Hayden Resch: A Little Change
Growing up has taught me to embrace change and all the imperfections that come with it
In Elementary school I was never the social type, always keeping to myself and drawing on my homework assignments instead of doing them. I had a few friends and we had fun together, but I rarely talked to anyone else. I always had a fear of embarrassing myself, and I’m not afraid to say I was a crybaby; the smallest comment about how I acted, what I ate or wearing always managed to get twisted in my mind and be taken as an insult.
Eventually I decided to make a change. I took the opportunity in middle school to try and socialize. I started talking to people I normally wouldn’t, and I had some fun doing so. Over time, I found some people who enjoyed my company. Since then, though I still tended to be anti-social, I was no longer afraid when I was called upon by the teacher or if another student tried to talk to me.
Because of my friends, middle school was always a soft spot in my memories; however another problem would arise at the end of my eighth grade year. We were going into high school and most of my friends were going to De Soto High School, so I reverted to my grade school behavior. I was back to not talking to anyone except for the few friends I had. My social skills began to rust as well as my confidence. Overall I was a mess at the start of high school.
I believe it was that same mess that motivated me to change again, I was tired of being lonely so I made some friends. One friend in particular was a great influence in my life; he was easy to talk to and empathized with me. He got me through the hardest parts of my life, and I couldn’t have done it all without his help.
I believe that pain is necessary for change. We tend to view change as a new hill to conquer, or a new challenge to arise; however that is not what it is at all. It is natural to be afraid of change, it is our nature. Change we all are going to inevitably face is moving on after high school. It will hurt to break away from
my friends and family to pursue what I want to do, but I now know that I’ll be okay because I am choosing to face my fears to better myself and my peers.