To Be Honest...

I'm an honest person, and when I see something that's not okay, I point it out -
is what I told my English teacher yesterday afternoon in the hallway as I stood up to him for grading me unfairly on my recent poetry project. His mouth formed a perfect O, and he knew I was in the right about the whole incident.

It's good to be honest. More people need to say what they think. Otherwise they might not get that promotion at work, or they might find themselves surrounded by people who annoy them. Honesty is the best policy. I stand by that.

I'm more than just an honest person, though. You ask me, "Who are you?" and I don't have an exact answer (I mean, does anyone?), but I can certainly tell you about myself. I can tell you that I love dogs, having blankets upon blankets on my bed, nature, traveling to new places, reading, hiking, and so many more things. I can tell you that I have two succulents, an unfinished crossword on my nightstand, I collect bookmarks, or even that I'm currently writing this little piece for a contest that closes today because I procrastinated.

As a little kid, I was very greedy. And I suppose in some aspects I still am. I liked having my own "things" and keeping all my possessions tucked away in my room, apart from everyone else. I still keep my things separate. I have always asked for a bite of everyone else's food at the table since I could talk. My mother was my mother, and I didn't like it when my sister was cuddling with her and I wasn't. Snuggling was and is my favorite. Even today, I love to be right next to my mom and having my own special things with her that nobody else shares with us (for example, "Gilmore Girls" is our show). And dancing in the kitchen with my dad is still one of my top-ten favorite moments.

I also wanted to be like the people around me. Before I could read, I would place all my stuffed animals in a circle surrounding me and pretend to read books to them. I didn't learn how to write until I was four, so I would scribble lines on paper and pretend I had written an award-winning essay. Before I had teeth, I pretended to chomp and eat the food my parents and older sister ate at dinner. I used to pretend to play chess, even though I had no idea what any of the pieces were. Now I read all the time, and I don't have to fake it by saying random vowels and consonants mushed together.

So I guess that in a way I changed as I grew up, because I learned how to do all these things. I don't try to be like other people, because I'm me, and I really like me. I'm completely honest about that.

charvermont

VT

19 years old

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