Alone

One of the scariest things to experience as a child is being alone, in the dark, with no defense. I have a vivid memory of this experience. My mom, sister, and I decided to go shopping one day. Take note, I was only 9. We went to a clothing store named Fashion Boomy, though I believe it does not exist anymore. The store was paradise. There were clothes upon clothes, upon clothes, upon clothes. Everywhere you look, there is color, mystery, excitement, and the unknown. Being the nine-year-old child I was, I crawled through the clothing racks; especially the circular racks with an opening in the center. Those were my favorite. Then, the lights turned off. Darkness. I squeezed my way out of the clothing rack. Where was everyone? The metal racks were no longer glistening, the clothing was dim, the walls were stretched, and the store was definitely not small. That was when I came to the realization that I was lost. Lost in a world of mystery, in a world where I was not tall enough to see over the walls that blocked my path. As I ran and ran and ran throughout the store, I heard a sound. Click. The lights were back on. Eventually, I found my sister and mom and we left. 

You Never Know Until You Try

Living life to the fullest requires taking risks. But, to what extent? To be honest, taking risks can be thrilling, nerve-wracking, horrifying, or even exciting. Depending on the extremity of that risk, the consequences can turn out to be favorable or terrible. Taking risks is something that I am still working on. I am so caught up with the possible bad consequences that I do not take into consideration the good consequences. Sometimes, since I do not take those risks, I miss my chance. And when someone misses a good opportunity, they start to feel bad. They start to feel regret. But what can you do? This is why taking risks is such an important factor in growing up. When you take risks, you are exploring your possibilities. Some may be bad, but others are good. They say, “you never know until you try,” so why not take that risk?

The Expression of Envy

Have you ever been envious of someone? Envy can come from almost anything: greed, happiness, sadness, regret, or success. It is an emotion that everyone has felt in their life, well, at least once. Envy is defined as, “a feeling of discontented or resentful longing aroused by someone else’s possessions, qualities, or luck.” For students, envy could derive from test scores and grades. Let’s say Student A and Student B are best friends. Students A and B both have an upcoming test they must prepare for. Student A goes all out and studies for this test six hours a day while Student B decides to study for thirty minutes the morning of. Eventually, the two take their test and Student B receives a better grade than Student A. Of course, Student A would feel envious. How could Student B receive a better grade than me when I studied so hard for days compared to how much they studied? Another scenario containing envy would be receiving gifts. One person receives a better gift than the other, and boom, envy. But of course, we are all human. Feeling envious of another for their possessions is normal and okay. I can not lie and say I have never felt envious of another because it’s true, I have. In the end, it is best to be grateful for what you already have, even if it means expressing a little envy.

Accepting the Obvious

Acceptance is an important part of life; sometimes it could be good, and sometimes it could be bad. When people accept something, they are moving on to the next level of their lives. They are leaving the issue in the past and choosing to move forward. For example, do people really change for the better? You can have a friend or a partner that was once so good to you, then suddenly, they become a completely different person. You think to yourself, oh they will change, I know they can change, but do they really? As time progresses, you find yourself falling into the dark void that you call your friend. Dealing with their constant abuse, their constant rants, and their constant needs, it’s draining…isn’t it? Even though your heart won’t let this person go, your mind and head have already decided. Eventually, accepting that person will never change is your best option. Now, you are left with two choices: do you stay? Or do you leave?

Reality

A person matures when they grow up. People learn to put aside irrelevant and unimportant matters for things more important. Sometimes, you must give up something you love in order to progress to the next stage of life. Whether this is a hobby, a person, a relationship, or a physical object, letting go allows a person to mature. When I entered high school, there was one thing I had to let go of in order to succeed in this new environment. That was my love for art: drawing, painting, sketching, you name it. Art was therapeutic to me as I could sketch whenever I was stressed or just for enjoyment. During my middle school years, I would constantly doodle on my homework or draw for different school projects. Now, in high school, the workload of homework, tests, and projects take up my time. I also began to notice how I drew less frequently after middle school. But, it is what it is, what could I do? In order to succeed in high school, I had to sacrifice something that I once loved. In the end, when a person matures, they learn to realize that life is no longer rainbows and unicorns and are faced with the real world; reality.