Learning to Grow

JD743
JD743
Sep 4, 2018 · 4 min read

Innocence

Growing up, I was very independent and I knew exactly what I wanted: a cup of hot chocolate. This warm and rich chocolate drink pleased my taste buds with a joyous flavor as I practiced reading my book: “Let’s Go, Froggy!” by Jonathan London. This book provided ambition to my lethargic spirit. I had plenty of energy, but I struggled to find my place in this world. I never knew who I wanted to be or what I wanted to do. Although I didn’t know my purpose yet, the mug was valuable to me because it had my name on it, which meant it belonged to me. My name gave me a sense of ownership and stability to balance my wild and lost six-year old lifestyle. I enjoyed a good cup of Nestle hot chocolate whether it was cold or hot, if I was happy or sad, sleepy or wide awake. Hot chocolate brought me comfort and allowed me to be an innocent child. I didn’t have a grip on right or wrong, I just knew what my parents had taught me. When I could sit down and sip my hot chocolate, I never worried as to whether or not I am doing something wrong. Drinking hot chocolate felt right. It was a beverage that led me home. I always consumed hot chocolate in the coziness of my own home or my beloved grandmother’s house. Not once did I have trouble finding a safe place to enjoy my hot cocoa.

Maturity

In this new world that I have grown to understand, my perspective has changed. Hot chocolate is no longer what I reach for everyday. However, coffee became a daily drink for me. Coffee reminds me of the sweet yet bitter environment we live in. It is liquid energy and it fills me up with it’s delicious flavor and warmth. Coffee created an outlet to a new social world for me to experience. I meet with friends for coffee, I go out with my grandma to get a coffee, I have learned to love new places thanks to this delightful brew. Looking back I have realized most young kids don’t drink coffee, which brings me to see how much I have grown and matured. I always thought coffee is for “grown-ups” and now I am transforming into one. The mug containing my favorite drink is simple and plain. It’s quiet and clean look contradicts the loud and busy pastry sitting on the bright red ceramic plate. The pastry brings out my loud and colorful personality when I’m no longer the calm cup of coffee. “Milk and Honey” by Rupi Kaur has been another well-rounded outlet to introduce a new world. While I sip on my bittersweet drink I can escape to a universe of unknown simplicity through Kaur’s poetic words. This book relates to me in so many different ways, and it allows me to see both simplicity and complexity in every conflict I face.

Experience

When my hair changes color and lines are drawn on my skin, my life experience will have expanded with new definitions. The amount I have absorbed and experienced will have no boundaries. While coffee brought me outside the four-walls of my residence, tea will always bring me back home. I will invite my friends into my home, have family and grand-kids over for tea-parties and drink tea everyday as a reminder of the health and love I will hold onto. The elegant and gorgeous mug containing peppermint tea symbolizes the fact that however far I go, I will always come back home. Both the story “Heaven is for Real” by Todd Burpo and the flowers in the vase sitting close behind are a reminder that although we live and grow as humans, it is inevitable that at one point or another God will call us home. Flowers start as seeds, they grow and bloom, they thrive in water and beauty for a while, and eventually the petals will fall off and the flower’s expiration date will arrive. It will live on in memory of its beauty but it will no longer stand in a vase on this simple yet complicated earth.

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