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The Stories We Tell

This was me in December of 2015. Arguably one of the craziest years of my life. My girlfriend and I broke up (for good), I left my friend group, and I got fired from my first job. All of those things hurt me in different ways but if I focused on that, 2015 would have seemed like a terrible year. That year I also graduated from high school, got an even better job, and I went to New York during Christmas and had an amazing time with my family. Stories aren’t just facts; as we change, the stories themselves change too. I choose to look back on it as a great year because it had so many ups despite the downs. And ultimately those down times turned out for the better because they sure did for me. The story I tell now is one of freedom. Although I have lost a lot I always seem to find something beneficial out of the hard times no matter how they might be. Getting fired from my job was probably one of the best things that ever happened to me (although in the moment I was very despondent). It literally changed my life and helped start my journey of personal growth. I love stories and I hope people learn from there’s like I have from mine.

Word Count: 223

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Change in Community

These people next to me are my brothers. Although not by blood, saying anything else wouldn’t accurately describe how much they mean to me.

About five years ago I had to exit the friend group I was in. Though they were generally good people, I knew I couldn’t grow the way I wanted to at the time if I stayed. I couldn’t be myself around them and one stark comment about “knowing my role” was just the wake up call I needed to get out of there. I had been with my old friend friend group for about two years and we all felt the sting of me leaving (even though I still wanted to be friends, they weren’t so keen). A few years after that I met these young gentlemen in the picture. The photo is about a year old but the meaning still stands. These are my brothers for life. In such a short span of time I've made more connections with these guys than some of my other friends who I’ve known for years. I think changing communities is a healthy part of life because it means that we’re growing. I’d rather be surrounded by a few people that I love and love me, than a whole room full of regular friends and acquaintances.

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Music

I think Music is an amazing thing that brings people together from all races, ethnicities, classes, gender etc. Without music the world just wouldn’t be as enjoyable as it is today. Rap Music specifically has brought together many of my best friends today. It was through rap that my best friend Kenneth and I started to hang out and then we realized we had similar life goals in common. I met my other friend Tyrese through him and it kind of started a chain of people I know who do create rap music. In all of this I believe it naturally created a group of rap lovers and creators, it’s own small community here in Tampa although I know there is many more. Being surrounded by such people has inspired me to commit more to my own music and I am grateful for it because it has helped shape me into the person I am today. My hope and kind of goal is to create music that can resonate with all sorts of different people because people generally stick to one genre at a time. I want to be able to hit almost every genre and be amazing at it. Music is almost like it’s own language and I wish to learn more how to speak it

Word Count: 216

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Comics and Community

As crazy as it might seem I heavily resonated with the reading we did on the geek culture and comics. Although I don’t really “collect” comics I still read them at the library and I do have my own collection. I don’t really know many people who do read comics like I do, I’m just glad there’s a community of people out there who are like me and love all things superhero. I mean those conversations they had about DC and Marvel I’ve literally had with one of my best friends before. I believe communities are powerful, even the less tangible ones like the superhero/comics community. Although I’ve never met these people I already feel like I’m a part of something bigger than myself. Ever since I was a kid I loved the superhero Spider-Man. I saw the movie and he’s been one of my favorites ever since. I’m holding a silver surfer comic because he is also one of my favorites. I think superheroes are so popular because we all want to be special in some way. We all want to be able to have the power to help ourselves and help other people. And that’s why I love comics so much. I believe deep down we’re all just a community of people who want to be better.

Word Count: 220

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My Third Place

Every month my friends and I like to get together and hang out at a nearby restaurant. I’m not entirely sure how it started but we made it a ritual for all of us in the past two years. We all love  to chill and talk about our lives and doing it in the midst of food always seems like an enjoyable option. It means a lot to me when I can go out with my friends and do something simple like spend money on food at a restaurant. The simple act always reminds me that I am old enough to go anywhere I like and make my own decisions, plus I get to enjoy the company of my best friends while doing it. This time we decided to goto Yamato’s Japanese Steakhouse. Although the food was expensive it was very, very good. Yamato’s is at the Wiregrass Mall in Wesley  Chapel right off of State Road 56. It's at the far end of the mall so plenty of people will have enough parking to go there. It’s about regular restaurant size, almost like the shape of  the letter “C”. The sign outside has big red letters and the restaurant is painted beige like the rest of the mall. When you walk in, it is pretty busy and you hear everyone talking and hustling throughout the place. When someone has a birthday at the restaurant they bring out a huge gong that echoes throughout the whole joint. There is a huge five foot grill in the middle of every table where the cooks cook in front of you and they do a spectacular job of preparing the food and giving you a show by juggling the knives. We saw all sorts of people spending time eating food with the family, enjoying a date, having a birthday celebration, or just having a friendly chat. I love going out to these places because almost every time we go out we end up seeing someone we know or making a new friend right there in the restaurant. As a matter of fact, as soon as I walked in this time around, I saw two of my coworkers walking right out of the restaurant! When we all get together we don’t have to worry about the constraints of our lives or responsibilities, we can always be ourselves. We just laugh and catch up on what is going on in our lives.