I believe in taking parts of my past to the future

In 6th grade, my friends were as comfortable with me as I was in my favorite pair of jeans. They never had one complaint about me. The most complicated decisions I had to make were ones like, who I should invite to my party, and which person I should choose to be my partner for the upcoming talent show. These choices had little impact on how I would later be perceived. The condition of my jeans at the beginning of the year to the end of the year was pretty much the same, as I could spot no permanent damage.

But then 7th grade hit, and the pressure got to my jeans just as much as it got to me. New decisions had to be made that I wasn’t used to making. My best friend trusted me with the fact that she was at a party that both her friends and her parents had told her not to go to. She emphatically told me not to tell anyone, but somehow that didn’t register in my mind. I told a mutual friend about it, shattering her trust in me. This choice carried a much heavier weight than the ones in 6th grade. By the end of the year, there were huge rips and stains in my jeans that I couldn’t possibly cover up without everyone noticing.

A few weeks into summer, I glanced in the mirror at my jeans, and at myself, and I realized I didn’t like how we looked. I wanted to be a new person, and I wanted a new pair of pants. But figured out that an entirely new me would fall apart without those torn jeans. So instead of starting over, I worked with what I already had. I used the strongest parts of who I was – my love for music, my knack for math, and my ability to problem solve – as the thread to hold together the patches that would turn the tears into something beautiful.

8th grade came along and the first day I wore those jeans with confidence and pride. Whenever a difficult situation appeared, I managed to stay calm and do what was right. If I skipped a day of homework, instead of avoiding the consequences, I would take all the extra credit opportunities to help make it up. Little tears showed up here and there, but they were nothing a bright new patch couldn’t fix.

I believe in taking parts of my past to the future. My 7th grade experience gave me a strong foundation that can handle the stress of everyday life. A scraggly pair of jeans became the base for a beautiful pair of pants that attract people with all interests. Imperfections and repairs make me who I am. I wouldn’t want it any other way.