Bringing us together

     When I was 3 years old, the military moved my family to Camden, New Jersey. I live there for a majority of my life. It was where I grew up and for a while, all that I knew of. My friends were all people I had attended school with since elementary school. We grew up together. All of my childhood memories were with them and I thought these were going to be the people I would be close with my whole life. So, when my 7th grade year came around, I was devastated when I heard I was moving across the planet to Kentucky. It was a shock for me. All I knew about Kentucky was the stereotypes that come from cartoons. I was not prepared to change my life in such a drastic way and lose all my friends. I did not know how I was going to do it.
     I moved here during the middle of my 7th grade year, which meant I had to go to school fairly close to when I moved in. This was one of the hardest things for me to do. I felt like I was being thrown to the lions. But, when I arrived at school it was the exact opposite. Everyone just either ignored me or forced very awkward small talk. That didn't make me feel any better, though. I was still without all my friends from New Jersey. I still felt very alone. I just wanted to hear from them, even if I was making friends here.
     By my 8th grade year, my solution changed from trying to get myself kicked out of the house by running up the phone bill  to creating a Facebook account. It began like a small tree and as my friends list grew, so did the trees branches. I could branch out to people in the area that I kind of knew and get to know them better. The part I loved was the fact that it allowed me to keep my roots planted firmly in New Jersey. My roots stayed strong in New Jersey by being able to hear all their news, staying in contact with them and using it to plan trips back. But as the years came, I gained more friends here, or longer branches and more relationships. My tree had strong roots and was full of strong branches. Through these connections, I was no longer sad and alone. I felt strong, again.
     I believe through interactions I became a happier person. I no longer felt alone in this world. Making friends and keeping friends kept me from falling into a dark place. I still keep in touch with my friends from New Jersey, but I find us all drifting apart, like any other relationships. The upside to this is I have made strong relationships that I could not of imagined when I first moved here. I believe it's these bonds that brought me happiness. Knowing that there were people close by interested in what I was doing made me feel appreciated and happy. I think branching out and making these relationships while still holding onto my roots was the smartest thing I could ever do for myself and I encourage others to do it too. Let your tree grow. There are too many people on this planet not to.