Suddenly Susan
I wrote this sophmore year for Enriched Written as an autobiography to put on the websites we made.. serenity.4fate.net if you want to see the entire thing. I think this is cute and brutally honest:
I was always the sweet one—sweet, innocent, shy Susan. Perhaps that was because of my ideals, my family, my morals, my attitude, and my relationships with others.
You forgot your pencil? Susan has one to lend you. You had a rough day and need someone to talk to? Susan will listen. You don't understand how to do that homework problem? Susan will explain it to you or she will find out how to do it.
All of that sounds nice, huh? It was nice, but there was a problem. As I grew older I realized that people easily take advantage of kindness. All of a sudden—I saw that I was being used. You forgot your pencil? Susan will give you her only one and try to find another. No priority was given to myself—everyone always came before me.
I was made to fit an image. I was the token "nice girl." I dressed like my friends, shopped at the stores they did, giggled about the same boys, and even had the same brand of pretzels they did. Doing anything out of the ordinary was frowned upon and not an option.
At the beginning of eighth grade, a change was needed. Most of that year was spent being sick and I slowly withdrew from my circle of friends. During freshman year I made new friends, tried new activities, and became more open-minded. Yet looking back, despite all of these new experiences, I still looked down upon people who weren't "normal."
But then everything changed.
Look at me now—almost entirely different. My outlook on life changed drastically in the last two years. No longer do I care what people think about me--it simply isn't worth it. I have been there, done that. Acting a certain way to please others cannot lead to true happiness. Dressing the way I feel, laughing at what I find funny, and pursuing my own interests has led me to find a greater sense of self and contentment. A "happy shield" surrounds me and it is extremely difficult to penetrate. I try to bring out the best in people and show them that sometimes you have to let everything go in order to move on and grow. My passion is volunteering in hopes that I will make other's lives even a little bit better. The organizations I'm involved in range from Environmental Club to Literary Magazine, from Amnesty International to a 4-H Club. I have played the viola since elementary school and love the feeling of making music. I write happy lists, finger paint, and sing every time I feel like it. This is what I have become, who I am, and I wouldn't trade it for the world. An extra pencil will always be in my purse—in case you ever need it.
I was always the sweet one—sweet, innocent, shy Susan. Perhaps that was because of my ideals, my family, my morals, my attitude, and my relationships with others.
You forgot your pencil? Susan has one to lend you. You had a rough day and need someone to talk to? Susan will listen. You don't understand how to do that homework problem? Susan will explain it to you or she will find out how to do it.
All of that sounds nice, huh? It was nice, but there was a problem. As I grew older I realized that people easily take advantage of kindness. All of a sudden—I saw that I was being used. You forgot your pencil? Susan will give you her only one and try to find another. No priority was given to myself—everyone always came before me.
I was made to fit an image. I was the token "nice girl." I dressed like my friends, shopped at the stores they did, giggled about the same boys, and even had the same brand of pretzels they did. Doing anything out of the ordinary was frowned upon and not an option.
At the beginning of eighth grade, a change was needed. Most of that year was spent being sick and I slowly withdrew from my circle of friends. During freshman year I made new friends, tried new activities, and became more open-minded. Yet looking back, despite all of these new experiences, I still looked down upon people who weren't "normal."
But then everything changed.
Look at me now—almost entirely different. My outlook on life changed drastically in the last two years. No longer do I care what people think about me--it simply isn't worth it. I have been there, done that. Acting a certain way to please others cannot lead to true happiness. Dressing the way I feel, laughing at what I find funny, and pursuing my own interests has led me to find a greater sense of self and contentment. A "happy shield" surrounds me and it is extremely difficult to penetrate. I try to bring out the best in people and show them that sometimes you have to let everything go in order to move on and grow. My passion is volunteering in hopes that I will make other's lives even a little bit better. The organizations I'm involved in range from Environmental Club to Literary Magazine, from Amnesty International to a 4-H Club. I have played the viola since elementary school and love the feeling of making music. I write happy lists, finger paint, and sing every time I feel like it. This is what I have become, who I am, and I wouldn't trade it for the world. An extra pencil will always be in my purse—in case you ever need it.
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home