Although it seems brutal sometimes, there is no trial in life that does not teach you a lesson. Time goes slowly and superhuman fast all at once, but it is important to stop and smell the roses while you can. As my twenty years have quickly passed me by, I think of a time where I thought high school would never go by fast enough. Now, that time is gone and I’ve found myself in a period of transformation. I’ve learned a plethora of things in this life and I know that I will learn more, but some things always stick with you more.

As a member of an extremely big and blended family, I’ve come to realize how little blood relation truly matters. My parents were divorced when I was only three years old and both remarried only a few years after. This shift gave me five new siblings and two new parental figures, and I can safely say I love them all as much as the others. 

Like with every family there comes turbulence and struggles and I have seen no shortage of them in the short fourteen years my family has grown, but they have each shown their love by perseverance and dignity. 

The formative years of my life have been spent with parents, step-parents, and step-siblings alike. Each of them have impacted me in unimaginable ways and have proven to be my family regardless of the lack of shared DNA between us. Family can be found anywhere and everywhere in this world. 

I have been fortunate enough to be spoiled with affection and love throughout my life. Although I am loved, there have been times in my life where I have not allowed love to reach me in the most desired way. My father is originally from New Mexico, as am I, and he had to stay there after his and my mother’s divorce. Due to the distance, I have sometimes felt a lack of fatherly love in my life. It has shown me that love is not a luxury, but a necessary emotion to feel. I was also more than fortunate enough to have a very loving and nurturing step father. 

I’ve entered new chapters of my life alone and have thought I could be fine, but when I eventually got stuck it was always other people who helped me out. Caring for someone and being cared for is never a weakness and is essential to mental health. Life is too big and too bumpy to have to push through it alone. It is always okay to accept help from those who care about you. Your physical or mental well-being should never be left to be dealt with later. Love needs to be felt by humans to live, regardless if it’s parental, platonic, or romantically. 

I was primarily raised by my mother and she instilled in me from a very young age that books and knowledge are important for you to grow mentally. There are many things that can only be said through the page. Reading has taught me many things in life, but above all has taught me that words are endless. 

As I started my senior year of high school, I started my journey of reading some of the literature classics. Literature has always been an important thing in society and constantly shifts from one thing to another. Words are permanent and deserve to be appreciated in every aspect in life. I can only hope that books will continue to be a big stepping stone for society.

Although now, I’ve given up on the classics, because let’s be honest, they are so boring sometimes. Just like life though, so many lessons can be learned from them.