"Me." By Lilibeth M

            Ever heard of that phrase that says “don’t judge a book by its cover?” Now, I’ve got a question for you. Do you ever truly abide by that philosophy? Well, nowadays most people do not. Most people say that they are firm believers of this concept yet never show this to be true with their actions. Fittingly, I have a story of my own. Growing up I was always the punching bag for the school bullies and for those whom could never seem to “fit in” with the cliques they wanted to be a part of. I was the target for those people who never knew what they truly wanted but always wanted to prove themselves to the wrong people. I was a laughing stock to the people who thought overweight wasn’t beautiful and to the people that were so dissatisfied with the way they looked themselves that they thought it would just be easier to make fun of someone that looks just like them. In all honesty, I was an overweight, vulnerable, super sensitive kid. I ended up growing quite a lot of thick skin, brushing all insulting remarks and laughs of my shoulder, but eventually it just became harder and harder to suppress that actual hurt that I was feeling. So instead of crying it out or talking to anyone about it (keep in mind I had no one to talk to), I became the bully myself. I bullied people so they could feel exactly what I felt. I bullied people so that I can no longer feel weak. Anyway, all these experiences have helped me identify myself with who I am today. I learned that you shouldn’t forget your past, whether it is good or bad, because it helps you evolve as a person. In conclusion, I am definitely not looking for pity because I want people to look at me for the person I have become rather than the person I used to be. And as I said before, one should never “judge a book by its cover” because you never truly know what is written in the pages and in modern society it can be extremely easy to want to distinguish a person simply by the way they look. All in all, you yourself have a story and don’t be ashamed of it nor become naïve if it was a really good one. Just keep in mind that you would not want people to simply look at you and assume the worst when only you understand what you have gone through. Use it as a backbone and be the great person you were destined to become.