Kip Unfiltered

Last year, I grew a lot more than I thought I would. There were many struggles, many hardships, laughs, fun but most of all I pushed through. I persevered and I kept going.

One thing that stuck with me last year was how friendships are always changing. Close friends come and go, depending on what life stage you are in. Doesn’t mean you are still not good friends, but I have learned to accept that some friends you have made are in the past are not always going to be by your side. I used to think it was because we didn’t have anything in common anymore. But that’s not true. We just distanced because we are not in the same life stage anymore, and that’s really okay.

In 2025, I learned that being angry when something terrible happens to you doesn’t help. I’m trying to frame every bad thing I think of to something good. Because dwelling on negativity makes you spiral and then before you know it, you are in a rabbit hole and it’s even harder to get out. Most of the time, I would be asking, “Why is this happening to me?” or “What did I do to deserve this?” I quickly realized that doesn’t really get you anywhere. Instead of asking those why questions, I try to be appreciative of all things that happen to me and treat them as lessons instead. These experiences will allow me to understand another person’s experiences better and give me better insight into how to help someone who has been through a similar situation. I can think of negative experiences as life lessons, opportunities to grow and get stronger, and then I will know how to handle other situations better in the future.

In 2025, I started hanging alone more. I realized that hanging out by myself is actually more peaceful and meaningful than being with someone else. My thoughts are more grounded, I feel calmer and I feel like I don’t have to actively preform to keep an image up. I realized that there isn’t always someone that is going to want to do the exact same things I do all the time. That’s why it is important to do things by yourself.