Symbolic Autobiography

Dru Powell

Mr. McElveen

English II

29 August 2013

Symbolic Autobiography

There are many symbols, objects, and ideas that define who I am as a person.  Everyone, whether they realize it or not, has multiple personalities that change and evolve depending on their life at that time.  However, no matter how much that wavers, there is always a core foundation that people’s personalities are built upon.  I am changing as a person everyday, but there are certain symbols that represent my inner complexion such as the color pink, pictures, my swimming ring, and a quote by Mother Theresa.  Each of these symbols has a special meaning in my life and will be an everlasting source of information about who I truly am as a person.

From a young age, my favorite color was pink and it hasn’t changed since then.  Today in society, pink represents femininity, and a “girly girl” would be a good way to describe me. The color pink represents my outward appearance and feminist ways.  I enjoy shopping, especially with my family, because they know me well and pick out clothes that I like.  I love doing my hair and putting on makeup just like you would expect any girl to do.  Surprisingly, I don’t wear pink clothes often.  Most of my clothes are neutral or pastel colors.  However, my bedspread is pink, and I have many decorations in my room that are pink.  Pink is a happy color, and when I see it, it makes me feel carefree.  This is important because I get stressed out easily, and having pink in my room helps me to calm down.  I also wear pink accessories such as my watch and tennis shoes which allow me to carry a little happiness with me wherever I go.

Symbolically, the color pink represents compassion, nurture, and love.  In my life, I try to treat everyone with respect, and I give them a fair chance to show their real selves without judging them.  If I close myself off from others right from the beginning and refuse to get to know someone, a lot of valuable relationships could be passed up.   I try to love unconditionally, and even when someone makes a mistake or upsets me, I do my best to forgive them.  My relationships with people are generally more than just surface level, and I enjoy connecting with them and understanding their personalities and how they function.  Once I get comfortable with people, there is a certain level of trust that is built and we can share our concerns with each other and ask for advice.   Many of my friends come to me for advice, and I consider it an honor that they value my opinions.  I try to be empathetic when a friend comes to me with a problem, because it always helps to picture myself in their situation.  I know that sooner or later, I will probably have a similar predicament and ask for the same advice as them.  This reminds me to give them my full attention and be fair about helping them with important matters in their life.  Because of my experiences talking to my friends, I have developed an interest in psychology.  Helping people overcome struggles gives me a sense of accomplishment and it feels good to know that I made a difference in someone’s life.  My mom is a psychologist, so I get to see how she impacts people’s lives every day.  The color pink is a good reminder to always treat people the way that I would want to be treated and to love others.

Besides being sprinkled with the color pink, my room is covered in pictures.  They add personalization to my space and make it particular to me.  Pictures are a way to decorate any space and make it your own while still allowing it to be interesting for other people to look at.  The pictures not only reflect the people I like to be with, but also the activities I enjoy and places I have been.  I have multiple pictures from swimming on my bulletin board because I swim for Episcopal and Crawfish Aquatics and it is a big part of my life.  Over Mardi Gras break during ninth grade, I went to Spain with a group of Episcopal students, and I have several pictures from that trip in my room.  I will hopefully go back to Spain in the future, but for now the pictures help me remember what a special trip it was.  Big or small, every picture has some kind of relationship to life and meaning behind it.

The pictures in my room serve as constant reminders of the many special people that I am surrounded with daily.  They represent the experiences I have had and what I have learned from them.  Every moment that I share with my friends is an opportunity to grow as a person.  I learn life lessons from my friends.  By just being around them, they help me to take life a little slower and enjoy it.  Sometimes when I’m having a really good time, I wish that I could just pause life for a while so it would last forever.  An experience cannot be perfectly replicated, but if there is a picture to represent it, some of the feelings that are associated with it start to trickle back into memory.  Taking pictures is a way to treasure those moments. Encounters with people in life serve many purposes and by saving pictures, reflections can be made on my experiences so that I realize more each day how my friends impact my life.

My favorite piece of jewelry is my swimming state championship ring.  Our team has a trophy that we all share and it’s displayed at school, but our rings are our individual awards.  I wear mine everyday and rarely take it off because it always reminds me of how great that feeling was to win a state championship for the first time in Episcopal history.  At the end of the meet when the announcer called out the scores, all of the girls were huddled in a circle holding each other’s hands and praying.  As soon as they announced our name, we burst in to tears of happiness and celebrated with everyone.  The whole season, our team trained for that one meet, and it finally paid off.  Knowing that we won last year and having my ring as a reminder keeps me motivated to accomplish more of my goals.

Besides symbolizing our team’s win, my ring symbolizes all of the hard work, commitment, and sacrifice that it took to get to the point in swimming where I am today.  I have been swimming since sixth grade, and for the last two and a half years, I have basically dedicated my life to the sport.  I can’t stay up late on Friday nights because I always have practice or a meet the next morning.  I have practice every day, and in the summer, I have practice twice a day on two days of the week.  Swimming keeps me from hanging out with my friends sometimes, but in the end, all of my sacrifices are worth it.  When I go a best time, it is the greatest feeling in the world and it keeps me motivated to have that feeling again. In the pool, I always try to work my hardest, and even when I have a good practice, I get a little hint of the feeling that is to come at the end of the season when I go a best time.  It feels good to know that I have given a practice or race my all and to have no regrets.  I am proud of the work that I have put into this sport and my dedication makes every accomplishment that much sweeter.

At the end of eighth grade, my parents gave my sister and me each a framed poem written by Mother Teresa.  Mother Teresa was a Roman Catholic religious sister who dedicated her life to serving the poor.  Her words perfect to live by because she says to not worry about other people’s thoughts of you and just focus on what you can do to make the world a better place.  I often find myself worrying about these aspects of life, and if I ever feel I need to be more courageous, I look at her words as a reminder.  The words are simple but powerful and have created an impact in my thinking.

“People are often unreasonable, irrational, and self-centered. Forgive them anyway.  If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives. Be kind anyway.  If you are successful, you will win some unfaithful friends and some genuine enemies. Succeed anyway.  If you are honest and sincere people may deceive you. Be honest and sincere anyway.  What you spend years creating, others could destroy overnight. Create anyway.  If you find serenity and happiness, some may be jealous. Be happy anyway.  The good you do today, will often be forgotten. Do good anyway.  Give the best you have, and it will never be enough. Give your best anyway.  In the final analysis, it is between you and God. It was never between you and them.”

This poem isn’t just a reminder for me when I am at a tough place in my life.  It is also a reflection of my morals and view of life.  I always strive to be honest, kind, creative, and generous, and I have found that I am much more successful at upholding these values when I don’t worry about what others think of me.  Even when other people make bad decisions, I stick to what my conscience tells me to do and what I believe is right.  This is an aspect of my life that I am very proud of, and I hope I continue this way of life in the future.  Mother Theresa was a person of great faith, and the way she lived her life can be a model to everyone.

Individually the aspects of my life that these symbols represent are ordinary, and almost every person can relate to them.  When they are combined, they create an individual person that is different from everyone else.  These symbols are all part of what makes me unique from everyone else, and I am proud of my personality and what these symbols represent.