Balance is Key

When I was very young, my family moved to the United States.  We left Puerto Rico, having to learn a new language and continue life away from everything that was familiar to us.

In elementary school, I lived in a diverse, military neighborhood, but attended a predominantly white school.  My experience can in no way compare to that of the Little Rock Nine, but I was not welcomed with open arms either.  For the most part, I was treated like an outcast with a classic case of discrimination.

By the time middle school came around, I was living in Maryland and had plenty of family issues.  Negative emotions were only intensified with arguments, financial problems, and the news of my uncle’s unexpected suicide.  To make matters worst, within six months of my uncle’s death my parents filed for divorce.

Sure, I cried and was completely miserable when these events of my past were my present, but these experiences have shaped me.  I cannot change the past so why wonder what life would be like if I could?  I have to work with what I was given.

Yes, I miss my family, but if I would have stayed in Puerto Rico my options would be very limited.  I absolutely hated feeling like I didn’t belong, but because of it I learned that not everybody is going to be polite.  Of course, I wish that seeing my uncle was possible, but I realized that time spent with the people you love should always be appreciated.  I learned that the hard way, but I learned.  As for my parents, nobody wants a separated home, but it beats living in a war zone.

Of all the negative in my past I have been able to find a positive.  When you are experiencing negativity, it is extremely difficult to be optimistic, but trust that there is always some balance.  I don’t wake up wishing for a bad day, but I know that those bad days are an inescapable part of life.  To experience true happiness you must experience true negativity and grow from that tragedy.

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