02-Discovering a Better "Me"#
We are not without value, but without discovering our own value.
——Epigraph
The strong wind howled, and the rain grew heavier.
At this moment, I sat in the room, staring at the pouring rain outside the window, and couldn't help but think that I had no value and started crying.
A few days ago, the school organized an activity that required all classmates to participate and perform on the playground. In order to prepare for this performance, I practiced day after day at home, trying my best to keep up with the pace of the class.
The day of the performance arrived.
As soon as I entered the school, I found that I was feeling very unwell, with a severe stomachache. I had to go to the infirmary alone for treatment. At that moment, the performance started, and no one in the class noticed that I had left. They were all performing on the school playground, while I stood aside, alone and complaining.
At that moment, I felt that I had no presence and little value.
But later on, I slowly discovered that I was actually a better version of myself, I just hadn't realized my own potential yet.
An ordinary and meaningful weekend arrived. The homeroom teacher posted a notice in the class group, saying that a school recitation competition would be held in a month, and everyone could actively participate. After seeing this message, my mom excitedly said to me, "Son! You should participate in this activity, you haven't participated in any before!" I, who rarely participated in activities, didn't want to go at all.
My dad also chimed in, "You should go, don't be afraid. It's okay to fail, just think of it as an opportunity to improve yourself!"
After my parents "retreated," I received a "decree" from my mother: "I have already signed you up, anyway, you have to go."
Finally, reluctantly, I wrote the script and slowly handed it in.
What should I do? In the end, I still participated. But I had never participated in this kind of competition before, what should I do? Well, I could only continue to participate with a brave face, I thought to myself.
Preparing for this competition took a lot of time and effort. Every day after school, no matter how busy I was, I would always make time to work on my script. On weekends, I gave up my leisure time and practiced recitation.
Every day, I could hear my recitation through a window.
Finally, the competition arrived! When the bright spotlight shone on me, I felt nervous! But I took a deep breath and adjusted my mindset to recite.
After finishing, thunderous applause erupted from the audience, and I performed so well!
The next day, when I returned to class, everyone's eyes were on me, and they started discussing me—I smiled. Yes! I discovered a better version of myself and gained growth!
The drizzle continued, and the rain became lighter...
Final score for this essay: 46/50
After class, I asked the teacher to explain the test paper. The teacher's comment: Overall good. Three highlights in the entire article: the beginning, the ending, and "the day of the performance."