Strength

I once read this book that told me that true strength comes from within. Of course, I had read this as a child, and did not understand it. Nevertheless, my curiosity was aroused. We all know that the curiosity of a child is greater than that of a cat, and so that statement truly captivated my attention. I could not let it go. However, despite perpetuated effort in understanding the meaning of that particular combination of words, I did not get it. My mind, having been exhausted from this grueling 3-day ordeal, pounced down some new avenue of interest i conjured up. Too difficult was the challenge, so I gave up the quest for something easier. I was not convinced of my progress I wanted more.
As a simple-minded child, I thought strength was a product of muscle mass. I thought that the bigger you are, the stronger you are. I though strength was measured by the ability to beat someone to a pulp. I thought strength was the potential act of lifting something really heavy. I was right, but I was also wrong. What my immature brain did not realize is that there is another type of strength that we all possess. My folly lead me to believe that physical strength was the ONLY strength known to man. It was only when I was in the right place, at the right time that I realized this was not the case.
As I grew older, I began to understand the world around me to an extent I would never had dreamed possible. I shed my immature coat, and had adopted one that promised to let me view the world as openly as I could. Just as I grew up, so too did my problems. Unlike as a child, where my problems ranged from not having enough time to play to wanting a new toy, my problems a few years later were far greater. I now had to deal with a whole new set of problems. The worst of my so called dilemmas was social pressure.
Often at school, there would be a whole new tend developing, and as student and part of that generation, it was my duty to participate in that trend. Understandably, my parents did not feel the same way, because for every new trend that was born, that much more money was deducted from my parents' pockets. I felt very guilty because of my constant leeching. Day by day, my guilt grew and at some nebulous point, I was done. I had finally realized that I needed to stop, and I did.
Beyblades, or battle tops were the next things to hit the trend list. I was constantly urged, begged, and ostracized by my peers for not having a beyblade. When they asked me why I could not have one, I told them everything. The reason for my resistance was out within moments, Some called me a fool, but I knew better. Surprisingly, some people understood exactly what I was going through. Each of them told me that they, too, felt guilty, but had no other alternative. I was shocked.
But what caught my attention that day was not the fact that other people also understood. No, what caught my attention was what a particular person told me that day: "You are very strong, being able to do what you want to do"
It struck me on that day what strength was. My quest from my early childhood was completed, as I now knew the answer to that question, which I had once deemed unanswerable. Strength, though it may lie in the body, it primarily lies in the mind. True strength is the ability to face insurmountable odds, the ability to stand and endure, and the ability to believe whatever it is that you do. What I learned that day has stayed with me even today. Whenever I encounter people I know have strength, I give them all that they deserve: respect.

Word Count: 850