My Life

Some of my earliest childhood memories were centered around preschool. During these years I was about as controllable as a sand storm in the desert, this reason being that my mother was the head director of my preschool. The happiness continued one afternoon when we took a trip to the petting zoo on the outskirts of a small nearby town. Living in Columbia, Missouri this is about as much fun as a class of preschoolers could have. Once we arrived I was mesmerized by the cows and the horses, the open land and the giant red barn we were guided into. I then discovered the disadvantages of farms…..they smelled extremely bad. Our tour guide had set up little tractors for use to ride on inside the barn as she showed us around. We began to play station activities, one of which included milking a fake cow. “You’re next” my teacher Mrs. Tina said. As I reached the fake cow and squeezed the fake utter I was instantly creeped out and demanded to stop. Then I felt as if all the animals were staring at me and I became paranoid. Since that trip to the zoo I have never once liked farm animals.


In my life I’ve had a lot of good friends. Friends who moved away, just moved to town, or ones that I’ve known since birth. Good friends that don’t move away and that have been there for you since birth are hard to come by. Luckily for my I have three, one of which was Erin Natalie Happ. Although we attended different schools and lived on totally opposite sides of town from one another, me and Erin saw each other a lot. Going to Erin’s house on the weekends was like a weekly routine for me. So when spring break of 2006 came I was ecstatic to spend the break with my best friend or at least so I thought. Around midday I walked into the Happ’s dining room. A small room with a small TV, a wooden dining table, and four matching chairs, a room I will always remember well. “These knives are really big” Erin laughed picking up a knife. “Yeah, so maybe you shouldn’t be playing with them” I suggested. “Look if you hold it like this then it looks like a wand. Erin said swinging the knife around in the air. “Okay, Erin put the knife down” I said gesturing with my hands and next thing I knew I felt a sharp pain in my thumb. I looked down and red liquid was oozing out of the newly formed gash in my hand. “OH MY GOD I’M SO SORRY!” Erin screamed. “Dad, Dad!” It took me about two minutes to realize that the gash in my hand was flowing blood and that it hurt. I began to cry and scream at the top of my lungs. In a flash Erin’s dad scooped me up and carried me to the bathroom and began to wash my cut. After 30 minutes of continuous scrubbing my new found injury and Erin’s constantly pleas of forgiveness my hand was fully bandaged. Erin and I ventured across the street to the neighbors hammock. We sat and enjoyed the spring weather, the cacophony of spring like sounds. I barely heard her ask for forgiveness once again over the chirping of bluebirds. “It’s, alright. Just next time promise me, you’ll listen to me.” “I promise.” The rest of that spring break was challenge of trying to manage with only one hand but, other than that it was pretty uneventful.
Sports are a way of life. As I grew up I began to develop a passion for basketball. In 5th grade I joined my first competitive basketball team, Lady Orange. Being on my first team helped me develop new friendships with my new teammates and helped me better understand the game I was so infatuated with. I learned that I was the oldest on the team so I brought it upon myself to be an inspiring role model for the rest of my teammates. We went through heart breaking losses like when we lost to Warrensburg 22-21 in a tough fought battle at home. Travelling two hours on the weekend to go play in Kansas City only to lose by 20 points and coping with that loss wasn’t the only thing that made us a better team. It was the two hour long cars full of laughing, singing, and bonding that made us an all-around connected team. Discovering what being on a real team was like helped me to decide that I love basketball. In fact I loved everything about it, the intenseness of games, the team bonding, the thrill of winning, and even the realization that you lost and would do better next time. I wanted to play this sport for the rest of my life.
The summers between 6th and 7th grade passed quickly without any drama or any excitement. The summer between 7th and 8th grade there was the startling realization that I was growing up. “I’m starting Junior High” I said to myself. It sounded so weird to me, I could hardly convince myself when I said it out loud, let alone when one of my relatives uttered it in disbelief. On summer afternoon Erin and I took a stroll through her neighborhood gossiping about the rumors we heard from the upper classmen about the cryptic place known as West Jr. High. “I heard that there’s tunnels leading underground” Erin said. “Like in National Treasure?” I laughed. “I don’t know I guess so.” “I heard the girls locker room wall says scary things, like in the horror movies.” “Cool!” “Do you think the schools haunted…?” I asked. “That’d be so cool if it was!” Erin said excitedly as we walked down the street. A few weeks later I entered the dreaded halls of West Jr. for the very first time. There were kids everywhere, unfamiliar faces surrounded me. I did the only thing I knew to do; I walked quickly to my locker and waited there until I found someone I recognized, my friend Mimi. Mimi and I walked the rest of West Walk together until the sound of the first bell pierced our ears. We said our goodbyes and went our separate ways. Over the months I began to adapt to the West Jr. life style. I joined the basketball team, made new friends, and got my school work under control. I attended sporting events and school dances. “Okay fine I’ll come, I promise.” “Yes! It’ll be so much fun you’ll love it I promise.” I just agreed to go to youth group with my friend Rebecca. I had nothing against going to church, I believed in God. I knew he was there watching over me but, I was nervous to be attending church for the first time since I was very little. Weren’t church people judgmental and forced their beliefs on people? A lot of my friends went to church and they weren’t like that, so I decided to go the upcoming Sunday night and check it out for myself. As Rebecca Megan and I piled out of the car into the church gymnasium my nervous grew as big as a crowd at a One Direction concert. We entered the gym where all the kids were playing some sort of game and we were immediately escorted into the game. After filling out forms and introducing myself to various adults I began to feel more at ease half way through the night. I began to scope out the sea of kids and see if I recognized anyone. I saw a few girls from my band class, old classmates from as long ago as kindergarten and a girl in my Spanish class whose name I think was Eden. Eden and I bonded over a game of freeze tag in the church parking lot. The night was coming to an end soon and we filed into a room called “The Cave” to sing worship songs. This night made me realize how important it was to have a strong relationship with God and a strong relationship with the church community. I asked Rebecca if I could return to church with her next weekend but, next time on Sunday morning. “Of course!” She replied delighted. Over the course of the school year God, youth group, and church became some of my main priorities. I was wrong to think all people who go to church were like the people I saw downtown, who literally shoved their religion on people. I had never felt so safe and happy in my life until one morning I got some news that flipped my world upside down. My mom no longer had a job. It was the worst possible timing to get this news because Christmas was just around the corner and no one wants to have to manage their money during Christmas season. I was heartbroken and turned down going to the movies and basketball games to save any money that I did not need to spend. When Christmas morning came around it didn’t matter to me the amount of present under the tree or how much money my family spent, it was about just being with my family. I knew I was blessed with more than I could ever ask even though it didn’t always seem like it. The following month my mom found a job in Jefferson City, God had answered her prays. I was so thankful to have my mom working again. Although my life has had its ups and downs, the times I want to remember and the times I don’t, I’m so thankful for everything. Great friends, parents that are together, a roof over my head, getting to play the sport I love, and being presented with new opportunities every day is not something everyone could say they have but, lucky for me I can.
The upcoming summer all I focused on basketball. I was determined to make the Hickman girls basketball team. I attend the Hickman basketball camp at the beginning of summer while my friends spent all day at the local pools. “Do you want to go to the pool today?” Maggie asked. “No, sorry I can’t I have basketball.” I replied. “You always have basketball!” she yelled. “Yeah I know, I’m sorry, I can probably go after basketball” “What time does basketball end? “ Four.” “Fine let’s go from four to nine” Maggie suggested. “Okay! This will be fun” The whole day at basketball I couldn’t focus. I was too excited to going to the pool for the first time this summer in just *I glanced at the clock* an hour and fifteen minutes. When the final huddle was over I couldn’t pull my basketball shoes off fast enough. I dashed out to Maggie’s car a waiting my arrival in the Hickman parking lot. As we pulled up to Southwest Swim we hopped out of the car before it came to a complete stop. I couldn’t wait to work on my tan while the sun was still blazing. It was almost four thirty, the sun sets in about three hours! Maggie and I set up in a corner of the pool near two big tears that formed a umbrella under our heads. This was the picture perfect moment, hanging out under the summer sun, sitting pool side with my best friend. They only thing that could kill our mood was the realization that it was nearly six thirty and we had to leave in an hour. Once we finally went into the pool the water felt cool and refreshing on our skin that had dried out because of the sun. The night came to an end. We slowly walked out of the exit of the swim club and said our goodbyes and piled into our separate cars.
As the middle of June came nearer I worked harder than ever before to improve my basketball skills. My teammates an I attended an eight hour long basketball camp that was meant to improve your ball handling skills. Despite being wiped out from that camp, basketball practice, and away basketball tournaments I got up at 6am three times a week and dragged my butt to the Hickman gym for workouts. The desire to make the team and the thought of knowing that everyone else was sleeping while I was putting in work kept me going. I wasn’t alone in my battle as a freshman to make the Hickman team. A girl from Oakland named Asia wanted to make the team too and we instantly bonded and became friends. Every partner activity Asia and I were together. We were going to make the team, no matter what. My dad gave me inspiring words on how proud he was of me for getting up and working every day for something I wanted so badly. The school year began and I began to take the after school bus to Hickman for open gym, tryouts were just weeks away! I had bonded with the upper classmen on the team and was excited to be a part of their team. When the time for the informational meeting for the season I practically dragged my mom through the doors of the high school, excited to hear what Head Coach Mirts had to say. I went to the main table to grab my informational packet when coach Mirts pulled me aside. “Mariah, you know I don’t have open tryouts for freshmen right?” my face fell. “Oh...so I can’t tryout?” I asked full of hope. “No, I’m only letting three freshmen tryout and you’re not one of them.” Tears filled my eyes as I walked away from her. I walked outside where Asia sat on a nearby bench. Tears flowed from her eyes; I knew that she had already gotten the new that crushed her dreams. “It’s not fair” I said. “Darn straight it’s not fair!” she yelled. “We worked ALL SUMMER! Every day we got up at six a.m. all for NOTHING! We can’t even tryout, coach screwed us over.” She began to cry. I had no words to say, she pretty much said it all. “One good thing came out of this” I manage to muster while holding back tears. “What’s that?” “I gained a best friend, I’m so glad I met you. I’ll always have your back. We’re gonna dominate the Jr. High games this year. Don’t give up Asia, prove Mirts wrong.” She sprang from the bench and hugged me. I promised myself I wouldn’t cry. I needed to be strong for Asia; I needed to show that I was better than the evil that had just deceived me. I was going to silence the critics. I walked back to my car, thinking about how angry I was and how hurt I was, I began to sob uncontrollably. My heart had literally been broken into a million tiny pieces. What was I thinking trying to play basketball with “The big dogs on campus” I was so embarrassed. Once I regained my composure I decided that no one was going to tell me how to live my life. Someone once said “Life is short so, live it to the fullest” that’s exactly what I plan to do.