“NO BUMPS!” Way back in the day when I was in grammar school, the fashionable hairstyle—or so we thought—was a slicked back ponytail with absolutely, positively no bumps. Those grammar school mornings were always a struggle; it was as if we had a mini soap opera taking place in our very own bathroom. There was constant drama; failed attempts, yelling, maybe crying, and finally a satisfactory slicked ponytail was achieved. Unfortunately, not every morning resulted with a positive outcome; there were times when I would just have to survive being “the girl with the bad hair.” Eventually, my mother grew weary of striving for my approval, so one fateful day she handed the brush over to me in frustration and said, “Why don’t you just do it yourself?” I couldn’t believe it. I was expected to do this myself? I thought my, oh so important, grammar school reputation was to be permanently ruined. This might seem like a trivial event, and I must admit, looking back on it, it is, but it happens to reflect my attitude to this day – but not the stubbornness, thankfully that went away with maturity.
I am an admitted perfectionist; I do things to the best of my ability whether it is a hairstyle, a project, or my grades. Yet, when I am faced with an obstacle, perfection might not always be achieved. This was a very difficult lesson for me to learn as a child, but it has helped me to grow into the person that I am. When I was cruelly forced to fix my own hair, the results were not too pretty, but I amazingly survived the day at school and realized that self satisfaction is more important than concerning oneself with the satisfaction of others. Everything I involve myself in, I commit wholeheartedly to. I will not be the best at everything, but I will do my best at everything.
A hairstyle with no bumps is very symbolic of my life in grammar school—smooth, no true struggle. As a kid, the greatest drama at my school involved whether or not a boy talked to you – I know, real earth-shattering stuff. As the years went by, styles changed, thankfully. More bumpy and messy styles were typical in high school, symbolic of the issues one faces at this time in their life. I’ve had to learn to deal with more complex problems like how to manage my time wisely, how to juggle school and cheerleading, how to remain loyal to my friends and family, and how to remain loyal to myself. Unfortunately, at the end of my sophomore year right before exams, I was handed the brush again. My grandmother died and I thought my world was falling apart. I was again faced with a situation I thought was too difficult to overcome. I loved this woman more than anything and it would have been all too easy to give up and just settle. Yet, I managed once more to survive and continue on as best as I could. Although high school was a “bumpier” road, I remain proud of myself knowing I did everything to the best of my ability.
Through all of my flaws and mistakes, I have no true regrets because I have never given up. As I look back on my life thus far, I stand behind all that I have done, knowing that it was all I could do.