What I’m Thankful For
First of all, if you don’t want to read a bunch of emotional bullshit from a teenager, stop reading right now. Because after this paragraph, that’s all this will be.
- God
Without Him, this list pretty much doesn’t even exist. - My Friends and Family
I have a lot of awesome friends. People who won’t judge me, at least, openly. They always go along with jokes. They always have nice things to say. They enjoy my company, or pretend to, anyways. People who play video games with me. People who like the same kind of music as me. Or even have different tastes in music, but respect mine. Then, I have family. People who have seen me at my best and worst and said “Hey, that’s my son/brother/best friend/etc.” People who take me for what I am, not what I was or what I will be. People who give me a home away from home away from home. People who put up with my selfishness, immaturity, and everything else about me and still love me. People who, rather than scold me for mistakes, help me understand why I made that mistake, and turn it into a learning experience so I don’t make the same mistake, or something worse, in the future. People who generally care about my well-being outside of school, Facebook, Twitter, and everything that’s not real life. People who guide me when I need help, but have trouble asking for it. I could literally go on for hours. These people know who they are. Everything I’ve done for the past year has been for them. Everything I continue to do will be for them. I can never repay them for the kindness they’ve shown me, because I don’t deserve an ounce of it. - Music and Video Games
Without music, I really don’t think I’d be alive. It’s been the one constant in my life. Music won’t leave you for someone else. Music doesn’t have expectations for your future. Music won’t change to fit in. Music won’t call you names (except for rap). Music won’t judge you. Music won’t put pressure on you to better yourself. In fact, it will inspire you to better yourself. Whatever mood you’re in, whatever feeling you’re feeling, whatever situation is occurring in your life, there’s a song for it to help you cope, or even to help you say, “hey, I’m not the only one going through this. These dudes can relate.” And much like music, video games are pretty amazing inventions. If you’re having a shitty day, you can come home and put your problems on the back-burner and take on the role of someone else. You can be whatever you want. A professional quarterback for your favorite NFL team. A bad-ass assassin who dives off of buildings into haystacks for a living. A criminal who steals cars and helicopters, and then blows them up with RPGs. A soldier fighting a war that most people don’t understand. A knight in shining armor. A superhero with awesome powers. A mortal who kills Greek Gods like a boss. You can even be an anime character with awesome hair that stays the same when you wake up at inns after paying 10 gold to refill your health and mana. You can forget the world for a few precious hours and play pretend. People say video games rot your mind, but I feel like I’ve actually become a better person because of them. I’ve learned right from wrong, I’ve learned about consequences, I’ve learned about trial and error, and I’ve learned what being a good guy is all about. Video games practically raised me. They’re like, a father figure teaching you what life is all about. And music is like a loving mother who tells you everything will be okay, all you have to do is persevere. With that in mind, I have some pretty baller parents. - Girls
Girls have taught me a lot too. Don’t ever change who you are for someone else. Don’t ever give your heart to someone who won’t give you the time of day. Don’t ever fall in love with your friends. Don’t ever believe someone when they say they’ve changed; actions speak louder than words. If she’s with a guy, and she’s after you at the same time, chances are pretty good that if you win her over and you’re together, she’s doing the same thing with another dude. Girls have taught me to never let your guard down, because that’s when they’ll strike. Don’t fall in love with a girl because she plays guitar, likes video games, is really pretty, or likes the same kind of music you do; fall in love with her because you can’t imagine yourself with anyone else in any scenario. So, girls, thanks for existing and everything.
All of these things have made me who I am. I’m not even sure who I am yet. I’m still finding that out. But hopefully, who I am likes who I’m gonna be. I don’t want to live a life of regrets.
