Today was a great day. I have been feeling so down lately, but today was a great day.
Our school has a special day called Teen Arts once a year. We submit artworks, writings, and listen to people play music. It is a special day where our school artists get to share our experiences; a day where our artists share their passion. Last year was my first year at Teen arts. I shared a piece about my Tourette’s and what life was like living with it. This year, I shared (another) personal essay; mostly about accepting my TS, my complicated relationship with my mom and sister, and my manic depression. To be honest, I wasn’t confident with this piece. It was something I wrote when I was feeling very emotional and inspired, but I hadn’t planned on reading it.
Our bus came late, so we only had twenty minutes to share our creative writing pieces. After a girl a grade lower shared her amazing short story, we had five. Then, when my favorite teacher requested me to read my writing, I was ready. I spent three days thinking of this moment. It sounds too dramatic, but it’s true. I was about share a part of me no one knew. I took a deep breath and read. I stammered, a bit, but it felt like being freed from a cage. When I looked up, I saw my teachers looking at me; not crying, like last year, but smiling. As if they were proud. On the other hand, I did make some of my friends cry. (My good friend who hates crying, cried. It was a little funny, because we hugged–which she hates doing, tooso many times, and started laughing as she continued to cry while doing so.) They came up to me and hugged me for thirty minutes, and I couldn’t have been more appreciative of them. They couldn’t fully understand what I was going through, but they were there for me-and that meant something.
Having Tourette Syndrome and depression is hard. But it helped me realize how much my father tried to make me happy; how supportive the people around me are, and of course it helps me grow stronger every day. Even in difficult times, my mental illness helps me realize my mistakes and become a better person. Today, I felt happiness shine on my friends and I as we pranced under the sun. Through tears and smiles, we walked together.
