Word Choice Olympics Part 2

Kobe and Lebron hurdle for joy after their championship victory against the New Orleans Pelicans. Despite entering the playoffs with a 0-56 record, they have defied all odds and came back to win 20 games straight in the playoffs. Tears dribble down their cheeks as their fond grins widen from ear to ear. They jump for joy and dog pile on the middle of the shiny, orange court. Kobe sprints toward Coach Jamison and tackles him with excitement. Lebron, the MVP of their team, honors their fallen brother who had broken his leg the game before. He was not able to be in the presence of their win, but he was present in their hearts.

Lil Tommy had stayed up a little too late today. He didn't take his nap or eat his dinner. The day kept getting worse and worse for him. It was his bath time. Being only 5 months old, he had not learned to close his eyes to prevent soap from getting in. An abundance of shampoo rained down from his hairline into his soft baby blue eyes. The slippery shampoo was stinging his eyes left and right. He did nothing but cry and cry until the neighbors came and complained to his parents. They tried to make him stop but he was just not having a good day. Eventually, he got tired of crying and he fell asleep, siting right there in the bath tub.

Coming of Age Graphic

     In middle school, I didn't make the best choices. I was a good student and was always on Honor Roll, but the choices I made outside of the classroom were not smart. I would do reckless things to make my friends laugh. I would throw erasers in English just to get them to laugh for 10 seconds after. Of course Mrs. Murlidharan would talk to me after class, "Stop throwing things in class! Babies throw things!" But those words went in one ear and out the other. I would rather get in trouble than lose my friends. And those friends were just as bad. They would do reckless things without caring of the consequences. I was immature and didn't know better, until a day in 8th grade.
     It was lunchtime and I was sitting with all of my adolescent friends. And it was pouring, forcing all students to stay inside the cafeteria. One of my friends had a bag of melted ice and was daring everyone to put it inside somebody's bag. Everyone thought it would be hilarious so I did too. At this moment in time, I didn't think I would be associated in any way. If I wasn't the one to physically do it, I wouldn't get punished. The cold water bag was being passed around in circles, with nobody daring to dump it in a school bag. It was passed to me several times, but I refused again and again. Someone eventually gave into the peer pressure and did the act. Relief filled my body, then laughter spewed out of everyone else. The school bag and books inside got soaked. The part noone knew was going to happen next was when the situation started to go downward. He told the vice principal and a handful of us got called into the office to give our perspective of the situation. I wasn't nervous because I knew who did it and that it wasn't me. But even though I wasn't the one to get his bag wet, I got in trouble for association.
     I had to call my parents and got a week of detention. But that wasn't the worst of my punishment. I was yelled at by my parents and I got grounded for a really long time. They told me,"You hang out with the wrong people! That's why you get in trouble!" For the times I was at home with nothing fun to do, all I did was think. I went over all of my actions and the choices I made to get me there at that moment. I thought about what my parents had told me. They were right, I had to make smarter choices. My first mistake was hanging out with those trouble makers. I chose to put myself in that situation and it was the wrong choice.
     This day I realized what it meant to come of age. I no longer hung out with these bad influences even if they were the most popular. I chose to be smarter and get myself out of trouble. I realized that this day was actually good for me. I endured the boring hours of doing nothing in my room and the long lectures from my parents to learn that I had to be smarter. I came of age that day because I chose to look at the bigger picture. There's always a better choice. I would rather be a great, boring student than a fun and reckless child.

Coming of Age Final Draft

     In middle school, I didn't make the best choices. I was a good student and was always on Honor Roll, but the choices I made outside of the classroom were not smart. I would do reckless things to make my friends laugh. I would throw erasers in English just to get them to laugh for 10 seconds after. Of course Mrs. Murlidharan would talk to me after class, "Stop throwing things in class! Babies throw things!" But those words went in one ear and out the other. I would rather get in trouble than lose my friends. And those friends were just as bad. They would do reckless things without caring of the consequences. I was immature and didn't know better, until a day in 8th grade.
     It was lunchtime and I was sitting with all of my adolescent friends. And it was pouring, forcing all students to stay inside the cafeteria. One of my friends had a bag of melted ice and was daring everyone to put it inside somebody's bag. Everyone thought it would be hilarious so I did too. At this moment in time, I didn't think I would be associated in any way. If I wasn't the one to physically do it, I wouldn't get punished. The cold water bag was being passed around in circles, with nobody daring to dump it in a school bag. It was passed to me several times, but I refused again and again. Someone eventually gave into the peer pressure and did the act. Relief filled my body, then laughter spewed out of everyone else. The school bag and books inside got soaked. The part noone knew was going to happen next was when the situation started to go downward. He told the vice principal and a handful of us got called into the office to give our perspective of the situation. I wasn't nervous because I knew who did it and that it wasn't me. But even though I wasn't the one to get his bag wet, I got in trouble for association.
     I had to call my parents and got a week of detention. But that wasn't the worst of my punishment. I was yelled at by my parents and I got grounded for a really long time. They told me,"You hang out with the wrong people! That's why you get in trouble!" For the times I was at home with nothing fun to do, all I did was think. I went over all of my actions and the choices I made to get me there at that moment. I thought about what my parents had told me. They were right, I had to make smarter choices. My first mistake was hanging out with those trouble makers. I chose to put myself in that situation and it was the wrong choice.
     This day I realized what it meant to come of age. I no longer hung out with these bad influences even if they were the most popular. I chose to be smarter and get myself out of trouble. I realized that this day was actually good for me. I endured the boring hours of doing nothing in my room and the long lectures from my parents to learn that I had to be smarter. I came of age that day because I chose to look at the bigger picture. There's always a better choice. I would rather be a great, boring student than a fun and reckless child.