When my friend Carina offered to take me to Disneyland for my birthday- I couldn’t refuse the offer. Not only was the ticket free, but there was gonna be extraordinarily delectable food. Besides, who could turn down going to the happiest place on Earth? So I went with her and her family to the Land of D and was more than pleased to find both scrumptious food and scrumptious boys (who happened to be from France). Oh, it was like I had died and gone to heaven.

Heaven soon turned into hell when we finished eating. We stood in the endless line for Space Mountain, and Carina instantly made a rude remark about a woman in front of us. “Ugh, does she really think that she’s gonna get a boyfriend with a fat butt like that? That is so gross!” I was shocked to say the least. Wait, I lied. I wasn’t that shocked to hear Carina be so negative, being that she seemingly always has a negative comment to say about others. I was, however, shocked, to see her being so negative in a place where smiles were plentiful and vibes were cheery. My birthday had just been ruined by that comment and the seemingly endless number of others that followed.

Hearing my friend of more than five years insult strangers sparked the question in my head: “Do I really wanna be friends with a person like this?” Sure, her remarks were funny sometimes, but what good is it to surround myself in such negative energy? After riding about seven rides while simultaneously hearing her trash others, I came to the conclusion that I would rather be friends with someone who spent their time complimenting others rather than bashing them.

Don’t get me wrong- this was a tough decision to come by. I have known Carina since 4th grade, and at a point in my life, I could probably call her my best friend. But what I didn’t realize, and what most people don’t see, is that who we hang around affects us. If we hang around someone who is always positive, who always compliments others, and always has a chill vibe, then we’ll suddenly start to feel good about ourselves and develop a more sanguine attitude. In contrast, hanging around people who always insult others or are pessimistic will result in us behaving more negatively too. It’s true, our feelings are contagious! I knew that in the long run, I’d want to be a blissful person rather than a pessimistic one.

I still see Carina around, and we still talk from time to time. Nowadays, however, I surround myself with people who keep my cheeks hurting from smiling to hard, rather than people who give me frown lines.