Its lonely out here...

The goose bumps rose in my stomach, the shivers traced my spine. The only thing I could think was, "It's lonely out here..surrounded by all these people." Then it clicked, I had heard those words before, that was it, that is what I would tell the audience. I began to speak, "What do you mean be myself? Haven't I been doing that this whole time? Isn't that what got me here in the first place?' I could feel the blood boil inside me, while I read the text. She wasn't actually telling me to be myself, was she?" The audience glared at me, like they would a crack addict, but I continued.

"It was the beginning of another week, stuck in the small and lonely town of Elizabeth, Colorado. Everywhere I went, people were talking about me. Their glares burned my soul, their words echoed in my mind, and every time I tried to hide, my conscious followed close behind. I wanted to have a girlfriend, I wanted to drive, and I wanted a simple life, like every other teenage boy. My life consisted of an annoying brother, two parents, I didn't understand, backstabbing and unforgiving classmates, and no license. I was trapped! I wanted to be normal. I wanted to be anything, but Harry, and here my friend was saying, 'To be myself.'

I watched as the evening sun slowly melted beneath the mountains peaks, and the blue sky burst into a canvas of exotic colors. I had been peeling the skin off an old log and tracing threw my mindful of thoughts. Then, a group of ideas created a masterpiece all their own. My knife worked at a ninja speed, carving the log into something so simple, so quaint, but ingenious, none the less. The next day, I watched as Trisha and her friends came up, gossiping away, on their way to math class. I opened the door, and felt my heart race as she looked back and gave me a faint smile. I wanted to say something, but I just closed the door behind us and continued to my seat.

Grabbing the leather necklace from my neck, I looked at the wooden cross and knew I made the right choice. For every closed door, there is a window. For every sacrifice, there is a lesson. It may not have seemed like it, as I gazed at the beautiful girl two desks ahead, but I made the right decision. I got an A in that class, and every class that followed. I still don't know the reasons God kept me from talking to Trisha that day, but standing here, today, I thank him. It was his guidance that got me here, and will continue to build me into a better man. To conclude, Congratulations Class of 2013, we did it! Now go out there, follow the path of success, and just. Be Yourself!"