I walked on a thin layer of ice in high school; every time someone judged me, I could hear the ice slowly cracking under my feet. My life was in a fragile and brittle state during my junior year. I didn’t have the support of my parents, nor of my closest friends at this stage of my life. My own parents, teachers, and classmates had lost faith in me; to them it seemed as if I had ruined my life and that I would no longer succeed. On the contrary, I was determined to be successful because now I had someone special looking up at me as their role model.…
Moving on is easy but what you leave behind is what makes it hard. Once you get to a certain age in your life you know you have to move on sometime. I know times are hard but you have to push yourself toward what you really want in life even if it means moving away from what you love.…
Football has always been a big part of my life. As a young boy I would day dream of making insane touchdowns, making tackles that would leave man stuck in the ground, and even winning the heisman trophy. In 7th grade I had begged my mother endlessly to sign me up for pee wee football because she would always worry about the risks of football. After finally getting her to sign me up, we went straight into the season. I chose to play running back because as a 12-year-old I was remarkably fast having timed 5.3 in the 40 yard-dash. After a few weeks in the season we approached the playoffs and found out our opponent for the first round of the playoffs were the jaguars who were undefeated. Our team didn’t have the best chemistry on…
In sixth grade, I stood before a podium that stared back at my English class. This was not how I envisioned sharing my love for reading and writing; however, it was required. My palms felt sticky, and I just knew that the entire class could see my heart as it was about to hop from the walls that kept it safe. I prayed that I would not forget the lines as I recited The Road Not Taken by Robert Frost. In sixth grade, reading, writing, and I started a relationship. Today, we have yet to break up.…
Growing up, I noticed a lot of discussion about financial problems between my parents. It’s not that we were becoming poor, it was because of our growing family needing more supplies. My mother just gave birth to my little brother when I started noticing the financial issues my family were facing. As a little girl, I do not know how our finances worked all I knew was many bills were due and I knew it because when I was a little girl I liked to practice reading and those bill statements were the papers that attracted my interest due to its colorful paper.…
There are many influences on emotional behavior like personality, culture, gender, social convention, and more, but one that I have a constant struggle with and try to address, is fear of self-disclosure, which means the fear of revealing information about himself or herself to another and risk unpleasant consequences. I'm one of those people that tries to be honest all the time, but deep down I usually don't disclose really deep personal things about me. It's not that I'm afraid of what people will think because people will always judge. I'm not here to please everyone, just the people I care about. It's that I personally feel vulnerable. I don't want to show vulnerability in front of others. I do disclose personal information about myself…
Change. From the first breath inhaled to the last, we change hundreds, thousands, of millions of times throughout the entirety. These changes may not always be so obvious, whereas others are blaringly distinct. Change is inevitable, especially as the environment, technology, economy, and people develop. Us, human beings, we are flexible, able to adapt and survive. However, as we adapt to these changes, we can not let these changes compromise our beliefs and principles by which we abide and hold close to our hearts.…
Ever since I was born, I was a military brat. Not knowing where to call home, or if any place could be home, I moved. I moved six times, four of those places were towns that nobody could think about. Germany, North Carolina, Alaska, North Carolina, Germany, and Alaska, yet no place to call home. May 22, 1999, my first day on this world; Kronach hospital had its first American baby in their hands, yet they acted like I was a different species. The only event I remember was when I was about one. While I was one, I grabbed everything in my reach, even a grill handle. As a baby, I did not know that the handle was moving, the grill top had smashed my thumb. Ever since that event, I now have a starfish mark on the side of my right thumb from where the stiches were.…
Every morning, after I see Renji off to office, I close the grill door behind me ,put a chain around and lock it……
For over centuries now people have been graciously giving gifts for many occasions whether it be baby showers, birthdays, anniversaries, and holidays like Ramadan, Christmas, or even old Saint Valentine’s Day.…
Today was the day. The big day. My election for Lieutenant Governor of Division 2B for Key Club, an international service club, was today. Fear and anxiety pricked my skin in rapid movements emanating from every pore. I rehearsed my speech for the fifth time that day. Upon arrival at the Fairfax Library, I urged myself to remain calm. I quickly scouted out the other girls who were present; one girl was dressed professionally with a folder in her hand. I knew that was my competition. The girl spoke eloquently and genially, she radiated enthusiasm and a certain warmth that I did not have. With every question that was asked, she answered with a smooth smile and high-pitched tone that was dripping with sincerity. I bristled inside; I had just been slapped. I was shrouded in a cloud of anxiety and anxiousness. Suddenly, I was dragged from my reverie.…
Monday- I am ready to stat week 4!! I like being in the office but I prefer being in the back. It entirely too much drama going on in here today. The woman training me is really on her last strike and she just seems to be getting on everyone nerves (including mines). I look forward to a better tomorrow.…
This is a story about something I learned that changed my life. It’s a phrase that most people just ignore from having heard it so often repeated by motivational speakers who don’t really know what they’re talking about. But I have found this phrase to be true, and this phrase is “Be yourself”.…
Walking into the locker room about to get ready to go to our last football game of the season. I could smell the sweaty equipment from the kids who never take their pads home. The Hempfield Spartans 7th grade team would be ending their season 0-7 if we didn’t win today. As I was changing into my pads my friend mike walked in the room. I said “you ready for tonight”. “Heck yeah” replied Mike.…
Her eyes glistened with a repulsive gleam of a smile on her face. I walked slowly hearing the whispering of my socks against the floor. It was that time again, piano lesson. Mrs. Zhang looked at me and smirked eerily. I sighed and took my place on the on the bench, close enough to smell my teacher. I put my shaking hands on the keys and began.…