11 years old, happy, naive, and trusted, what could have happened to turn a glass vase from beautiful to something cautious. Had the usual permissions as any kid in the United States. I was able to do anything I wanted such as playing video games at any time, watch TV as long as I want, I could do anything a kid could do. Yet, child greed wanted more. There is a reason it’s known as one of the seven deadly sins. I wanted more. I would watch youtube in the day but at night around my bed-time I would stay up till 12 or 1 in the morning, watching youtube and finding videos. When my parents came to check on me, I would turn off the iPhone 3 and then do my best sleep impression. Soon, things got suspicious. After a while, I wouldn’t get up because I didn’t get enough sleep. I had grades drop because I had my mind on other things. I thought I was smart, hiding and keeping secrets, but my parents were smarter. Soon enough they came and I turned off the phone too late. They found out and my youtube privileges were gone. I got grounded and my phone was taken away. It didn’t matter as I didn’t call or text anyone but I had my entertainment taken away. Things got strict, as in limited hours, and homework first. I soon got ungrounded and they taught me about trust and how trust is like a glass vase. It is often a gift given to you by someone else and if you break it, it cuts your hand trying to fix it. Soon the cuts will go away but if you keep breaking that vase, there will be nothing left of the vase. That told me something. Something as in a lesson I tried to follow but I can’t get it right.

Soon as I entered 7th grade more secrets were buried into my mind. Secrets such as secret social media accounts, secret friendships, keeping bad grades secrets. I honestly regret it all. If I had told my parents about the test grades, they would help me improve in studies, if they had known about the social media, they would think “he just wants to experience what everyone else has.” Of course, as the secrets came in, the deeper their hole was. The more my mind was filled with secrets instead of schoolwork. Of course, things got suspicious again, they found out again, privileges revoked again. My glass vase was smaller than it originally was. Soon the same thing happened again. The glass vase was smaller and the cuts were deeper. With my pattern, soon there won’t be any glass vase. There will be just scars on the hands that broke the vase in the first place. The scars represent consequences of breaking that trust. As you try to rebuild it, you might be more careful but then your mind slips and you revert to breaking that trust.

The easier way to rebuild trust is to be sensibly open about things. Of course, there will be definite secrets that must not get out no matter what. Yet, If you keep too many secrets in your mind, it would be like stuffing your bag with stolen items from the store and the bag gets bigger and bigger until it can’t hold anything else and explodes, revealing all you have shoplifted. You will be branded as a thief and under close surveillance while also serving time. In real life, the secret would be out. You would be branded untrustworthy for a long time, and you would be looked down upon as you kept many things secret. It would affect your reputation as well. It’s impossible to keep the glass unbroken your whole life, but what you can do is keep that vase close to you so you can remind yourself the consequences of the choice you’re going to make.