"I Am. . .So Much More Than You See!"

This weekend a year ago, I embarked on a journey that was scary and exciting. I moved into my apartment and started the process to live completely independently. Over the last year, I have learned so much about myself and the world around me and I am so thankful for where I am today and for the people that helped me get there. My biggest takeaways from this last year: 1. The best things in life take patience to find and hard work to get. It took me almost a year to find a job but I found a job where I feel more accepted than I have ever felt before.  2. Not every person is going to be kind and accepting of your differences but that's okay because with education you may be able to change this person's outlook on people who are different. I learned this lesson as I was looking for a job and it was not an easy lesson to learn but this is why I started my blog. 3. Family and friends are and should be the most important people in your life. My family and friends have b...

Imagine attending school for the first time as a middle schooler. Now imagine that your face looks different from everybody else's on this first day of school. How would you feel? Add in the name calling, staring and outright bullying and I think you can imagine your worst nightmare. This is what Auggie experiences as the protagonist in the book/movie "Wonder." While most of the kids were initially mean to him, there were a few that were kind and this is how he ended up surviving the year. I strongly believe that this book should be required reading for all middle school students because it teaches so many important lessons. Thankfully, I did not experience much bullying during my years in school but I do remember middle school being a time where I had difficulty making friends and did not find a solid friend group until eighth grade. One of my friends since I was in elementary school decided to stop talking to me one day in middle school. This was extremely hurtful b...