The Butterfly Effect

The teenage years are often referred to as the best years of your life, and while that may be true, I won't know for sure until I'm older. However, in my experience, the teenage years are one of the most challenging periods in life. As difficult as this stage of my life has been, I am still grateful for each and every mistake I made along the way. I’ve learned so many things, and though it was painful at the time, it has prepared me for my future. It’s made me who I am.

It can be challenging for me at times to be thankful for the teenage years I have left to live, and there are times when I even wish I could skip ahead in time. But I've come to the conclusion that perhaps this struggle is for the best. It's a time of grace when I can make mistakes without suffering as many repercussions. I am forced to adjust to my newfound freedom.

I can fail and still learn from my errors without causing too much harm. In the end, I'm grateful for all of the mistakes I've made, even though they've caused me to experience heartbreak, fail classes, and miss out on career possibilities. The toxic friendships, fake friends, and academic failures taught me something. Despite being at the bottom, that is what will enable me to progress.

I have a part-time job that is ideal for me because it is close to my house, and I get along well with my coworkers. The fact is, I was hired for this position as a result of mistakes I made. I hadn't realized I didn't fit the age restriction when I first applied for another job. I was very disappointed, but if I hadn't messed up and gone to the interview, I never would have learned about my current job, which was a better fit for me and paid more.

I have a wonderful girlfriend who I adore dearly, and I doubt that I would be with her if I hadn't been in a previous relationship and experienced a broken heart. I dated my present girlfriend for a while; however, our relationship ended in a breakup. I eventually moved on to another relationship, but when I discovered she was having an affair with someone we both knew, my heart was devastated. Because our mutual friend had a crush on her, I ended up getting back in touch with my ex because I wanted to talk to her and make sure she knew what our friend had done. We eventually went out as friends, but it made us realize that we still had feelings for one another, so we got back together.

If I look back on all of the mistakes I’ve made and the things I suffered through, I can see a butterfly effect. Each of these things led to something wonderful happening, reconnecting with my girlfriend, getting a good job, and getting into an amazing early college high school. All of these things wouldn’t have been possible if I hadn’t made mistakes along the way. Even though it doesn’t feel good, I will forever be thankful for the suffering I’ve gone through in my teenage years.