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Well, summer vacation is finally here, bringing hot sunshine, flip flops, and tank tops with it. It also has brought the end of my freshman year of high school. Right now, I am sitting in front of my computer, thinking back about the whole school year when a thought pops into my unprepared mind. Whoa! I've changed so much this school year!
Back in eighth grade, I used to be only concerned with popularity. I thought that being popular was everything and that if you were popular, everyone would love you. I also thought that the only people you should hang out with were the "popular kids". Thankfully, I know better now. In the first few weeks of high school, though, I tried to fit into the popular group. My old so-called "friends," who were popular back in eighth grade, fit right in. I, however, felt very out of place. Then, a thought hit me with a force as strong as a baseball. What in the world am I doing? These people don't really care about me. Why am I fooling myself? I was just acting fake.
I started to do the things I have wanted to do all my life but couldn't. I began to listen to the music I wanted to listen to, which happened to be screamo, pop punk, and alternative rock. Those music genres were considered uncool back at my junior high school. The only genres you could listen to without being made fun of were hip-hop and rap, both of which I was not really a big fan of. I also stopped limiting my shopping to only name-brand stores like Abercrombie and Hollister. I began to start shopping at other stores and shops, one of which was Hot Topic, a store I wouldn't have dared step foot in last year. I have also played for my school's ice hockey team, something my old friends told me I would never be able to do because of my petite body.
Throughout the year, I have slowly transformed myself from being someone I'm not to someone that is one hundred and ten percent Cali (me). My whole attitude on my life has changed. I am no longer worrying about what other people are thinking about me. Now, I have a "this is me, take it or leave it" attitude. If someone doesn't like me for whatever reason, then I don't care. They don't have to associate themselves with me.
I have also found that I am just a nicer, friendlier person in general now. I now have friends in all groups and cliques at my school. I have fewer boundaries and a more optimistic look in life. It still blows me away to think that all these changes happened within one school year. If my freshman year was this good, then I can only imagine that my sophomore year is going to be even better! Who knows? Maybe, I'll find out more about myself. People are always saying that high school is a time of self-discovery, where you find out your true identity. I strongly believe this. It has taken me fifteen long years, but I have finally found myself. Have you?
This is lovely432, going to soak up some summer sun.
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