“Mom, what’s for cereal?” I asked.
”Luck charms, Jake” she responded.
”Yes! The marshmallows taste so good. Plus we’re one box away from winning a prize.” I said excitedly over cereal.
Usually we car pool to school with my sister Layan who has her license. As well as our next door neighbor/my best friend Josh. His little sisters Karah and Kaylin who are also identical twins. And Amanda, who lives at the end of the block and is a year younger than my sister.
When we got to school I saw Damon, the class bully and cocky kid, gloating to his friends over an A- he got. Pretty impressive considering 99% of his friends are a C average, but he says it like it’s the best grade in the entire world, and as if half of the 7th grade isn’t already in all A honor roll.
When I got to English class Mrs. Achwitz had the words “My life is a documentary, it’s about...” written on the blackboard. When the bell rung, she explained what it meant after taking roll call.
“Your final grade will reflect on a 5 paragraph essay written in story format.” Mrs. Achwitz said.
”What is the essay about?” Josh asked.
”It’s an essay about yourselves” she said while passing out the outline.
Your life revolves around you, but who are you deep down? Is it the dreams and goals you hope to achieve one day? Is it the struggles you’ve faced that make you who you are today? Is it your day to day interactions with others that affect your environment? The sentence you must start you essay with is “My life is a documentary, it’s about...“
Your essay MUST have:
- At least 3 paragraphs
- A beginning, middle, and ending
- An interesting plot or description revolving around who YOU are
I looked around as everyone started writing.
Josh’s paper said “My life is a documentary, it’s about my dreams to become a professional basketball player and how I plan to get there.”
Carla’s paper said “My life is a documentary, it’s about my interactions with the environment and others to help the climate.”
Damon’s paper said “My life is a documentary, it’s about my struggle to keep a A and B averages in all of my classes, and fending off all of my fans who try to steal my black leather jacket collection.”
I wonder if Damon thinks that he’s actually that cool?
When I got home from school that day, I relied on google to help me write my essay. I had the newest iPhone 11 model so it loaded super fast. But searching “what is the meaning of life?” just made it harder to find what to write my essay about.
I decided to take a break and rewatch ‘The Mandalorian’ on Disney+. I saw Layan boxing up her old clothes.
”Wait, you’re getting rid of clothes? You do that?” I asked sarcastically.
”Haha very funny, I’m donating it to the thrift store. I need to make room in my closet since I’m going to the mall this weekend with Casey. The spring clothing line releases tomorrow!” Layan said excitedly.
”Who even shops at the thrift store? It’s just old clothes that are only sold in one size. Plus half of the things they sell have holes in them.” I asked.
”Because it’s cheap if you can’t afford new clothes, and you can buy cool outfits that have been discontinued.” Layan said in a know-it-all tone.
What she said made me think, I know what to write for my English essay! I just started jotting down some things and before I knew it I had 3 paragraphs. I turned it in the next day, Mrs. Achwitz returned it the next week with a big red A+ written on the front. When I got home I showed it to my mom and she read it aloud.
My life is a fantasy, it’s about me not appreciating what I have. I complained so much and begged my parents to get me the new phone model just because my phone was old, used, and slow. When really I should have just appreciated that fact that I even had a phone. So many people around the world don’t own a phone, and I was worried about being a social outcast because of an old phone!
When I was playing basketball with my best friend Josh my jeans ripped. I spent all of my allowance on new ones that looked cooler, but were really expensive. I could have saved that money for something actually important. Kids like me in poverty have to work and spend their hard-earned money on family dinner. While I just waste my money! And those kids have to wear second hand clothing that are mostly hand me downs, donations, or from thrift stores.
I’m so caught up in getting good grades in school, it takes away from my free time. Like when I missed my symphonic band concert to study for a retake test. I was so upset that I wished that I didn’t have to do work in school. But I should just be lucky that I’m getting such a great education and they even offer retake tests. Not to mention after school tutoring for free. My life isn’t a documentary, a boring thing that you learn something from. It’s a fantasy, a pleasure to be living because I have so much.
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