Power of Positivity

Another beautiful day in my small town with the autumn leaves dancing in the wind around me as I walk to school. The mountains surrounding my hometown are a beautiful mixture of colors reminding me just how amazing Mother Nature is. I lost myself in the tranquil feeling of the fall breeze and warm morning sunshine. I worked on clearing my mind of all negativity. The day is new so wipe away the day before. It’s not like today will be much different than any other day for me but I’ve come to deal with it. I have a better understanding now than when I first moved here.

The school grounds were as crowded and as loud as every other day. The school buses and parents dropping students off while students who drive chatted and laughed by their vehicles. I took a deep breath calming myself one more time before continuing my trek towards the front door. As I carefully walked up the front stone stairs I felt a small kind of soft item hit the side of my head. I turned to see a small group of three boys standing a few feet away with balled up pieces of paper in their hands. On the ground only a few inches from me was the small paper ball that had hit me.

“What are you looking at freak?” One of the boys shouted then roared with laughter. I just gave them a small smile mostly ignoring their immaturity. I’ve been here a few weeks now and I’ve learned that these people don’t take well to someone who looks different than them. I made my way into the building hearing a few more people refer to me as “freak” in some way. One girl grabbed her friend pulling her out of my way while saying “watch out don’t let it touch you.” Then the pair of girls chuckled to themselves.

I rounded the corner to the hall my locker was located in. My one and only friend stood in front of my locker with a fixed glare as she scrubbed harshly at the metal. “What are you doing?” I asked chuckling as I stop beside her. On my locker the word “freak” was in bright red letters. I sighed and smiled at myself as I gently pushed her away to get in my locker. She looked at me dumbfounded for a moment.

“How are you so okay with this? They are all so mean to you.” She spoke softly. I chuckled again as I grabbed the books I need for my first classes.

“What other people think of me doesn’t matter to me. None of them have taken the time to ask why I look like this. That alone tells me they don’t really care they just want something to make fun of. If I’m that something then go ahead. It doesn’t bother me at all.”

She smiled and wrapped her arm around mine as we walked to class together. It was nice having her around. I did enjoy having someone to talk to during the day. As the classes went on so did the name-calling and the occasional flying object that would hit me. I ignored them as usual letting my smile never fade from my face. There wasn’t a single thing they could do or say that would ever make me feel bad about myself.

“Alright class, I’m your new teacher Mr. Kit. I’d like to spend this first class together getting to know all of you. So I’m going to go around the room and ask all of you a random question.”

I watched and listened as the new teacher asked everyone different questions. He seemed to be asking a question that had to do with something the student wore or something he could visibly see. I had a good feeling about the question he was going to ask me.

“Alright next is” he paused to look down at his roster. “Hally Mitchell” he said with a smile glancing back up to the class. I raised my hand letting him know who I was. I watched him look me over for a second. He didn’t linger on my face like most people did. He smiled then asked, “Who is your favorite Marvel superhero?” I was slightly surprised by the question. It wasn’t at all what I thought he was going to ask. “Is that really the question you want to ask me?” I couldn’t help but question as I smiled locking my eyes with his.

He chuckled awkwardly then cleared his throat. “How did you get your scar?” He asked softly. I nodded knowing that’s what he really wanted to ask. “A car accident about 2 years ago. I was safely pulled out before the fire started but my little brother was still stuck inside so I ran to his side and worked on getting him free when the car caught fire. I was able to pull him out in time but the fire burned this side of my face.” I explained simply with a smile.

“The scar doesn’t seem to bother you.” Mr. Kit stated. “It doesn’t bother me. It reminds me every day that my little brother is still with me. It reminds me of what could have happened if I hadn’t done what I did. I’m proud of this scar that’s why nothing anyone says to me ever bothers me.” He nodded with a smile then moved on to the next student.

That felt good. It felt like a weight had lifted off my shoulders. No matter what negativity comes into my life I will always face it with a positive because the good always out weighs the bad. Facing every negative with a positive helps make each day easier. I will always be that person that keeps smiling even when they are in pain. I’ll always keep my head held high and keep pushing forward. Tomorrow is always a new day. With every new day brings a new possibility for something amazing. Keeping your mind in the positive makes it easier to handle tough situations and even bullies. It’s amazing the things you can achieve and do if you just believe in yourself.