made my day a little better just from one listen, but, really, you all have helped me in some way. Having a tune to pick me up or a tune that helps me know that someone else feels or has felt the same way I do makes life loads more bearable. So, thank you for making music. I am eternally grateful to you.
Third, I want to thank everyone on T.M.A. Thank you to Mike and Jeff for creating it, too. Being in college can be difficult at times, but this website and the members of the website have helped me through some annoying and rough times. I always know that I have a place I can go to if I am in need of a pick-me-up. Each and every one of you is just far too awesome, and I always enjoy your company. It has also been through the inspiration from you that I have pushed my musical talents. Though I am still far from being performance worthy, my work ethic with music and skills on piano and guitar have improved because of all of you. Seeing how hard you work and where it has gotten you made me push to try and improve myself, and it feels good to think about how far I have come in this amount of time. I want to thank you many times for this.
Finally, the biggest (and possibly cheesiest and corniest) thank you goes out to the friends (which pretty much includes everyone mentioned above). Really, getting through this past year without each and every one of you would have been so much more difficult. Finishing high school was not easy when Senioritis (A.K.A. Mega Laziness) kicked in Freshman year and only got worse as the years went on until it was at its worst the final semester. Because of my times hanging out with or just texting you, I was able to manage through the work and finally graduate. You also helped me through the minor bumps of being annoyed as all heck with the stupidity that goes with attending G.B.H.S. by poking fun at it every once in a while, or even every freakin’ minute of the day. You made walking through those halls every day almost pleasant. Thank you for that.
After high school came summer and my temporary job working for the Buick Open. Luckily, I had the pleasure of working hour after hour making wraps and “salads” with close friends who entertained me with music and jokes. It made my feet hurt a little less. Just a little, though. Thank you for that.
And now there is college. My life in college has not been all that exciting, but I have gone through some major changes, whether or not some of you can tell. There were some slightly large pots in the road, but, with your help, I have bumped through them. Because of you, I was able to get through some painful things. With your jokes and understanding and patient talks, things did not seem quite so bad. Thank you for taking time to just listen, even though, I know, I got annoying with the repetitiveness of it all. Your patient natures made me feel less guilty for the burden I know I placed on you, but, because of it, I can guarantee you that I am better, and that is something for which I know I cannot repay. Some of you also did favors for me, and you know what they are. I know I have told you before how grateful I am for the help, but, because it is Valentine’s Day, I get a free pass to thank you again. You may not realize how much even the slightest gesture lifts me up, but I really do appreciate it and will try to find a way to make it up to you. Then there are also those who trust me enough to come to me with their problems. I know some of you worry that you are burdening me when you come to me, but, really, it means so much that you think I am worthy to listen to you and to try to help you. The fact that you trust me enough to let me in on your secrets means the world to me and makes me feel useful. Thank you. And, last, but certainly not least, I have also been going through my fight with my religious beliefs rather recently. I am still on my journey to figure out what I believe, but I want to thank all of you I have talked to for being there for me. It has definitely been one of the most frightening things I have gone through in my life, but you have helped me through it. From telling me that it is okay to be this unsure to just talking to me about different ideas to actually giving me material to watch or read, you truly have made this experience less terrifying than it was when I first started. I want to thank you from my heart for your tremendous amounts of help.
I know that this was long, but I had a lot to say, and I wanted to make sure I was able to say it all successfully and make sure that you all knew it came from my heart. I apologize for its length and level of corniness, but, due to the date it is being posted, I firmly believe that I get a free pass this one time. Thank you for actually taking the time to read this. I wish I had an amazing gift I was able to give to each and every one of you, but, due to the fact that many of you do not even live near me AND that I am a poor college student, this is all I am able to afford and do. However, please know that you all mean the world to me, and you really have made my life worth living through all the annoying and bad times. Thank you, from the deepest depths of my heart and soul, for everything you have done for me, big or small. I look forward to another year of friendship with you.
Oh, and, uh, Happy Valentine’s Day. :)
Love,
Chelsea
