My life has been a series of unfortunate events.

I’ve been picked on,

I’ve been bullied,

I’ve been fun of by everyone I’ve come across.

My entire life has been nothing but downfalls.

I got my black belt in taekwondo,

But then the school closed down.

My first job paid me nothing,

And I hated it,

So I quit to get another job.

My second job paid well,

But my coworkers hated me and made me hate myself,

Again.

Now I’m unemployed,

And heading for college.

I did get accepted to college,

But I wasn’t good enough to get a full ride scholarship,

So now I have to struggle to make ends meet for four to six years.

But now, when I think about it…

 

My life has been a series of events.

Events that weren’t always great,

But they were never completely awful either.

I have a home,

I was able to get two jobs,

I was accepted to college,

I have friends,

I have family,

And that’s a lot more than most can say.

I may be skinny and weak,

But I have my black belt,

And I have opportunities.

Opportunities to make myself better and stronger.

And now, I’m thinking harder.

 

My life is a series of fortunate events.

Every breath that I take,

Every movement I make,

Every dream I create,

Is a gift.

It’s a treasure I will hold dearly,

Because there are other people in the world.

People the same age as me and older than me.

People that can’t breathe right,

Or have lost their sight.

People that lost a limb,

Or were born without them.

People that have no home,

Or no family to go home to.

People that, no matter how good they are,

Don’t have as much as me.

These people envy my life and what I have.

To me it seems like so little,

But to them, it’s everything.

For them, I will treasure my life.

Every dream, every step, every breath,

Will become so priceless to me that I won’t feel sorry for myself,

But instead will give even what little I have to those who have less.

 

My life is a series of extremely fortunate events,

And from now on,

I will remember that.

I will be a friend to the friendless,

A brother to the brotherless,

And family to the familyless.

And from now on,

I will know what to say to everyone that helps me.

Whether they teach me through love or hate,

Through their life or their death.

I will know what to say.

Thank you.

 

~Kyle Thomas