Wrote this awhile ago...good thoughts :)

High school. This is said to be the best time of our lives. Our party days. The only years we can get away with dying our hair hot pink, toilet papering friend’s houses, and staying up until the early hours of morning gossiping about crushes and clothes. But what is the purpose of all this? What is the purpose of life? I mean, I spend half my time trying to become this perfect person, and the other half trying to find out who I really am. And with both tasks, I have found little success. One thing I have found is that nobody is perfect. No matter how hard we try…we will never reach that envious state of perfection. We can donate half our money to charity. We can listen solely to uplifting music. We can compliment every person we come in contact with.. But even then, we will not be perfect. Tell me, what is the definition of perfect anyway? The world will tell us it all lies in image. It won’t matter how many times we stand up for someone in need if we weren’t blessed with an ideal figure. It won’t matter how much honesty we exhibit if our teeth aren’t a perfect shade of white. It won’t matter how many random acts of kindness we perform if we don’t own the most high-tech Motorola cell phone or the most expensive Juicy Couture purse. To the world, we will never be perfect. Yet here we all stand, conforming to one another in this brainwashed world and always trying to become the “it” girl or Hollywood hunk. For what purpose? Because in the end, it really doesn’t matter how many people complimented your $300 shoes or the 28 inch rims on your brand new hummer. In the end, what really matters is the kind of person you were inside. The times you gave up something you truly wanted in order to make someone else’s day. The kind of friend you were. Every time you made someone smile. Every day that you decided you were going to put someone else first. That you were going to stop thinking about yourself, stop thinking about YOUR selfish wants and imperfections, and instead think about how you could improve someone else’s life. In ten years, twenty years, fifty years…those are the times that will matter.

As far as finding out who I truly am goes, I still don’t exactly know. But here is what I’ve gotten so far:
My name is Britney Petersen. I am seventeen years old and I live in Mesa, Arizona. I was born and raised in the same city, with only one simple move of about four miles northwest when I was three years old. I’m an only child and yes, to the surprise of many, I hate it. If I could trade in half the material objects I own for just one sibling, I would do it without a moment’s hesitation. You could describe me as a typical girl. I love reading magazines, laying out, shopping, the color pink, fashion, and romantic love stories. It’s not abnormal to find me fighting back tears at the end of almost every chick flick ever made – and most other movies as well. Fresh cut pineapple is my favorite food and Hawaii truly is paradise. I love the water…the beach, the lake, waterfalls. Roller coasters, in my opinion, were the greatest invention yet. My life would not be complete without music. I listen to it about 16 hours a day (only when I’m sleeping is it off). Dance is what keeps me going. Without it, life would be in slow motion. Only when I’m dancing do I realize the power of being passionate about something in a way nobody can quite understand. My family means the world to me and they are my best friends. I love to write and someday hope to be able to pursue this love and use it to influence and inspire others. Friends are a key ingredient in the recipe of my life. Being an only child, I depend on them for almost everything. I love taking crazy pictures with them, or going for random excursions late at night in my car. I love swinging on swings in parks at night, or eating ice cream and talking about life. I love getting dressed up crazy and going to Applebees with my girls. But most of all, I love life. Actions speak louder than words and it’s the simple things that really matter. If you have a dream, go after it and don’t let anyone stop you or tell you that you are not good enough. Never give up. Be true to yourself. No matter how many people laugh at you, don’t ever le go of something you truly want or love. Those that won’t fully support you don’t matter anyway. Laugh during movies, at jokes, or about memories of your childhood. Laugh with others. Laugh in the quiet of your own bedroom. And always remember that you haven’t lived until you have learned to laugh at yourself. I still don’t know exactly who I am, but I do that all these things, and many more details (even the minor ones such as my pet peeve of tags sticking out of the top of t-shirts) all fit together like a puzzle to create me. A girl who is trying to fit in among all the different groups in high school. A girl who sometimes wishes she were different, or that she could go back and change the past. A girl who knows she has made mistakes, and is well aware that she will continue to make mistakes every day of her life. But a girl who is trying to be the best that she can possibly be. And that, my friends, is what really matters.