41 comments

Teens & Young Adult Coming of Age Inspirational

New year, a time of resolutions and diaries. We all do write our dreams, enroll in fitness activities, make promises, make plans, and take loans. We dream and shouldn’t we. Dreams do make the passion within us, but Jessica had some other plan going on. She was an activist, an environmentalist, and a liberalist. She may not be good in academics or a good athlete, but her compassion was applauded by the great leaders. The year 2020 had greatly impacted her mindset, and now her resolution was the new beacon of light to her fellow environmentalists.

Her new agenda “Free earth from Plastic” had gained a lot of support online, but the offline situation was not impactful. She wanted a change that would accelerate her hope.

Now, she was waiting for her boyfriend in their favorite coffee shop. Jay was her backbone, her friend, and her mitochondria of ideas. She heard the bell chime and sensed that Jay has arrived.

He took a seat beside her. Jay has sprayed mild dewy cologne and wore a baby pink sweatshirt. His blue-grey eyes always perplexed me, and his smile intoxicated my senses, but right now the problem was bigger than my desires.

“So, babe what's today's agenda?”

“You know the online petition, right? It has been gaining a lot of support and followers,” I say with dismay in my tone.

“That’s good news isn’t it?” He knew what I was withholding inside me.

 “I don’t think people are serious. It is just trending into a hashtag. Nor, it is making any effect or impact on people's mindset.”

“Babe, we need to give time to people. Nothing is going to change in one night. Rome was not built in a day, remember?” He was right, but I was not wrong either.

“Our oceans are already filled with plastic, there a continent of waste in the oceans. Covid has accelerated pollution more. 11 tonnes of masks is going to get dumped in the seas. We do have less time.”

“You are just overthinking Jess. Have patience because it's all we have with us.” I was not happy with his response. I was kinda irritated by him, by the people. Why was no one seeing the oncoming problem?

Two Weeks Later

I made two rallies, wrote a petition to the governor, contacted the WHO organization, and sent long threads of tweets to Greta Thunberg. The rallies were good and Greta showed her support, but the government did not respond.

While Jay was working on his online posters and awareness. His page amassed a whopping 100k followers in a week. He was gaining popularity, and his ideas were trending on every social media page.

Our journeys and drastic thinking mentality created a rift between us.

A Month Later

We decided to meet each other in the café. My rallies were giving good results and the government was under the pressure due to it. The light of hope was shining above me.

I heard the creak of the chair beside me, which disrupted my flow of thoughts. He was wearing a white collared shirt and has put on a strong wavy scent. His face glowed with satisfaction and has his usual blinding smile.

This time I decide to start the conversation.

“I saw your online pledge. I am proud of you.” He smiled at my compliment and my heart skipped a beat.

We had our conversations which were filled with ideas and laughter. I missed him and could not accept the distance between us. I trusted my decision and had to stick with my mindset.

2 months later

Our petition got confirmed by the governor. We were applauded by the leaders, as well as by the environmentalists. Now, we decided on a nationwide approach and law for plastic. We represented the idea of fining and banning the use of plastic. I know the journey is long, but we are not going to stop. Daily we get appreciation and support from other countries.

Jay’s online awareness received a drop. People were just using the name of the environment and climate change for their publicity and popularity. I believe in him and I know that he will change the situation for the good.

I miss him, but it's better if we give each other the space that we need.

6 months later

Our national wide approach is accepted by a few states, and some have already implemented it. We are like the tortoise in the Rabbit and Tortoise story. Slow and steady with our approach. It's tough to make people understand the value and necessity of the movement. We sometimes do get negative criticism and sometimes we are called fraud. I don’t care, as far as I see the changes that are needed for mother earth.

Whereas, Jay's online awareness has turned out as the internet revolution. His Friday for Future is gaining vast support. A few days ago, he had a live session on Instagram regarding plastic usage with a renowned celebrity. His articles have started to enter the print media. Now people are taking the initiative forward themselves.

I want to appreciate him and talk to him about his success. Nowadays, he's so busy that I don’t think he does have time for anything else.

Right now, I'm wrapping a gift for his birthday. I know he will be delighted after receiving it.

New Years Eve

My approach has been widely accepted over all the country. Today, in the morning I received a call from my fellow activist that our approach has been appreciated worldwide, and some other countries are thinking to implement it. I was glad and happy because I have been waiting for this day since the start of my resolve, since the start of my campaign.

Jay's online awareness. has created a new mindset of people, who have been working as well as spreading awareness. His reuse of the plastic has been widely accepted and applauded. The great thing about his project is that he carried out all the awareness, and pledges just by sitting from home. He spread this positive approach through a 16 X 4-inch phone. His ideas and approach were much applauded and appreciated. While stepping into the new year, I just want him by my side.

Our different ideologies have created an unseen space between us. We both were right in our places, but our ideas were not ready to be together. In this all space, I found that it's ok to have a different mindset, it's ok to have different ideologies.

Today we both have achieved what we wanted, through different paths. We created impacts on people's lives by rallies and reels. We showed the truth through pledges and laws. No matter what our paths were, we achieved the goal through different strategies. I hear a rustle beside me.

I see Luke standing behind me, he has a smile on his face which did not match the tears in his eyes.

“What happened, Luke is everything alright?” I want to know the reason for his unexpected behavior.

He gathered his emotions and spoke in a calm tone.

“You have been nominated for the best environmentalist award of the earth, and you are going to be honored by the state for your work.”

I could not control my emotions. My voice choked, and a sudden emotion took over my mind.

Luke pats me on the shoulder and whispers something in my ears. I turn to see Jay with a bouquet of roses and a gift in his hands.

My emotions were rushing through my nerves, and my heartbeats were racing against each breath. He comes and hugs me and gives me a light kiss on the lips.

“Congrats, babe you deserve it.” His soft voice calms my senses.

So, at the end of the year, I do get what I wanted. My resolve and my love.

January 05, 2021 18:12

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41 comments

Raquel Rodriguez
15:34 Jan 06, 2021

This is good! I can see the grammar improving, and the only mistakes I found were: 1.) 'We all do write our dreams, enroll in fitness activities, make promises, make plans, and take loans.' ~ You can remove 'do' because it isn't needed and the sentence makes more sense without it. 2.) 'We dream and shouldn’t we.' ~ Either add a question mark at the end, add 'why' in front of 'shouldn't,' and add a comma after 'dream... or switch the words 'shouldn't' and 'we.' These are pretty minor mistakes, so great job besides this and I can see th...

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Radhika Diksha
15:43 Jan 06, 2021

It's all because of your support and help. I felt nice that you did notice the changes.

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Raquel Rodriguez
15:47 Jan 06, 2021

:) It's no problem, I like helping people, so anytime!

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I really enjoyed this story Radhika! I think that the idea behind it was great! Loved the idea that your story included a nice theme for the New Year. Saving the Earth is always an important thing which all humans need to learn, so your story really did have a nice meaning to it. It was just absolutely beautiful and I liked that Jessica was very involved in this activism type of field. I really like her as a character. Just some things which I thought were a bit confusing in the story: 1. You started this story (like the first two paragr...

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Radhika Diksha
02:00 Jan 08, 2021

Thank you, Hari. Your feedback is valuable. Coming to your points. 1. I have introduced Jess my character at the beginning. In the 3rd para, I have written that she was waiting for Jay in a cafe. The first two paras were to give you slight light on the theme of the story. 2. I will keep this point in my mind in the upcoming stories for sure. 3. Luke was just a small character. My main characters were Jess and Jay. Luke was for a change. Because the prompt itself says about two characters taking different steps for one resolve. I actually do...

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Your welcome Radhika! I'm glad I could help you!

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Radhika Diksha
02:05 Jan 08, 2021

Ya, if you have time read my first story. It was full of mistakes and errors. With the feedback of other people, I have been improving day by day. With each story. So your feedback matters at the end of the day.

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Yes I will definitely read your first story when I get the chance, and your welcome Radhika. I am glad to give critiques to help people improve! :)

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Nainika Gupta
17:16 Jan 06, 2021

a really cool environmental plea that you sculpted into a story. Really love this, as this touches a soft spot in my heart for proactivists!! great job and happy writing :D

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Radhika Diksha
17:19 Jan 06, 2021

Thanks for the feedback. Looking forward to your stories.

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Nainika Gupta
17:21 Jan 06, 2021

Yeah! No problem :D

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Lilah Blackburn
05:40 Jan 09, 2021

I’ve read a couple of your other story’s and this by far is the best. I could only see a couple errors but overall amazing. I loved the overall theme about the New Year.

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Yolanda Wu
05:39 Jan 07, 2021

I love this story, Radhika! Such a great way to make people more environmentally aware. You introduced Jessica really well in the beginning, which definitely made me and excited to read more about her. I like how the story is spread over so many months, which just shows how much effort she was putting in to achieve her goal, love that she finally did in the end. There's just a tiny issue with tense in this story, because you keep switching between present and past. Don't worry, I used to do this all the time, I still do it now to be honest...

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Radhika Diksha
13:59 Jan 07, 2021

I would like to thank you very much for the feedback you have given to all my stories. Your honest opinions have made me improve and inspired me to write more. Sure I will check out your story as soon as possible.

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Kylie Wallis
00:38 Jan 12, 2021

I like the idea of drawing attention to the state of our planet and what should be done to preserve what's left of it. I only got a little confused when you switched from she to I.

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Radhika Diksha
02:28 Jan 12, 2021

Thanks for the feedback. I will keep your point in my mind.

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Orenda .
19:43 Jan 08, 2021

hello Radhika, albeit a little late, I'm finally here :-) what do I even say? You've improved immensely. Your grammar... is amazing. Your style is nigh impeccable. With further polishing, you're good to go. Dafuq! I'm sooo impressed. now onto the story, it's a pretty good concept. Spreading awareness about the ongoing problems through writing/art is so important. I'd love to point out some errors: We all do write our dreams, enroll in fitness activities, --> omit do. Dreams do make the passion within us, but Jessica had some other ...

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Radhika Diksha
03:56 Jan 09, 2021

Thanks, Master. You have really given me valuable feedback. I have got a lot of confidence in myself. So, I am going to start to write a book. It's been a dream of mine for ages. Hope to entertain you further with my stories.

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Orenda .
05:21 Jan 09, 2021

happy to help, disciple. I'm so happy Reedsy or writing in general has instilled that confidence in you. Good for you! that's amazing! I had a novel that I ditched for good. But I'll get back to it when I have time. ah, alright. Good luck! :")

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Maya W.
20:22 Jan 06, 2021

Hello Radhika! I enjoyed this. There were a few grammar errors in there, but nothing to major. I thought that the dialogue would do better broken up, too. For example, you could turn “You know the online petition, right? It has been gaining a lot of support and followers,” I say with dismay in my tone," to "You know the online petition, right?" I started, dismay in my tone. "It's been gaining a lot of followers." That could improve your dialogue and make it a bit more realistic in a few places. Otherwise, great work! I really enjoyed your ...

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Radhika Diksha
02:44 Jan 07, 2021

Thanks for the feedback. Actually, I'm learning to screenwrite, hence the dialogues come in that way. But I will keep the point in my mind, I will sure check out your stories.

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Maya W.
02:46 Jan 07, 2021

Oh, I've never tried screenwriting before! That's so cool! And I look forward to reading your feedback!

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Radhika Diksha
02:47 Jan 07, 2021

Right now I am checking out your website then I will hope for your stories.

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Maya W.
02:48 Jan 07, 2021

My website?

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Radhika Diksha
02:51 Jan 07, 2021

Your esty and fan page. By the way, I loved jewelry.

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Radhika Diksha
18:08 Jan 06, 2021

Hi, how are you?

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Radhika Diksha
18:35 Jan 06, 2021

even I am fine. What else you are doing in your life?

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Radhika Diksha
18:35 Jan 06, 2021

any series or books on your list?

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Deleted Account
17:52 Jan 06, 2021

Like Raquel mentioned, slight grammar issues, but a beautiful storyline! Congrats on a great story!

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Radhika Diksha
18:08 Jan 06, 2021

Thank you very much.

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Deleted Account
18:36 Jan 06, 2021

No problem!😁

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Mira Caplan
20:04 Jan 07, 2021

Hi! I just got a chance to read this, and love the concept. As other shave said, there were minor grammatical errors, but the story overall was beautiful.

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00:28 Jan 07, 2021

This was really good!! You were able to work in a message and spread awareness while still keeping it interesting for the readers. The relationship struggles that Jay and Jessica went through, shows that they are real people, so very good on that! The beginning in third person was a good introduction to grab the reader's attention. You could almost call it abstract. Overall this was an amazing and really interesting story!! Nice job!!

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Radhika Diksha
02:45 Jan 07, 2021

Thanks, Luna for the feedback.

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02:53 Jan 07, 2021

Of course! It was a really great read!!

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Radhika Diksha
03:04 Jan 07, 2021

Looking forward to your stories.

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03:10 Jan 07, 2021

Thanks!

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