Summer and Bike Rides

NYOOOM! As we pedaled down the winding streets, the wind whispered secrets through my ears and through my hair with the rhythmic hum of rubber meeting pavement. The houses, falling behind stood witness to our joyride. Downhill we sped, a symphony of laughter trailed behind us. The orange glow of the setting sun bathed our neighborhood in nostalgia. Shadows danced along the sidewalk with the fading day. Our bikes were vessels of passion and freedom, steering through. Each turn was a new discovery, each downhill, an exhilarating rush. The scent of blooming flowers mingled with the cool breeze. The neighborhood transformed into a storybook as we, the protagonists of our own adventure pedaled, chasing the horizon in our youth. In these moments we stole, the world belonged to us and time dared not to pass.

Puppetmaster

My sister is a puppetmaster. “Let’s make it a game,” she says, and suddenly I’m caught in the act of sweeping the floor with a green broom. Her promises of collaboration crumble, leaving me to mop solo. Toys, oh my cherished possessions, become hostages in her hands. “Sharing is caring,” she says but where’s the sharing and caring when I want to play IPad? They say she’s an angel yet I beg to differ. I see no angel, she’s a demon. In skirmish, we clash like thunder and lighting, don’t mix like oil and water but beneath lies an unspoken understanding. Siblinghood. Where brawls and love dance. This paradox of fighting fiercely yet standing back to back still stands unresolved.

Fortnite

I hate video games with a passion. They take away years from your life, keeping you away from doing the things you want to do. To me, it was purely an escape. I could forget my problems for a couple of hours and just fast forward into time. I ran away from things and never even tried to put up a fight. Every time I hop off Fortnite I’ve always regretted it. I’ve never once thought back and said, hey I think that was a smart thing to do! I seem like a hater right now but that’s all games are to me. Loss. Dropping 20 kills is fun but in real life, at the end of the day, am I smiling? Do I want this? Before you make any decision in life, whether big or small, ask yourself, what is gained? What is gained from playing games? What is gained from skipping practice? 
“What is gained from living a life you don’t want to live and doing things you don’t want to do?”

Midnight Racing

Midnight. 12:31 AM. In the dim yellow luminescence of my lamp, the weight of the textbooks feels heavier than the impending test anxiety. Each page I turn, I step deeper into the labyrinth of equations and theories, the path obscured. My pencil hovers over the notebook, a hesitant dance between commitment and worry. The room echoes with the frantic rustling of notes, a symphony of my own making. Concepts unravel my mind like water slipping through desperate fingers. Each flashcard flipped is a heartbeat racing against the clock. This is a testament to resilience. The stress transforms me and refines my understanding. The struggle is daunting yet bears a promise of growth. The night goes on, as I find slight solace in the pursuit of knowledge, navigating this labyrinth one page at a time, knowing each effort is a step closer to conquering the test.

Beyond Wealth

Money. Our lives are centered around money, we spend most of our days working towards it, and it’s arguably the biggest motivator in life. This greed and passion for more sounds materialistic but I believe it’s commendable. Money isn’t the only thing humans want more of. We want to build relationships, be healthier, and experience all the beautiful things life has to offer. 

My family has been very good to me. They want me to be more. Your parents are the only people who truly want you to be better than them. Specifically, my father has put a lot of effort into me. He’s enrolled me in sports, tutored me in math, and lectured me on where I was wrong. I don’t think I’d call our parents greedy for wanting their children to be the best. I find that strangely beautiful.