Changing Another's Life

I have had the fortune of being able to influence people in my short life. After eighteen years I've actually managed to influence several friends, for better or worse. I hope I've influenced them for the better.

One of the friends is a friend I knew for a while but then I had a class with her in high school. It was American Government and the two of us are political junkies and we were always emailing each other political cartoons back and forth long into the middle of the night. I couldn't sleep because I was depressed and I saw several signs of depression in my friend. I asked her about it, if she was depressed and she told me that not even her parents knew that she was depressed. After a while she got so bad I had to call her parents. She was furious with me as it led to a hospitalization for her but I continually told her I did what I would want her to do for me. I told her that I was only sixteen, despite my ability to empathize and give advice, I was not a licensed psychologist and she needed more help than I could give her. When she got out of the hospital she forgave me and we are still friends. The only difference is now people know that she's depressed and I'm not the only one, because I'm eighteen, I can't be the only one, I can't take care of her. 

Another friend that I believe I've had a significant impact on is my very best friend, Beth. We met the first day of freshmen year in high school, both of us were looking to meet new friends and turn over a new leaf, leave our middle school lives behind. We could not have been more opposite but we clicked so well. I began to spend lots of time at Beth's house, more time than I spent anywhere else. 

Beth moved to Germany our junior year in high school. She later told me how much my strength to get past my depression helped her get used to her new life. I wasn't a great friend while she was in Germany, as Beth being gone was too hard for me. But Beth has told me that she is so proud of me for fighting off my own anxiety and depression problems and it makes her feel stronger sometimes. 

My friendship with Beth gives me strength too. I have formed such a strong relationship with her that I am now a part of her family. I don't know how I impact her sisters and her parents but I know her mom worries about me and her sisters look forward for my visits. 

I think the best way to describe both of these friendships is through the lyrics of the song For Good from the musical Wicked. "Who can say if I've been changed for the better? But because I knew you, I have been changed for good."