» The Weight of Gravity

The Weight

KATELYN

age 13, from IL

“Let’s go!” Emma happily exclaimed. The sky was painted with clouds, and it was about to rain. It was a cool summer day in April, and the end of third grade was approaching. The end-of-the-year field trip was to Wildlife Prairie Park. I sat down on the bus after Emma went on the inside of the seat. The bus smelled of excitement and smelly third-grade kids. “What do you wanna see?” Emma inquired. “Umm, goats!” I said. I figured I wouldn’t see goats, but a girl can dream. BUMP! Emma and I got tossed in the air, startled and laughing. An hour or so went by, and we finally got to the park. The third-grade class stepped off the bus with a pep in their step. The aroma of grass and the rain that would soon fall was strong, and I could hear the birds chirping and kids talking.

“Quiet down, kids!” hollered Mrs. Moran, the other third-grade teacher.

of Gravity

“Look! Cows!” someone yelled after getting off the bus.

“Those are actually buffalo,” my teacher Mrs. Shimmin informed us. I was already getting a headache from the crowds of kids screaming, trying to talk over each other.

“Let’s go! Let’s go!” my chaperone, Randy, said. At one point in the adventure, Emma and I saw an empty cage, and we thought that the animal had escaped, but it turned out the animal just wasn’t in there. Thank goodness! There was a faint smell of manure when we were walking to see all the animals. We saw almost every species they had and went to the gift shop.

After the gift shop, we went to the park there. It was the destination where you go to regroup and get on the bus. There was a loooong slide there, and Emma ran over without hesitation. I sighed and followed her after putting our stuff with Randy as she sat down on a bench nearby. We slid down the slide a couple of times.

After going down the slide a couple of times, we saw it. The next GIANT playground. Our jaws touched the ground when we saw the numerous slides and climbing spots. There was also a fireman’s pole that you could slide down to. Emma KNEW I hated those and could not go down.

Nonetheless, she convinced me to go down. “Let’s go! It’ll be fine! Just hold on and then let go when you get to the bottom.”

Easier said than done. For me, at least. When I looked up at the towering pole ahead, I had a little anxiety attack to prepare a plan of how I was going to land. My leg was shaking, and my stomach started to hurt. Count to ten, then let go. Just keep your feet straight. DON’T GO DOWN.

One nervous debate later, I got to the top, held on to the slick metal pole, took a deep breath, and went down. “OUCH!” I forgot how to move my body at the moment and fell directly on my tailbone.

What. An. Idiot. What happened? It went by so fast, I couldn’t remember. Maybe five feet up from the ground, I fell. There were around fifty other kids there, and since I’m cool like that, I didn’t cry or scream—just sat there in pain, biting my lip. Finally, Emma came over and asked, “Are you okay?”

“I’m doing great,” I responded sarcastically. “This is the best I’ve ever been in my life.”

It took me almost two minutes to stand up and walk over to the closest bench. With each step, it started to hurt a little more.

“That was pretty stupid,” Emma told me with a grin on her face, trying to contain her laughter. I rolled my eyes and nodded my head in agreement.

Although I was young, I learned a lesson that I will take with me throughout my life, one of never letting friends decide my actions. Or peer pressure. I gave into peer pressure, doing something I did not want to do, and it did not go as planned. As I get older, there will be more people telling me to do things that I don’t want to do, and I want to have enough confidence to stand up for myself and say no. This is still a hard thing for many people, but we all need to have this skill. We are strong, independent young women who should stand up for what we believe in.

This is such a powerful story and reminder to listen to that inner voice. It is so easy to get caught up and lose ourselves in a moment or during peer pressure. Saying no is sometimes the hardest thing to do but gives us the best rewards. There is a sense of self-worth that happens when we do what we know is right for ourselves. The older we get, the more that stance of self-assuredness becomes respected by our peers. It is hard to see that when we are younger, but the older version of yourself will thank you for it later. I would much rather have a moment of feeling left out than a lifetime of regret. Listen to the powerful inner voice. Be strong and brave to stand up for yourself, and the word ‘no” can be the biggest gift you give to yourself. ~ Amy Scruggs, bestselling author, media coach, recording artist, TV host