“Thanks for being so genuine and sweet and good to me! I hope to see you the next time we’re in Chicago!!” July 16th, 2014. A day I will never forget. I read this comment on Instagram over and over again as I was laying in my bed sobbing uncontrollably. I cannot believe Taylor Swift told me she wanted to meet me. I stayed up all night to get her albums. I waited outside stadiums for hours just to see her in concert. I memorized all of her songs. But most importantly, I’ve supported her for 6 years, and I’m not stopping now. She inspires me to be who I want to be, not what others want me to be. She is the older sister I’ve never had. But before any of this happened, you need to know a little bit more about Taylor.

Taylor Swift was born and raised in Pennsylvania. She was a normal girl, just like anyone else, but she had a dream. She wanted to sing. She would go straight to her room after school and start playing her guitar. She would write songs. Lots of them. But there was one problem. No one at her school believed she could do it. She would be bullied and teased because she had a dream. But she pushed past the bullying. She moved to Nashville when she was 13 years old, (Music City) and went to every label company there was in Nashville and handed them a CD. One day in a cafe, Taylor was singing her own songs, and after she finished a man named Scott Borchetta, went up to her and told her he was really interested in her and that he would love to sign her. But there was one problem. He didn’t have a record label to sign her to. She trusted him anyways, and it was the best decision of her life.

Taylor then released her first album on October 24th, 2006. It sold really well, and she kept writing. About 2 years later, she released another album called “Fearless” and that is where I come in. When it first came out, I didn’t really know who Taylor was. A few months later, I went over to my cousins house for a sleepover and she showed me a song called “You Belong With Me”. I instantly fell in love with the style of her music and what she sang about. She spoke her mind. I made my mom take me to Target to buy the album. Since I didn’t have an ipod, I would play the CD in the car wherever we went, or I would use a portable CD player. I couldn’t get enough! 2 more years passed and “Speak Now” came out. I had an ipod shuffle, so I downloaded Speak Now to it and jammed out whenever I had a chance. It made me feel so happy inside because music is my only getaway. At this point, the media started to hate on Taylor for “writing too many break-up songs” or “shes dated 20 guys in the last 6 months”. This was a struggle for Taylor. She somehow ignored everything the media was saying. A few years later, she released Red. But the media wouldn’t stop. They smashed her down, but she would rise up and push past them. She was strong. But most importantly, she had us. The fans. We stuck right by her side through everything. Another 2 years went by, and she released her newest album, 1989. She named it 1989 because that is the year she was born. The media finally shut their mouths about Taylor writing songs about heartbreak. Taylor found herself. She realized she didn’t need to have a boyfriend to be happy. All she needed was herself, and her friends.

In the last 6 months, she’s given her fans so much. She has invited us to her house and apartments. She’s mailed us gifts for Christmas. She has commented on Instagram posts. She has given us advice about boys, heartbreak, bullying, just about everything. One quote that I really liked and can relate to is, “Self doubt can be like falling down a rabbit hole, and it’s hard to tell whether it will end in some epiphany or in feeling lost and defeated. You have to be the judge of when to just take it easy on yourself. Taking things one step at a time is an exhausting process, but I think one day you’ll look around and see that finding yourself wasn’t as terrifying as you thought it would be.” She has given us so much, and one day I would love to give back to her. Even though I haven’t been to her house, or gotten a gift, I know she loves me just as much as I love her. I know I’m helping her by buying her albums, staying by her side through everything, and just being a fan. I’m doing what I love. Supporting the person who gives me hope and happiness in my life.