User blog:The Bibliomaniac/I'm So Happy I Need To Vent

Welcome to "Cali Is So Filled With Emotion She Must Spill It Here."

I've known this kid for two and a third years now. I call him my twin brother, and he might as well be. We live near each other so we carpool everywhere, and I tease him to death. But I love the kid all the same.

The thing is, he's suffered from depression for a while now. He'd never been really talkative, and he didn't have very many super caring friends, especially male friends. He was pretty quiet and reserved. He wasn't much of a sports kid, like most of the boys in my class, so he sort of sat alone and recess. To the side. Against a wall. Hood up on a perfectly sunny day.

I tried to talk to him, but it understandably wasn't enough. He had nothing he loved to do to be involved in and his male friends preferred to tease and belittle him rather than build him up. It was really sad and really hard to watch him go through that every day.

High school was around the corner, and I was worried for him and how he'd handle it. It seemed like he'd be even more secluded once he was lost in the crowd. Oh boy, was I wrong.

Call it luck or call it God's hand. In the strangest ways possible, he met some of the best friends either of has have ever had and befriended them. He's got a bunch of great male friends, which is awesome. They encourage him and build him up rather than tearing him down. His new girlfriend, one of the sweetest girls I've ever met, is also one of my best friends.

To top it off, he tried out for the play at our school and got a role. That was a turning point. His theater friends really got him to come out of his shell. They took a quiet and lonely boy and brought him so much joy. He came out of that experience happier and more social than I've ever seen him.

Guys, he talks to people now. About normal things. He just chats with them. Smiles with them. Cracks jokes. Normal stuff, right? But it's such an improvement from what things were just a few months before.

"So many good things have happened." It was that quote that made me realize how much he had changed. The fact that he looks at his life right now and sees more good than bad. A year ago, there's no way that would have happened.'

I guess my point with this story is, try new things. Let yourself be bold. Even though it can be so hard, strive to find good friends who share your ideals. Because everyone looked at this boy and wondered if he'd ever turn around. I'm pretty sure he looked at himself and wondered that. But when he found friends who enjoyed what he enjoyed and loved him for who he was, when he got involved in stuff he loved doing, he truly got so much better than I'd ever have dreamed.

I'm so happy.