Since grade 6, I've always loved watching younger kids. I'm not the best with them and I'm nowhere near qualified to babysit, but I find a sort of joy watching them learn new things. My brother started taking swimming lessons last year, after being afraid to jump into or even lay flat in water. Watching him having fun learning how to swim and all that fills my chest with pride.

  In karate, I've been a sempai for around two years now and watching the kids I help teach grow into young men and women gives me a warm feeling. I feel like everyone there is part of one big family, and with certain kids I feel like an older sibling or parent of a sort. I have fun being able to carry some of them around on my back or shoulders, or just running around playing games before class.

  Before I graduated public school, I liked being alone! Walking around the track with music playing in my ears. Other times I liked watching the juniors play soccer or four square. Either way I was able to clear my mind and just enjoy life. Now a days, I've opened up a lot more and I don't mind being part of a group in free time.

   In public school I had very few friends, over the years that small group changed. By grade 8, I only had two, border lining three friends at my school, in my grade. I had others but they were either younger than me or went to a different school. My best friend was always there for me, even though I chose someone else out of force when we were younger. One thing's for sure, if I didn't have those few friends growing up, my sanity probably wouldn't have lasted.