Still Standing

I started dancing when I was a freshman in high school, and didn't start taking it seriously until my junior year. During that time I became close with a girl two years younger than me, who would become something like a sister.

A few years later at my graduation party, my "little sisters" mom pulled me aside to hand me a graduation present. I opened the letter later that night, only to be filled with tears. She had written me a letter about how I had changed their daughters life and that she would not be the person she is without me, and attached at the bottom was a key that said 'Believe'.

I was going on to school become a Dance major, and she told me that everyone already believed in me, I just needed to believe in myself. She could not have been more right.

Flash forward to beginning of my last year in college. The previous three years had thrown at me more things than most people may experience in a lifetime, but I was still standing and I will still keeping taking on the world because of that key and that letter. But I was ready to pass it on.

The world works in mysterious ways like that. I had never considered giving my key away before but immediately upon realizing it was time, the right person fell into my lap.

I have a friend, by chance that is two years younger than me, who at the beginning of this school year opened up to me with a life story that I was not expecting. The weight of depression was sitting heavy on such a powerful heart and he was struggling. He is inspired by changing the world, creating a better place for all of us to live, being adventurous and free, but he couldn't see that his biggest enemy was himself.

As it should be, I wrote him a letter, telling him that all he needed to do was believe in himself, to believe he could do whatever he wanted, and most importantly, to believe that he was worth being here. The key has already changed his life and will hopefully continue doing so, as it did for me 4 years ago.