It was a normal Saturday night with my 3 best friends, we were sitting, sunken into the couch in the corner of my basement, chatting about boys, clothes, and anything else a crowd of teenage girls would have a conversation about. As we started to settle down, one of my friends, Janie, got the great idea to call the boys that our other friends have been obsessing about over a screen for the past month or so. My other friends, Annabelle and Michelle, usually are outgoing and welcoming to new people. We start facetiming them and we are all giggly, nervous, and excited to talk to them. The second they answer, Janie starts talking to them like they are someone she has known her whole life. Starting a conversation by asking, “What did you do today?” and cracking jokes to make them laugh. As I sit there giggling beside her, she is utterly and wholeheartedly being herself, while the girls who were supposed to be having this conversation were hiding with the door cracked in another room quietly listening out of sheer embarrassment of what Janie was doing. These girls were changing their personalities around these guys before they had even met them in person. 

I didn’t want to do that. I don’t want to be afraid of being judged or what people thought of me. I wanted to be like Janie. Entirely herself, personality shining through like a star. She didn’t shy away from anyone, talked to everyone, and every time did not change a thing about her. Nowadays, no one wants to meet in person or go on dates. It's easier to Snapchat or meet someone through social media rather than talking to them in person. 

I never want to run away like Annabelle and Michelle, I want my genuine personality to glow around any and everyone I know and meet, like Janie. I least expected Janie to teach me this lesson, but since this moment I believe I have continued to implement this mindset in my life, and not hide behind a door, but interact with everyone while completely being myself.