End

I participated in the last choir concert of the year recently; the concert where the seniors would be performing for the very last time. The scattering and dispersion of the seniors and the impact on the choral program because of them was all too much to handle. By the end of it, there was not a dry eye on the stage, seniors and others alike. After the concert, a very very close friend of mine came up to me and told me that, because we were friends, he knew how to unicycle a little bit and that he was going to miss me. This shocked me and made me completely break down. This particular friend and I were close in middle school, but he connected closer with other people in high school and he gradually slipped further away. However, with that one comment (I taught him how to unicycle three years ago), he made me realize that you never really know the effect you have on people. I would've completely skimmed over that detail, but because he took the time to remember the littlest fun memories we shared together, he made me believe I truly had an impact on his life. It was the most powerful thing that I've heard in a while, and I'll treasure his friendship to the end. He is the strongest person I've ever met, and he's truly life-changing.

Rise Against

I went to a Rise Against concert recently, and it was more than I could have ever asked for. They played "Swing Life Away" and "Hero of War"- two songs I didn't expect to hear at all. They were absolutely phenomenal, and completely worth the money I paid to go, considering that Four Year Strong and Bad Religion opened for them. Pretty good deal. To anyone who usually goes to concerts: Rise Against did not fall into the traditional pitfall of being worse live than on the recording (nor did Bad Religion, but I didn't go to the concert to see them), they were completely amazing. They reacted to the audience very nicely, and it was an absolutely phenomenal experience. I can die happy now.

Impact

Friendship and camaraderie is a curious thing. Many friendships and, in general, relationships between people are formed on a mutuality of something: an interest, a belief, a cause, a dream. The list is endless. However, there comes a point in that relationship where trust needs to be established, and one person has to let another into their lives and trust them with information. The act of opening up to someone or having someone open up to you is an essential part of the human experience, and it is one of the most surefire ways to establish a real relationship. Knowing someone's story or their thoughts or their struggles makes you that much more connected to them, because we tend to display empathy across the human race; that is, we internalize everything that people say and try to relate it to something, anything, in our own lives. This allows us to establish and maintain positive, understanding relationships for years to come. In any case, having someone share a secret with you means something, something more than merely a surface scratch. Knowing someone trusts you enough to open up to you leaves a lasting mark on personalities, and it leaves permanent impact. The way that we impact and influence people in our lives is by making a true connection with them and displaying support and empathy. Human connection is important, and only possible if someone initiates that leap of faith out of their comfort zone and displays their vulnerable but human side.