SO…I have this Friend…

Photo Credit: ME!!!!!

…Danielle.

Danielle and I met August 7th, 2014. “How does she remember?” You may be asking…. Well, I remember because Danielle and I met on the Last Day of My Twenties. It truly was an introduction by chance. If I would have left our friend Pamela’s home 5 minutes earlier I would have missed her, if I hadn’t been stuffing my face with a drunken Dr. Seuss cake in the kitchen, I probably wouldn’t have met her. You get my drift.

 Photos by: Danielle

She has been a huge inspiration on how I view mankind. Although, our time together in Germany as neighbors was very brief, I have to say she is one of the kindest-quirkiest women I have ever met. Danielle, has inspired me to be a better person.Things are not black and white in the world I live in. Being an over thinker makes me immediately think the worse of every situation. With that, at times (to people who do not know me well) I sound like a narcissistic asshole. The truth of the matter is…I am. I only care about my close family members and close friends. Danielle, doesn’t. She cares about everyone…literally everyone. This is most likely why she will be an amazing social worker. Danielle has made me rethink about the way I view humanity. I have always believed that I need to worry about myself and the people I care for. But when strangers are horrible and selfish, I have a hard time understanding why. I’ve realized that I, too, am part of that problem. I mean, let’s get real…I’m not going to be over the top too friendly, but maybe just enough to make a minor impact on society.

This has been a harsh reality to face now coming back to America.  When I lived in Germany, I never understood why so many Germans stated that Americans were rude and obnoxious. Being back home now, I get it. What happened to us?

I hope that one day, I can be as empathic, kind and stylish as Danielle. I hope that I can see both sides of every situation and try to make the best judgement, not based on emotion but based on rationale; I hope to one day be as optimistic as my dear friend Danielle. And I pray that I have the strength to always voice how I feel, even if it won’t be the favorite opinion. In most cases, I usually don’t care enough to even create a thought if it doesn’t pertain to me. (Fun Fact #7: The Kid does not read the News. Only bad shit is ever reported)

Danielle, you have made a bigger impact on me than what you think. I am so grateful to have met you. Thank you for being amazing!

Ciao,

Johana