There are so many people who walk in and out of our lives. While some we meet briefly in the elevator, others seem to become a greater part of your life. But no matter how gentle or strong their presence is, they have all walked into your life for a reason, whether you’ve recognized it or not. We know why the most important people are in our lives; our family, friends, significant others – they have undeniably had an impact on our life in some way, shape, or form. But there are others who have crept into our stories, quietly, unexpectedly, sometimes for only a brief paragraph or two, or sometimes a whole chapter. These people unexpectedly show up, at an absolutely horrible time, or maybe at the perfect time. And often, these people are the ones who will have the greatest impact on our plot.

1. That one professor who really, really cares.

And not only about your academics, or your performance in their class, but about you as a person. It could be a professor in college, or a teacher from high school. But either way, they have taken an interest in you, and they genuinely want you to succeed. It’s a great feeling having someone you respect feel that way towards you; it gives you confidence and allows you to believe in yourself a little more than you did before.

2. An old coach of one of your favorite sports.

I say old coach because I don’t mean the coach you have right now, as a varsity or club college athlete. This coach has a profound impact as well, I’m sure, but there’s something special about one of the first coaches you had of your favorite sport. It could have been in high school, middle school, or even earlier. This is the coach who believed you had what it took when you didn’t even know you had it in you yourself. They may have used unconventional ways of showing it, but they were persistent and never gave up on you. They pushed you to the breaking point, working you until your arms and legs were limp, and at times you probably hated them for it. When you had a bad attitude, they sat you on the bench. But it was all in an attempt to teach you how to be a good team player, and to coach you in the sport that you loved. Although you may not have appreciated them at the time, the moment you scored your first goal, or got your first ace, or won your first race, their impact on you as an athlete was prevalent.

3. Your first mentor at your first internship/job.

Your first internship or job position can be extremely intimidating. You are entering a new stage of your life, and you don’t exactly know what to expect. You feel the pressure to do well and succeed in your new role, and you want to make the best impression possible on your new co-workers and bosses. You are terrified of making a mistake, or embarrassing yourself – and that’s where your mentor comes in. They show you the ropes of the place. They extend an invitation to sit with them at lunch on your first day. They help you through your first mistake, and your second, and your third… and they never get annoyed with you. They know this is a new experience for you, and they try their best to make it an easy and smooth transition. They help you through an extremely important phase of your life, and they give you the support you need to succeed; a success which will carry forward into your future internship, temp position, or full-time job.

4. That one person who you briefly shared a romance with, which was effortlessly beautiful, until it ended for no reason other than life got in the way.

These are the best kinds of romances. There wasn’t any drama involved. There wasn’t any lying, deceit, or jealously. You didn’t meet under bad intentions, or under any forced circumstances. Instead, you both got together because you genuinely enjoyed each other’s company. And for the brief time that you were together, that’s exactly what you did. You didn’t have to overexert yourself to make the other like you, for you genuinely liked each other without trying. There were no obstacles or road blocks in your way, except maybe time. And when time did finally take its toll on your romance, it was a gentle parting, and there were no hard feelings. This person, and this romance, showed you what a relationship should feel like; effortless, fun, and drama-free. And after this experience, as you are meeting new people, and toying around with the idea of new relationships, you know what you want your next romance, this time maybe long-term, to feel like.

5. That one crush who makes you feel things you have never felt before... and then lets you down in a million ways.

You meet an amazing person, and you fall for them instantly. You know they are exactly who you want, and no one will ever compare to them. You like them so much that you’re willing to be whatever they want you to be; a peer, a friend, a hook-up, whatever they want at the moment, you conform to. You spend days, weeks, months, trying to impress them, and getting hurt when it doesn’t work. And then suddenly, one day, you have a realization. They aren’t what you expected them to be… at all. In fact, they are everything you didn’t want them to be. You fell in love with the idea of them, and wasted so much time and energy on them. And now, after realizing it's time to move on, you pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and can’t help but laugh at yourself for being so naïve to think that this boy was the man of your dreams. And then you wander once again into the world, but this time, you’re a little wiser. Because now you know not to set people up on such high horses, overlooking their flaws. The perfect, ideal man of your dreams lives inside your head, and now you know that no one in the flesh will ever live up to that. You're going to have to realize their imperfections from the start, and embrace them, or else you will once again set yourself up for undeniable disappointment.