A treat...

I enjoy writing.

It enables me to get out my thoughts and also to try and help others. I am very lucky to be surrounded by a bunch of talented youth who possess the ability to write and inspire as well. I am going to start featuring their writings in between the ones written by me so that all of you may draw from their experiences. This first one is by a girl named Sammy and she is very gifted in her delivery as well as in her ability to paint a picture with words. Enjoy.


Growing Up

"There is nothing like returning to a place that remains unchanged to find the ways in which you yourself have altered" ~ Nelson Mandela

I walked into my middle school the other day and took a deep breath. The scent of the halls was familiar and strangely comforting. As I pulled my hand through my wind-blown hair, I walked into the newly arranged cafeteria. Other than the disappearance of a few tables, it hadn't changed at all. My sneakers squeaked beneath me; they were getting annoying. Everything seemed ..... little. The lockers, the length of the hallways....everything. The banners, signs, and bulletin boards all seemed so juvenile. My annoying sneakers teased me for returning back to my old school as I walked down the hallway towards my favorite science teacher's classroom. I walked through the door, and he glanced up from his computer. He looked for a second, assessing me as if he was confused, and then the same old grin appeared. "Sammy!" he said as he untucked his freakishly long legs from under the computer desk. Nope, he hadn't changed. Still the same funny guy that loved to listen to me talk. Before leaving his room, he gave me a hug and smiled, saying, "You certainly have changed".

It's an amazing feeling, because you get a new understanding for yourself beyond just the obvious physical changes you've gone through (which includes several hair color changes for me). You get those memories of good (and bad) past times and feelings. You get to thinking about how you viewed certain things, and how you think about them now. All in all, you really get to see yourself through the looking glass.

Don't be afraid to go back. Going back is the best way to understand how you got where you are.

Sammy