My Own Little Adventures

            As a young kid with quite a big imagination, I could say that there were many times I wanted to escape and be a part of something else. Or rather, maybe even be someone else. Whether it was because I had my clip moved previously in class that day or that my friend suddenly wasn’t my friend anymore, I just had to find somehow to zone out for a little while.

            In Stitches: A Memoir, young David liked to draw and pretend to be Alice from the film, Alice in Wonderland, after he had a rough time at home. As for myself, I had two particular activities in which I would take place in, in order to “run away” from any problems.

            One way I used to channel out was by being in a pool. Either in my own pool or my best friend’s across the street, I would spend all day in that pool of water. My imagination kicked in once I took a single step into the water; I quickly transformed into a mermaid. A transformation from a human to a fish with a long shining tail. It was another world for me; a new life. While my mother was inside cooking spaghetti and meatballs fighting with the older siblings, I was swimming under the sea alongside Sebastian and Flounder just like Ariel in The Little Mermaid.

                I also liked to “let go” by singing. Yes, singing. My dream as a little girl was to ultimately become a famous singer/music entertainer. I had a special guitar that my parents bought for me and I received lessons from my best friend’s father who was an expert. It was my first guitar, bought at Walmart and called a Carly. It stood out with its color pink all over and the sound hole outlined in silver small crystals which mom had stored up in her craft room. 

Along with playing this guitar, I actually could sing fairly well, but never in front of an audience. (Unless the audience consisted of teddy bears and pillows). My frequent talks with my parents always included me saying, “I am going to be the next Hannah Montana one day.” I mean, who wouldn’t want to be Hannah Montana? (I beg to differ now), but she was my idol and I wanted to be exactly like her when I grew up. Therefore, I would lock myself in my room, place my old black chunky headphones on my tiny ears, and grab a nice hairbrush which would of course be the microphone. Here is a picture of the same guitar during my sophomore year of high school.

               Once I pressed the play button on my old Nano iPod, no one could stop me. I was now at a rock concert performing at Madison Square Garden in New York with thousands of people watching. Doing this made me feel bigger, older, and like I was someone else for some time; A rock star. I was acting as if my dreams came true and I felt unstoppable. This allowed me to feel important and special for the time being. Still to this day, I like to pretend when I sing, it’s at a concert, but instead, this takes place in my car or a private concert in the shower.

               I think these two activities enabled me to be more positive and content with life while problems occurred and the ugly part of life showed. Acting as Ariel, a mermaid in the sea, and pretending to be a superstar, made me happy. Coming home from a long day of school, all I wanted to do was leave the world and let my imagination take over. These events led to shaping my life by reminding me not only that you can be whoever you want to be, but that being yourself and unique is one of the most important aspects to learn to love in this crazy world.

               These activities still continue to shape my life every day by constantly forcing me to realize the value of life and creating the person I am today.