Which one are you?

There are many personalities and characteristics in a group. First, the leader of the group, then the comedian of the group, the sidekick of the group, the group member who is just simply there and no one knows why or how they got there, the group's inseparable twins, the group member who is never there and everyone wonders where they are, the life of the party (as distinguished from the leader and the comedian), the latecomer, the group member who is always asking questions, the blonde, the wild one, the wild one wannabe, the kid who thinks he's hilarious but only ever gets pity laughs, the one who will always be single, the cocky one, the hopeless romantic, the one who is never single and everyone wonders what their secret is, the Gossip Gabby, The Patronizing Patricia, the rumor spreader, the fiendy one, the crier, the complimenter, the complimented, the criticizer, the apologizer, the antsy one, the Feistasaurus Rex, the one who is always being talked about, the one who is never talked about, the one who always gives and never expects anything in return, the one people tend to gravitate to because they are genuinely good, the moocher, the story teller, the movie quoter. There's the one-up-er, the stubborn one, the cliché one, the Awkward Adam, the Eloquent Emma and the Smart-aleck Steven, the excluder, the vague blogger and the cryptic tweeter, the desperate kid and the hipster. And finally, the group hopper.

Every member of a group falls under one or more of these categories. But there is one thing that every single one of them have in common:

They need each other.

They can't make it through their lives without at least one appearance from each category. The roles people play in each group may vary, they may not. But The Cliché One needs to learn from The Hipster. The Crier and The Sensitive Ones have something to attain from The Giver and The Criticizer.

When each member of the group leaves a mark on your heart {resembling less of a stain and more of a handprint type mark}, whether it be to build you up, to tear you down, to push you around a bit, or to pull at your heartstrings, you become who you are today. But who you are today is not who you will be tomorrow. When a group dissolves, another will take it's place. But the handprints of each person will remain imprinted on that heart forever.

A heart that has been well used, well rested, well bruised, and well tested and very much loved, is a life well-lived.