Dear Diary,
When I was younger, I was a very passive kid. I didn’t like getting into disputes with the other children, so I usually listened to what they told me to do, a people pleaser you could say. There was this one girl in my elementary school, and even though I remember her full name, I will not disclose it as I am choosing to forgive and forget. From the looks of it, she was one of the popular people in my grade, a top dog.
She had everything, looks and power included. Herein lies the problem: when people are given power, they usually don’t use it for good.
There was this one instance during recess. My friend, Julia, and I were what we called “exploring”. We would do this often in search of “treasure”. That day, I had been feeling very fortunate, and that luck turned up when I found a very shiny rock in the bushes. It shined like foil, but after inspecting it, I realized it was actually a rock.
Julia grew excited and asked me if she could have it for her rock collection. “Why not?” I had said. The glow in her eyes was convincing enough. I had no use for the rock anyway.
But here was my mistake: I wanted to show it to the top dog; in that point in time she was my “friend” and I wanted her to see how cool the rock was. I would realize later that she wasn’t a true friend, nor did she deserve that special place in my life.
I showed her the rock, and she was impressed. She asked to hold it for a while, and stupidly, I let her. She told me she’d give it back to me after recess was done. Yet another mistake; I was too trusting.
By the time recess was over, I had asked for the rock back. She looked at me dumbfounded and said that she didn’t know about any rock. She was lying straight in my face, but I had been too passive to argue with her. I simply let it go and told Julia the bad news. After seeing the look on her face, I felt immediate remorse. But what could I do as a small, gutless, elementary school student?
When I moved schools the next year, I had vowed never to let anyone treat me the way she did. Of course, I became less trusting, but now I could stand up for myself and others I cared about. I was tested along the way, and I have overcome most obstacles since.
I look back at my past, and I’m actually thankful for that experience. If it wasn’t for that one terrible girl, I wouldn’t have become the person I am today.
When I was younger, I was a very passive kid. I didn’t like getting into disputes with the other children, so I usually listened to what they told me to do, a people pleaser you could say. There was this one girl in my elementary school, and even though I remember her full name, I will not disclose it as I am choosing to forgive and forget. From the looks of it, she was one of the popular people in my grade, a top dog.
She had everything, looks and power included. Herein lies the problem: when people are given power, they usually don’t use it for good.
There was this one instance during recess. My friend, Julia, and I were what we called “exploring”. We would do this often in search of “treasure”. That day, I had been feeling very fortunate, and that luck turned up when I found a very shiny rock in the bushes. It shined like foil, but after inspecting it, I realized it was actually a rock.
Julia grew excited and asked me if she could have it for her rock collection. “Why not?” I had said. The glow in her eyes was convincing enough. I had no use for the rock anyway.
But here was my mistake: I wanted to show it to the top dog; in that point in time she was my “friend” and I wanted her to see how cool the rock was. I would realize later that she wasn’t a true friend, nor did she deserve that special place in my life.
I showed her the rock, and she was impressed. She asked to hold it for a while, and stupidly, I let her. She told me she’d give it back to me after recess was done. Yet another mistake; I was too trusting.
By the time recess was over, I had asked for the rock back. She looked at me dumbfounded and said that she didn’t know about any rock. She was lying straight in my face, but I had been too passive to argue with her. I simply let it go and told Julia the bad news. After seeing the look on her face, I felt immediate remorse. But what could I do as a small, gutless, elementary school student?
When I moved schools the next year, I had vowed never to let anyone treat me the way she did. Of course, I became less trusting, but now I could stand up for myself and others I cared about. I was tested along the way, and I have overcome most obstacles since.
I look back at my past, and I’m actually thankful for that experience. If it wasn’t for that one terrible girl, I wouldn’t have become the person I am today.