Dear Anita

So I asked Andrew what it would be like going into the military and he seems to enjoy it. He is the type of person who sees the pretty ribbon on every package and his sense of humor is great. As the days to graduation and his departure for the Navy grow closer, Andrew and I  have been cracking jokes helping us both get ready for the AP Biology exam next Monday. I am a bit nervous about the exam’s 8 short essays and 4 long ones, but I’m fairly confident I will do well. During gym today, my special friend saw I was a bit stressed over school so he asked if I was okay. We also had a race in gym (non-competitive)  and we were both laughing at the end of it.  We were also in the weight room lifting weights and it was nice how we were cheering each other on and dancing to some music. It was a hard workout that we both did today and my hair got messy, but we were both smiling. I was a bit self-conscious b/c my hair was starting to frizz and blow in my face and I was thinking that my special friend would think it was unkempt. But he didn’t care, he just brushed the hair out of my face, smiled and said “You’re perfect the way you are. I care about you because of your strong soul and spirit, not by your appearance.” Also I showed one of my poems about Divine Love to my special friend and he really enjoyed it.

So I have some questions:

If some of your friends are doing the wrong thing, how do you talk them out of it? And if you can’t, how do you refuse while still maintaining friendships?

How do you talk to a friend who doesn’t seem to be hearing you out? Lately, two of my friends I made haven’t been listening much when I talk about my feelings to them.

How do you tell your friends that you want to be yourself when they pressure you to change? I have friends who think I need to change my appearance more, but I don’t think I need to, but they keep thinking of ways I could be better and when I argue with them, they don’t really hear my opinions.

How do you isolate yourself from a situation that your friends are involved in, but you don’t want to get involved in without becoming the scapegoat or ‘turning you back’ on your friends?