Animal experience that had a lasting impact on me
A few years ago I adopted my cat, TJ. The shelter TJ was previously at treated him
horribly. He was abused, and if he wasn’t adopted the day that I was there, they would
have to put him and his sisters down. Convincing my mother to take in another cat (we
had Garfield at this time) was not an easy process, but eventually she said yes and we
adopted him. TJ and I have always had a special bond that I have never had with an
animal before. Due to being abused at his previous shelter, he’s extremely skittish and
doesn’t trust anyone. If you raise your hand to pet him he sometimes thinks that you’re
going to hit him. But for some reason, he always trusted me. He follows me everywhere
and is scared to death if he can’t find me. He has severe separation anxiety when it comes
to me, to the point that he vomits from stress, and if I’m at a sleepover or something he’ll
sit outside my bedroom door and cry for hours (according to my mother). Through this
trust he has with me, I’ve been able to work with him on opening him up to new people.
He still needs to be around me, but he has gotten a lot better with letting others touch him
or play with him, and I’m really proud of him for that.
Childhood object that has meaning to me
When I was born, my brother Kyle bought a small stuffed leopard for me that he named
“Tony.” When I was a child I carried it everywhere with me, and I was never able to
sleep without it. Buying it was Kyle’s way of showing me that he was okay with having
another sibling (which my parents thought he wouldn’t be), and that he loved me. We
have another brother, but he is much older than both of us so Kyle never grew up in the
same house as him. So while he had another brother, it was almost like Kyle was an only
child at the time. But he handled my birth very well, and everyday we grew closer. As
much as he drives me insane, he’s also one of the best friends I’ve ever had, and he’s
always been there for me. I keep Tony in my memory box now because it’s very
important to me, mainly because of who gave it me in the first place. I’ve gotten rid of
most of my stuffed animals because they lost meaning to me, but I will always keep Tony
because he’s a reminder of the bond I have with my brother, and how much he cares
about me.
A time I was the victim of some sort of prejudice
It doesn’t really happen anymore, but I used to experience a lot of hate and discrimination
for my sexuality and beliefs. It got to the point that I started lying about who I was and
what I believed in because I was so scared of what people might say or think. There were
several students who used to call me different slurs, and told me that I was going to hell
simply for being who I am. I hate to say that I was scared, but I was. These experiences
messed with my head a lot, and I used to blame myself for anything people disagreed
with. Instead of realizing that these bullies were at fault, I told myself that I was wrong
and that I should be ashamed of myself. Thankfully, through surrounding myself with
healthier people and talking to adults about my situation, I no longer feel that way. I still
experience hate like this, but now I do not focus on it as much as I did. I’m more
comfortable with myself than I was before, and I can finally start to focus less on what
people think of me. I just want to be happy, and live my life to the fullest.
Childhood friend
When I was younger, Anah was one of the best friends I have ever had. We went
everywhere together, and she was always there for me. I think we met in 4th or 5th grade
or so, but it has been so long that I’m not really sure. I remember that we bonded over
how much the two of us loved horses and dogs, and I used to go to her house a lot to see
her German Shepherd. We sat at lunch together everyday, and I remember that she was
always able to make me laugh. In the 5th grade she moved away, and because neither of
us had phones at the time we lost contact. I used to miss her a lot, and sometimes I still
do. I’m really not even sure that we’d still be friends if we met up again. I’ve changed a
lot since the last time we saw each other, and I’m sure she has too. But I have no doubt
that she’s still the same kind hearted person that I knew back then. Anah was someone
that had a large impact on my life, because she is one of the people that shaped me into
the person I am today. I know that I won’t forget her, even though I’ll probably never see
her again.
A time my family was proud of me
My mom has told me multiple times this year how proud she is of me for how much I
have accomplished this year. I made many personal accomplishments at home, I joined
choir and flags, and I tried out for the musical. A lot of this was extremely difficult for
me to do because I get freaked out with social situations and with putting myself out
there, but my mom never stopped supporting me no matter what. Anytime I doubted
myself, she was there to push me forward. I am so thankful for that, and how kind she
was. It made putting myself out of my comfort zone so much easier, and it really made
me feel loved and supported. And through her push, I was able to experience all of these
wonderful things that I now love. I love flags and choir so much, and a year ago I never
would have been able to try and be apart of it. It is because of her support and pride that I
was able to get as far as I have, and it is also why I am going to keep trying to get out of
my comfort zone. The look on her face when she said she was proud of me is something
that I never want to forget, and something I want to try and see more often.
Favorite Christmas meal
I think it was during Christmas in 2018, and I had this amazing vegan turkey with
stuffing in the inside. It was surprisingly good, because most of the meat substitutes I
have do not taste that fantastic. I also had some vegan mashed potatoes and stuffing. My
mom made it for me before we went to my grandparent’s house, and then we microwaved
it when we got there. My grandma does not want to make an extra meal just for me, so
we always have to prepare something before we go so I can actually eat. I usually do not
have anything like a “Christmas meal,” but my mom went looking at Hyvee and found
that vegan roast for me, which I am very thankful for. Afterwards my grandma made a
pumpkin pie, mainly for my grandpa because he is obsessed with pie, and then we
watched Christmas Vacation and A Christmas Story.