In my life, I have one friend in particular who has inspired me to get outside of my comfort zone and go where life takes me. Her name is Sydney and we have been friends for about three years now. After my senior year in high school we became very close and we spent long amounts of time together. I got to know her family; they became my family. When we first became friends (I was a high school junior), she briefly mentioned she was moving to Germany for college. At the time it did not phase me because I did not know the kind of impact that she would have on my life. Fast forward to my senior year and we had become best friends and her journey to Germany drew near.

This goodbye was one of the hardest I have ever had to say, but seeing how wonderfully life has treated her has really inspired me to get out of my comfort zone. “I wanted to do something totally crazy that I never could've imagined doing in order to grow a lot as a person. I think when you do something entirely out of your comfort zone, it's a really incredible experience," she told me.

Having a friend who lives across an ocean is not easy, but it is inspiring. After witnessing how much Sydney has grown as a person I feel inspired to get out of my own comfort zone.

Overall having a close friend move away has inspired me more than it has upset me. I have learned how life can offer opportunity when one takes chances and it makes me feel like I can do anything. I am not afraid of what choices my friends may make or what different paths we might choose. I am not afraid to get outside of my comfort zone and I would encourage anyone to do the same. It is the only way to grow as a person. After all, when a tree grows, the branches do not stay in one place, they spread to new places.