me

It was ninth grade when I learned more about my true nature. As a child going through school I was always the one being picked on, and I always let people push me around. The harassment got very old especially, because I did nothing about it. One day during my freshman year in the Hermantown High School lunch line, I finally stood up for myself.

I was a child who just wanted to be accepted for who I was. In elementary school I could not do anything right; everything I did I got made fun of for. I had no true friends; people would pretend to be my friend for a short time until they got what they wanted from me. This is something I did not really realize until I got older but now, when I look back that is what I know was happening.

It was the beginning of a bad week and I was very tired, hungry and having a bad day. I was standing in line waiting for my turn to get my food. All of a sudden Adrian one of the big football players, who always made fun of me, came and walked right in front of me and stood there in line. I looked at him in dismay and then words just came flying out of my mouth. “Get to the back of the line” I yelled. Then I continued screaming and yelling at him. Then this glazed look came over his eyes as he looked at me, and I could tell he was thinking, “Did that really just come out of your mouth?” The focus of the whole lunch room had shifted, and I could feel my face become the color of an apple. No one in the room could believe what I had just done including myself.

After yelling at Adrian I felt much better about my self, and from that day forward I did not and do not let people push me around. I also changed the focus of my life, from trying to please everyone else to, first trying better myself and then trying to please everyone else second.

Since this incident, Adrian, has always treated me with respect, and stood up for me. For example, if any one including Adrian’s friends tried to cut in front of me while Adrian was there, Adrian would say “ I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” and Adrian always said “hi” and smiled at me in the hall.

I have learned many things since my high school years. One being if you don’t stick up for yourself you won’t ever get the respect you deserve, people will always push you around if they know they can. I have also learned that my true nature is not to let people push me around but to sick up for myself and what I believe in. Being my self has made a lot of people like me less but I have also learned who my true friends are and always will be.