Reflective Essay: A Brief Story Of The Disney World

Disney World is one of the happiest places on earth; middle school, not so much. Every kid goes through those horrendous awkward years, and over time comes out of it thanking “God that it’s over”. Whether it be braces, baby fat, or a color-blind sense of style, the pre-adolescent stage is definitely the worst. Every time I look back on those dreadful years I cringe, but I know they’ve shaped who I am today.

My childhood was your typical cookie-cutter experience; a big house, white picket fence, a family that loved me. However, I had always felt different from everyone else. I would look around at my friends and wonder why I was the one who was overweight. For years I would try to diet, but as a little kid, I never understood what was wrong. My stomach bulged out, making shopping for clothes a constant reminder that I was different from other girls my age. Instead of worrying about the color of my crayons, the fear of disappointing my parents consumed me. By the summer of sixth grade, I decided it was time to make a change. Instead of wiping my tears away, I started wiping my sweat away on the treadmill after school. I became obsessed with losing weight and stopped eating junk food completely. Through hard work and consistency, fifty pounds melted away in a year. But I still felt out of place. Although I had lost all of the weight, I needed to regain the confidence I had been missing all of those years of

self-hatred. Therefore, during the winter of 7th grade, I chose to try out for the volleyball team.
It was the last period of the day and I knew in a few hours I would know if I made the team or not. As I sat in my ninth period English class, my eyes were glued to the clock, waiting desperately for the bell to ring. Soon the ticking of the clock synced to the rhythm of my heart; I thought about how devastated I would be if I didn't make the team. My throat closed up as the feeling of anxiety weighed heavily on my shoulders. The pressure to excel consumed me as I recounted all of those days I had spent feeling worthless. As the clock continued to tick, my fingers nervously tapped against my desk. The bell echoed throughout the school as I dashed out of the classroom. After racing to the gymnasium, I took a seat next to my friends in the bleachers. Soon the coach made his way to the front of the bleachers with a piece of paper in his hand. The room went silent as he began to address the crowd, “I just want to thank everyone for trying out, and remember, if you don’t make it, there’s always next year.” The thought of having to wait another full year to try out again haunted my thoughts. The coach continued on and started to list the numbers that belonged to the girls who had made the team. His voice bellowed throughout the gym as he read off the list, “…65, 68, 72…and that’s it girls”. I shook my head in disbelief and soon tears came rushing down my face; I didn’t make the team.
Although I was devastated for not making the team, I continued practicing and found every opportunity I could to improve my chances of making the team the following year.

By using the same work ethic that had helped me lose weight, I not only made the team in 8th grade, but would eventually become captain of the varsity volleyball team and the Assistant Coach of the middle school team during my senior year. I chose not to dwell on my past failures, but instead to work hard in order to achieve my goal, eventually gaining the confidence and strength I

desired.