it’s april 29th. two days before my birthday and gosh, i am so excited. not for the day itself but rather the privileges that come with it. let me help you out: finally, finally, finally, after 16 years, comes getting ice cream myself.
driving.
ahh, the word itself makes me so excited for reasons i can’t explain. but this year i wanted to give back. in order to explain what i mean, we have to take a little walk down memory lane.
i started writing when the pandemic hit because i wanted to help people. i wanted to voice out things that other people may be craving to say but couldn’t find the courage to do so. moreover, as a teenager myself, i knew that mental health and high school just don’t jam.
ever since i was a kid, i have loved people. all people. all i wanted in life was to help them with whatever they may need. i think i’ve taken a lot from society such as knowledge, trees for the paper for my math homework and for the house that my family lives in, and other things like food and toys when i was younger.
as my 16th birthday approaches, there’s so much more that i want to do. for my family, friends, teachers, peers, community, and the world. (well, that’s a little much but i’m dreaming big). so, i’m thinking of this article as a letter to my 16-year-old self and a reminder to you.
by the time i turn 17 years old, i will strive to:
do 6 adventurous things with family/friends
plant 16 trees
give 60 meals to the homeless
donate 160 dollars that i earn to a foundation surrounding cancer research
give 1600 compliments
this week, i challenge you to do more than you do normally. every day, doing something little that benefits your family or friends, the community, or the world is one step closer to creating a more fulfilling future for yourself. a lot of people ask me, “what do you live by?”, and i always say,
“keep giving, don’t stop. but don’t give to the point that you give yourself away.”