Podcast final draft

I believe in the importance of loyalty. I believe if you stick by your friends, family, and/or co-workers, they are very likely to do the same for you, which will come in handy one day.
In the summer after ninth grade, I was walking with some of my friends when i overheard them talking about one of my other friends who was going to start a new school in the fall, the same school that one of the girls I was with goes to. She was laughing, and asking who my friend was going to hang out with, because it wouldn't be her. Someone made an attempt to bring me into the conversation, but I simply said, "She's my friend, I'm not going to talk about her," and kept walking. It was such a little thing to say, but it made me feel good to know that I had shown loyalty to one of my good friends. Often times, someone won't realize that once she bad-mouths one of her friends, someone else listening is likely to relay her sour message to the victim in a noble act of loyalty. I think it is a quality that comes naturally to most people. As soon as we hear a slander, we immediately have an urge to tell that person. However, whether or not we act on that urge is completely up to us.
I help my friends out as much as I can, because I know they are all good people. If i try to think back to all the times a friend has helped me out, I find myself overwhelmed. My mind flies through times when a buddy has let me borrow her clothes, shared her lunch with me, helped me study for chemistry, or helped me cope with a conflict in my life. On countless occasions, my friends have shown true loyalty to me and stuck by my side, whether it was through a boring day trip to Athens to watch my brother compete in a cycling race, or when someone said something hurtful towards me. Because they do this for me, I try my hardest to be there for them, whether or not it is very convenient for me.
We can't always put ourselves first, which is an extremely tough, but valuable, lesson we all find ourselves coming to terms with as we grow up. Sometimes, it will be about me, sometimes it won't. There must be a balance when it comes to loyalty in a relationship, or else one side is likely to wane. Movies and television sometimes depict friendships where all the focus is centered on one person, and show the ruthless consequences that come with that type of "loyalty." Backstabbing, sabotage, or abandonment, anyone?
We all need people to aid us along our own ladders to success, although some are more hesitant to admit this than others. Personally, i graciously accept advice from those i trust, and know it is because of them that I am here. Without fail, I know my best friends will stay up late talking with me on the phone after something significant has happened. Without their comfort and security, I would feel alone and helpless. I would not be the person I am today without their help all throughout my life. My experiences, good and bad, with my friends have shaped me into a more honest and loyal friend, and I can't help but thank them for those, even the bad ones. Each interaction I encounter molds the way I treat my friends. So I say, stay true to those around you, because without loyal friends, we pave a vulnerable path through life.