I walked into the halls of high school and saw a new beginning-- a new chance. But to my surprise, high school brought a part of me that I didn’t know existed. I was always known for giving good advice or being a good listener or always wearing my heart on my sleeve. But, all that changed. Now, it’s different.

When I walked through the doors of high school, I somehow changed. No, I wasn’t fake and no, I wasn’t changing my personality. I just turned the corner and ran into someone else. Someone new.

I became self-absorbed. Thought constantly about me: my grades or my hair or my skin or my clothes. And every day, inch by inch, I ripped off the best part of me: my compassion.

I’m not confident about a lot of things. I am never sure about anything I say, but one thing is for sure, I feel things other people don’t. I can feel for both sides of conflicting sides. I can see a real person behind what they show everyone else. I can feel the emotions that others feel…..or should I say, I could.

I was no longer the good listener or the good advice giver.  I was just a repeat of the girls in high school. I was lost in the endless list of imperfections  I saw in the mirror. I was lost in the well-being of me. I was lost in the crowd of people who were just like me. And without knowing, I was standing in a hall of mirrors.

And I see that now.