LESSONS LEARNED FROM MIDDLE SCHOOL
Theodore Roosevelt once said, “Comparison is the thief of joy.” and I am just now starting to understand how true that statement really is. Last year, I had the best time of my life. Of course, I am only now realizing that it may have in fact been the happiest I ever was in my entire fourteen years of living. I am sad that I did not realize how special those moments were when I was in them, and I regret not being in those moments more
and enjoying it as much as I could. Instead, I often focused on the things that I wanted to change or wished were different. Fast forward to this present year: I’m at a new school, with new people, who are completely different from the people I’m used to being around. Anytime I might have a decent day that could be considered fun or enjoyable, I still find myself comparing it to all of the fun times I had last year. Then I remind myself how much more fun those past days were, and it tends to bring my mood down.
By comparing my past to my present, I’m literally making the same mistake all over again that I made last year in the first place –not living in the moment and enjoying what I have now. The crazy thing is that most of the people from last year that I had so much fun with are still in my life today. They didn’t move away or stop communicating with me, so they’re not completely gone, which is something I’m grateful for. That is when my heart feels full again, when I realize that not only do I still have those special friends from my past that I shared great moments with, but I now have new friends in my present to add even more joy and opportunities for fun in my life. It is when I stop comparing what is behind me to what is beside me or in front of me, that I am able to appreciate every experience and see them all as blessings.
I’m learning to be grateful for the things I have now and have had in the past and to look forward to what will additionally be added to my life in the future. The truth is that still I miss some of the fun moments that I’ve experienced in the past, and I am so thankful for such great memories that still connect me to those people that matter. However, I’ve found several cool people who I can get through this year with, even though the change is still something that I need to get used to. I often find myself thinking “the way they dress is so different from me and my past friends. Their sense of humor is not the same as mine. None of them act the way I’m used to. They don’t listen to the same music, etc.” Then I realized that all of those things can actually be good things. Instead of comparing things to how it used to be, I can change my perception and the way that I think about them.
I started seeing that people admired me because my differences made me cool at this new school, and instead of me trying to fit in with others around me, I am easily allowed to be myself and it attracts people to me effortlessly. I don’t have to compare or complain about the differences. I can be the one to introduce them to what I’m used to, and we can all make new memories together. Now, when I make jokes around my new friends, I use my humor to connect with them, and they think it’s so funny because it’s not like the humor they are used to. I started to notice that they have started making jokes similar to mine now, and I start to laugh too because they are using my humor. The life lesson here: Make the best out of what you have now; acknowledge it when it is happening, and stop comparing your present to your past so that you can enjoy the moment you are in and not constantly be living in a state of regret. After all, you can’t drive forward by looking in your rearview mirror.