So this summer I've been so incredibly busy; between work, summer classes, and the topic of this post: family. Family is such a huge part of my life and I always try to make them a priority (even when I love them but don't particularly like them). However, when I say family I mean so much more than blood relatives. I think family goes so far beyond that. My definition of someone that is family is any person that you know will be by your side whenever it really counts no matter how long it's been since you've spoken. I'm extremely fortunate in my life to have a lot of people that fit into that category. Some of those are high school friends, some are college friends, and others are even family of friends.
I hope that whatever situation you are in with your genetic family, you have people like that in your life. I hope that you let down your walls and let yourself be vulnerable around people that you trust. There will always be times that you need someone to confide in and tell you that the sun will come out tomorrow (little Annie reference for my musical theatre people).
I just wanted to write this post because the past few days, even through the stress, I've been thinking about how lucky I am to have the people around me that I do. I'm so thankful to have spent all the time this summer with them that I've been able to. Don't get me wrong, I miss Austin and UT a lot and can't wait to get back. But I'm trying to enjoy the time I have with people that I normally can't see as much as I can. And I think you should do the same! No matter where you are when you read this I would like you to either text, call, or tell someone in person that they are your family and they mean a lot to you. I promise it will brighten both of your days!
Stay beautiful,
Toto
