Whoever You Want To Be

There is a whole lot of change coming my way. My parents, sisters, distant cousins and friends of my family that I haven't seen in years all extol the oncoming change for multiple reasons. But what I hear the most is "you get to be whomever you want, DO anything you want!" And then their faces will take on that faraway glaze as they reminice. Oh, those crazy college years.

This "become whomever, do whatever" mantra is double-edged. Obviously being surrounded by strangers will allow me to start anew. Finally I can be the 2012 me, not the middle school girl whose  mannerism my friends still believe to be right beneath my skin. Of course, history, the good and bad, is what bonds friends and that is what I'll miss the most. The simple familiarity of my girlfriends, the moments where I can in fact glimpse the preteens that I first met all those years ago. And while we, my friends and I, might want to change what we know about each other, it can't be undone....until we drift away and embark on a new journey.

The scariest moment is when you realize while lounging at the pool with the friends you've had for many years, is that, come fall, you can choose to become a completely different person.

The Many Different You

The older I get the more I realize the environment's effect on people. A friend may be a completely different -better- person outside the influence of a group. Another shies away from one-on-one but blossoms in a crowd. I've begun to notice these distinctions in my friends, co-workers and more concerning, myself. 


What is offered among a group that isn't with a more intimate encounter? And more importantly, why do these differences cause multiple personalities?