The Foundation of my Own Path

When I was younger, my parents always wanted me to get into any sports or hobbies I enjoyed. They encouraged me to pursue something that I enjoyed doing even if my friends did not do it with me. My parents wanted me to be my own person and them always supporting what I loved to do helped me set a solid foundation of what I enjoy today. If my parents were not as supportive or even discouraged me from doing things I enjoyed, then I would be very unsure about who I am today.

Paper Flowers and Sprouting Friendships

I grew up in a house with only my parents to keep me company. As a child, I felt extremely lonely because my parents were the only people I knew. When I started going to school, I remember making my first friends. I was sitting on a rainbow grid carpet and this girl sat next to me. Little did I know she would be one of my closest friends for the next 10 years and still ongoing. One day, we were making bear masks out of paper, and I saw the girl had a little paper flower on her mask. I asked her how she got it and she showed me how she made it. The paper flower became my favorite part of my bear mask just like how she has now become one of my favorite parts of my life. Friendship can sprout from anywhere, all it may take are some scissors and papers. 

The Phone Screen is a Curtained Window

People say to never judge a book by its cover, but that important quote disappears when it comes to social media. People who use social media, including myself, see posts or stories from their friends or strangers they follow. Those posts or stories are just a slice of someone’s life, but to other viewers seeing those pictures, it seems like their entire personality. Just because someone posts a party doesn’t mean they’re always out celebrating, and just because someone shared a video of their job does not mean they are always working. There is more than what goes on behind the screen that people see through on social media. No one knows all the success, problems, conflicts, or achievements others go through. People only know what the person wants them to know through the screen by posting certain pictures or videos. Seeing a person’s life through their social media is like looking through a small parting between closed curtains.

Butterflies

In middle school, there was a group of popular asian kids that I wanted to be a part of. Their friend group was really big and they seemed so fun to hang out with. I was their friend but not exactly part of their friend group, though I wanted to be in the group really bad. I remember I would see them talking to each other and laughing, wishing I was there too. As the school year went on, I began finding my own friends and creating my own friend group. They are some of the best people I have met and I am so glad to have them. I began to envy the “popular kids” less and less as time went on. Near the end of the year, I came to the realization that not everyone belongs in the same space or with the same people. I realized and learned that I do not belong with the “popular kids,” but I was okay with that. Learning that being a butterfly on land means I can’t be with fish in the sea. Or I could be the sweetest apple on the tree, but some people just don’t like apples. I just needed to learn that trying to fit in with people I envied will cause me to never find the people who let me feel the happiness I wanted from the other friend group. Finding the ones who made me feel that laughter I saw in the other friend group is worth more than joining the “popular kids.” I have found my other butterflies.

What Goes Around Comes Around

No matter how far in life I will be or no matter how much time has passed, I will never forget the ones who helped me the most along the way. There will always be a special place in my heart for the family, friends, mentors and even strangers that have helped me trudged through the muddy and sticky path of life. As time goes on, people will come and go. Even as the bonds I have built with people silently fade, I will always appreciate their support and help. I hope to become a person that helps others get through their path of life whether it be hiking through mountains or swimming through oceans. I wish to become someone who you may only speak to once in the past but never forget about in your future.