Things that have made me, me - Shailey Wooldridge

I think it's all about the little things that make a person, your favorite songs, kind words from a stranger, a movie you watched with a character you fell in love with, etc. These aren't necessarily my favorite things but I don't think I'd be who I am today if these events never occurred, these movies never made it past an idea in someones head, these books weren't written, and that one little act of kindness hadn't been done. These are just little things that left a big impact.

1. Hannah Montana, probably the same as most teenage girls. I was obsessed with this show from the first time it aired on Disney channel to the last time it aired ever. From 2006 to 2011 Miley Cyrus was my role model and everything I aspired to be. Obviously those aren't my hopes and dreams anymore but I know I wouldn't like to sing as much as I do if it were not for that show. I also never would've wanted to be a singer, a dream that till hasn't fully died yet.
2. Diesel Works. My dad worked as manager for Northeast Diesel for a really long time. It was a business where they fixed diesel pumps that were in tractors or something. When I was in kindergarten Northeast Diesel went out of business because the owner was retiring. So my dad quickly started his own business right outside of our house and he called it "Diesel Works." I spent most of my time in that shop that my dad eventually gave me a job. I earned one dollar an hour whenever I wanted to work. I answered the phone, put stamps on envelopes, and tried my best to stay out of the way. Sometimes I swear I can still smell diesel.
3. My third grade teacher Mr. Debbie Dunnigan. Probably the main reason I picked up the the pen, (I was forced to but that's completely beside the point,) and I've loved writing ever since. She used to leave nice comments on my journal entries and tell me that she could hear my voice in what I wrote. As a kid who was always picked last for dodge ball and had/still has the lowest self esteem that you could ever imagine, it was life changing to hear that I was finally good at something. She will never know how much that means to me. 
4. Karlee Sanders invited me to go to a basketball game with her. It was one of those things that when they're happening they have no significance to you at all, but looking back they're one of the few moments that you can pinpoint and say "That's where everything changed." I had no friends and she felt bad for me, but that was just the beginning of me finding some of my best friends.

There are many more, but if I tried to list them all, we'd be here all night. What are some things that changed your life?