Found | Teen Ink

Found

April 2, 2021
By LTODOROVIC1 SILVER, Rochester, Michigan
LTODOROVIC1 SILVER, Rochester, Michigan
7 articles 0 photos 1 comment

Hello, 


It’s me again. Well, now that I begin the question in which I search an answer comes up again: Who am I?. I don’t have a name or anything that I claim, I lost it all, gambling it all away in the game of life. No, not the board game, I mean the game that we are all trapped in until the day we die while we’re graspin’ for purpose and pride. And as I pry open this empty map to guide me on this journey of redefining who I am, it’s as if life delivered a slap because I fell into this trap of normal. What’s funny is that I’ve now realized that what we consider “normal” is actually abnormal as it makes you feel horrible because we try to live a life of purpose, but at the same time we destroy our purpose by falling into the same things that everyone else is doing.

 And what about that so-called pride that we all try to achieve with our lives? It’s ironic that we fall into these norms looking for purpose thinking that we will earn pride by wasting our lives being a photocopy of someone else? Man! It’s almost like it’s iconic! This whole situation in which we put ourselves through in order to get to this sense of safety makes us realize that our time is actually rather hasty and by the time we realize our bones are weak and our skin is all pasty and soon we’re in our 80s full of nothing but regrets. Safety and satisfaction do go hand in hand, but perhaps you have to jump in order to land. I guess what I’m saying is that if we don’t take risks to get out of this bubble we surround ourselves in and take the chance to begin something new, we won’t ever have an identity that is any more than nine digits on your social security card.

 So, I’ve been flying for months, and finally, as I realize that there is so much more to my life and all I have to do is expose it to others’ eyes, I can earn this so-called pride that we all envy for. And I can reside from my flight that I have flown knowing that all these tears that I cried were actually my guide as they’ve shown me the true me. Not just that, I realize the meaning of life! The whole point of this game that we play day-by-day is simply to live life how you want to, not how others say. I’ve realized that it’s okay to have quirks and hobbies that others find strange. 

An example from me, I like to collect loose change. Now, I know that isn’t the strongest example, but give me more time to rhyme and my message will ample. I like to have ranch with my fries, and sometimes I’ll go up to someone just to give out a high-five. I like to walk backward in the park, I like to go swimming in the dark. Sometimes I talk too much, but other times I don’t really talk enough. I often say I’m not looking to date, but then I go talk with my friends that are dating and complain. I like to peacefully study law and politics, while I also like boxing and throwing kicks. I often love to go hang out with friends, but when I am at home I’m a whole different man. If you can’t notice, my point is that life truly is hit or miss, so don’t hide what makes you happy or what makes you weird, because, at the end of the day, normal is a perception created by thoughts gone astray. So hey, it’s time to go and seize the day, go be yourself, live life your own way. As for me, I’ll make it in the end, but for now, all I can do is help a friend.


The author's comments:

This is a response piece to a previous poem I wrote titled Lost. This is my view on life and why I had this identity crisis, as well as my advice to others who may be going through the same scenario. 


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