Remember the first time you understood what “popular” meant? Do you remember if you thought immediately as to whether or not it applied to you?

I’ve never thought of myself as popular. Friendly, yes, but I was never prom queen or the girl with a full paper heart mailbox of Valentines from school. It makes me happy to see that’s not the case for Nora but it makes me curious as well. What makes someone popular? Is it worth attaining? Or even possible to do so? Or is it an innate trait like handedness? If it is attainable, at what effort? At what cost?

There have been moments in my life where I realized I had many people that called themselves my friends only to be found to be nothing more than acquaintances when I was down or troubled. If this is popularity than I don’t want it, and I stand corrected, because it was lonelier than being alone. A lack of friends is preferable to the insincerity of those surrounding you to enjoy your misfortune.

The older I’m getting the more clear it becomes how important it is to love without the fear of rejection, love well those that you love, and have the courage to let go of those that don’t. I don’t have a paper envelope bursting with Valentines, I never have, and I’m glad for it as long as I can have the friends that love me.