When I was a gross and girly little kindergartener, I met a girl with giant brown eyes and a wide smile while I was standing on the lunch line. I turned around and asked her if she liked my backpack (because what else would a gross and girly little kindergartener do) and thank God she liked it because we’ve been friends ever since. She’s all grown up now and whenever she looks at a little child, her heart jumps into her eyes. She will stop whatever she is doing to go play with them and goggle over them and point out every perfect thing about them regardless of their grossness and girliness. She will take phlegm, mucus, drool, unknown substances on their hands and feet and other extremities and she will take it with pride because she gets to hold a little kid. Whenever I see kids when I’m with her, her excitement and love somehow rubs off on me and I’ll get googley eyes and my voice will raise four octaves because kids are that much cuter when I’m with her. I have become more tender towards others because of her.

When I was in the 5th grade, I met a funny little girl at an elementary school music convention who could take any object and make a joke out of it. She held a pencil up to her face and made funny noises and then laughed at herself harder than I’ve seen anyone laugh before. We’ve been friends ever since. This girl has an uncanny ability to find humor in any situation and any human. Whenever she becomes friends with someone, she will talk to me for hours about little quirks that they have or things that they say that others may find weird or overlook, but she will laugh so hard it wakes the neighbors because she thinks it’s the greatest thing since sliced bread. Because of her, I find myself laughing harder and appreciating little nuances of humor and its many different forms as it varies from person to person. I have become more accepting of others because of her.

When I was in my junior year of high school, I met a boy who dropped everything to talk to me and ask me questions about myself and he was so interested that he was late for class. We’ve been friends ever since. I’m sure he’s late for a lot of things because he gets so deep in conversation and becomes so oblivious to all else going on around him. He can make people laugh so hard they get that funny crying/laughing look on their face that only comes when one is totally free of self-consciousness and just wrapped up in laughter. He is constantly curious about other people’s stories— where they come from, how they think, what makes them uncomfortable and what they find beauty in. He has an insane ability to make people comfortable and lose their guards for a moment. He has shown me how beautiful someone’s natural smile is.

In my freshman year of college I met a girl who finds so much beauty in the things around her that it brings her to tears. She will listen to a song and find so much emotion in an acoustic guitar track that she cries. An out of tune singer will bring her to her knees because of the raw emotion in their voice. A building with intricate architecture will cause her eyes to water because of its history. She could probably look at a someone making a double chin face and see art. When I’m with her I see and notice things I would pass by without a second thought if I was by myself. She has taught me that beauty is just as much a feeling as it is a sight.

Throughout my life, I have met many people that have become good friends, acquaintances, memories and even family. There is no lesser value in an acquaintance, because they have something to show you and teach you that is just as important as something a good friend will. However, the people that have made the most impact on my life are the ones that help me to appreciate everything that I see. If there is anything I am certain of, it is that living life to the fullest is not having success, fame and fortune, but being able to find beauty and substance in every moment. One cannot do this by themselves. Living life to the fullest is surrounding yourself with people that think and see things differently than you do, so that your eyes are opened wider. Have you ever noticed how different a place can look when you go multiple times with different people? That is because each time you are appreciating something different about the space and you are with people that promote different things about where you are. When I think about the people that I love and all of their intricacies, I am that much grateful to them for not only loving me more than I deserve, but showing me something about the world that is worth appreciating. There is nothing that isn’t worth studying. There is no one that isn’t worth talking to. There is no child that isn’t worth listening to. There is no natural laugh that isn’t beautiful. I am so grateful to have people in my life that have shown me these things. I am grateful everyday that I turned around and asked that wide-eyed girl if she liked my backpack, because she has impacted my life in ways I never imagined. Hang with people that help you appreciate everything you see and you just might find that your life becomes the greatest success.