Krutika+Shah

Did you ever learn something new? Did you ever get closer to a friend or relative? You most probably answered at least one of the questions with a “yes”. Now let me ask you another question: Have you ever gotten closer to a friend or relative by learning something new? Now, most of you most likely answered “no”. But, let me tell you a story where my answer would be “yes”. It was a beautiful Saturday morning. The sun was shining through my window and right into my eyes. Unbearing the sunlight, I woke up hearing the birds chirping as if they wanted me to get up. I quickly got ready and realized my mom was not hoe. She had gone to my aunt’s house, which just got a surgery few weeks ago. That meant that it was my dad and me home. //Oh great! Another boring day! I thought to myself.// My dad wasn’t that close to me and I always felt that the never liked me. We used to never have father/daughter moments like they did on television. Then, I asked him what the plans were for today. “We don’t have anything important to do today. I got the groceries yesterday after work. But, do you have anything in mind?” my dad asked me as he was drinking his warm tea. //We could go shopping, but we that last weekend. There was no way my dad was going to take me again. I finished all my homework. I also have no classes today. Dad is right. We are free today.// I thought to myself. “No, Daddy. I have nothing else on my mind,” I replied to him thinking what else we could do today. “Hey, I know. Today you could learn how to ride your new two-wheeler bicycle!” my dad exclaimed. “No, no! It’s okay. I can learn that another day. Daddy, you must be tired after working the whole week. You should rest today,” I said remembering my new bike. My parents and I went to Wal-Mart last weekend and I saw a really pretty bike. I wanted it and when I asked my dad if he could buy it for me, he told me that I had to promise him that I would learn how to this two-wheeler bike. And, I did. I was really nervous about riding the new bicycle, even though I easily told my dad I would learn it. //I really wish my dad would agree with me.// I thought. But, like most parents, my dad was a mind reader. Whenever I thought something in my mind that I wanted to keep to myself, my dad would figure it out. Like, last weekend. We went to the mall and I really liked this t-shirt. I just said it was pretty. But, in my head, I really wanted to buy it. Then, my dad asked me if I wanted to buy it. Just exactly how do these parents know what their children are thinking? “If you want to overcome your fears, you have to experience them. How do you know that you can’t ride your new bike without trying? And, don’t tell me that I just wasted my money on this bike. When we were at Wal-Mart, you promised me that you would ride this bike. Now, what happened?” my dad sounded angry now. Knowing him for six year, I knew if I stayed there to argue with him, I would have to listen to more harangues. So, I took the smart choice and told my dad I wanted to try to ride my new bicycle. We went outside in dazzling sun that was sprinkling heat on us. My dad commanded me to ride on the black cemented sidewalk. On the sidewalk, I got on my brand-new, two wheeler bike, while my dad was holding it still. “Okay, I know that you know how to pedal. The only difference between your new bicycle and your old one is that your old one had training wheels. They made you stay balances. When riding this bicycle, you will have to balance yourself all on your own. Now, you will slowly pedal as I hold on to your bike, so you don’t fall.” My dad instructed. Starring into his eyes as he spoke, I could see his love and concern for me. //He does care about me. If he didn’t, he would have just stood in one place and told me to ride the bike. Now, I have to learn how to ride this bike to prove to my dad that I can do anything for his love//. I thought as a tear came down my face. “What happened? Why are you crying?” my dad asked. “Oh, nothing, Daddy,” I replied as I wiped the tear from my face. “Now, let’s not waste any time.” I nervously got on my bike. Then, slowly I began to pedal; one foot after the other. I made sure my dad was holding my seat from the back. Then, I started to pedal a little faster, just enough for my dad to sustain my pace. And, before I knew it, I was riding my two-wheeler bicycle all by myself! “I told you! To overcome your fears, you have to experience them!” my dad remarked as we headed home.
 * Getting Closer By Riding My Bicycle**

**Failure—At First** As Michael Jordan once said, “To learn to succeed, you must first learn to fail.” Very rarely does someone learn how to do something with failing at first. It is like failing is the first step to learning. That is what happened when I tried to learn something that I very much love to do today. There I was. Two feet away. I could see with my eyes the slippery, white ice inviting me to come and fall flat on my face. I still remembered today morning. It went by so quick. My mom woke me up early and told me that I have to go to ice-skating class. We got ready quickly and my dad drove us to the rink at Roosevelt Park. Now, here I was; ready to make a fool out of myself. “Alright, all the ice skaters for classes please come onto the ice and find you teachers.” the loud speaker echoed. “Go, Krutika! Go on the ice and have fun!” my mom said to me as she waved. //I am so scared. What if I fall// //and break a leg? What if I can’t even stand on the ice?// All these negative thoughts kept haunting my mind as I skittishly walk onto ice holding the railing. I remembered the time we went out during the winter and all my cousins were ice skating and I was the only one who didn’t know how to do it. //I have to learn now if I want to join them.// I thought to myself. Then, I gingerly walked over to my teacher like a child learning how to walk, slowly stepping on the ice, making a crunchy sound. //I could walk on the ice! Yes! Now all I have to do is listen carefully to the instructions and learn how to glide on the ice. This is going to be so easy!// I thought positively. But, boy, did I know I was wrong. “Okay, now I want all of you to pay attention. This is how you glide,” my teacher told us as her blades smoothly glided along the ice making the ice feel like it was soft. “Now, it is your turn. Everyone started to glide. I looked at them and they made it feel like it as super easy and then //thumppp//! Someone fell! And soon everyone fell or at least tripped. //Yeah! Whatever! These guys just need more practice. I can so do it without falling.// I thought to reassure myself. Trying to balance, I gently lifted up my right foot and slid it across the ice. I tried to do the same with my left, but before I could successfully do it…. Thumppp! I fell right on top of my butt!!! It hurt so hard that I felt like I had just banged myself into a brick wall. Ouch!!! From the corner of my eye, I saw my teacher approaching to me. “Are you alright there, dear?” she asked me very nicely. “Y…Yes. Thank you,” I replied as she helped me get up. Then, she held my soft hands and helped my glide across the ice. “Right, left, right, left…” I said as I lifted my feet. “Try on your own now, sweetie,” she commanded me. Listening to what she told me, I gradually let go of her hands and started to glide on my own. Then, I got faster and faster! //Yes! I could finally glide!!// I was so proud of myself. And before I knew it, it was time to go. I thanked my teacher once again and I really couldn’t wait for next class. That day I realized that if you believe you could do something, you can achieve it.

**The Spotlight Shining On Me**

Many of us out in the world are talented, but are scared to show it. Nervousness covers our talents like the clouds sometimes cover the bright light of the sun. Our talents soon become out “hidden talents”; the ones on one know about. But, when you open up and show what a talented person you are, many magical things can happen.

//All right. I can do it ...I can do it.// I thought to myself as I wiped my face with some cold water. Today was my uncle’s engagement and I was supposed to dance on a song all by myself. I was really nervous. When I was in first grade, I did a dance performance with a dance group. After many years, I was going to appear on stage again. The only difference was that in first grade, I was with all these other girls who were dancing with me and today, the spotlight will only be on me. Then, I dried my face with a napkin. Now, it was time for my make- up. I first put on some foundation, then powder, and then a little bit of cream to even out my skin. Next, I put on more lip gloss, eye shadow, eye liner, blush an a little bit of glitter on my face. Suddenly, the door creaked open and my mom peeked in the hall’s bathroom. “Oh My Gosh! You’re STILL getting ready? You have to go up on stage in five minutes! Let’s go!” my mom exclaimed as she helped me put all my make- up away. I was really excited as I headed back to the hall and but that felling didn’t last long. We got back and I sat in my seat. Then, it started… the nervousness. My heart began to beat really fast and I could fell my body becoming stiff. And, before I knew it, the DJ announced my name. “Now, ladies and gentlemen, please welcome Krutika Shah!” I went to the stage and got into position. I could hear the crowd clapping and cheering for me while I was scared like I was a mouse being chased by a cat. //What if I mess up? What if I forget my steps? What if I trip on my own dress?// All these questions appeared in my mind. And before I even got to calm myself down, the song began to play. I followed the beat of the song as I danced. But, a few minutes into the song, I was going way to fast. So, I slowed down a little. I smiled and sang the whole song. Five minutes later, the song ended as I posed. The crowd once again started to clap and cheer for me. //I did it! OMG! I did it! I danced all by myself without messing up once!// I was really proud of myself. Then, I went to my uncle and my aunt. I gave them a hug and they both told that I did a great performance. My parents were also really proud of me as well as all my other relatives. From, this point on in my life, I realized that if you work hard to do something, you will be successful in it.

**Meeting Her…** Meeting someone new and being friends can become a challenge for some people. Finding true friends can be hard, too. But, with every new school year comes a new group of kids. Tall ones, short ones, smart ones, girly ones, cool ones. It can also become hard to find the perfect friend for you. But, I was very lucky to make a new friend on the first day of school and that friend is now my best friend. “Ringgggg!” the bell rang for homeroom. I scurried down the crowded, tiny hallway with the other students in my homeroom. Today was the first day of my middle school life. I still remembered waking up at five with excitement in the morning. When I enter my homeroom, I was that each desk had name tags on it. So, I searched for my name. My desk was located in the back of the room by the round table. As, I sat down on my seat, next to me was an unfamiliar face whose name tag claimed him as “Sherwin”, I noticed a girl at the other side of the room. She looked really shy as she was sitting in her seat all alone, quietly. It seemed as if she had no one to talk to. //I should go over to her and talk to her.// I thought to myself. So, I walked over to her. As I got closer to her, I realized that I had seen her before. Then, the light bulb I in my brain went, “Ding!!” It was Shiksha, my classmate all the way back in fourth grade. She looked really different. Her short, straight, thin hair that was always in two braids was now long and wavy in a pony tail. She also had grown extremely tall. “Hey, Shiksha? Remember me from fourth grade, Ms. Roudi’s class?” I asked her hoping she had remembered me. “Oh, yeah! Krutika, right?” Shiksha asked to reassure my name. “Yup! Well… the last time I checked it was!” I responded as we both laughed. The conversation that had started as an introduction was now a conversation long lost friends would have. We asked each other how out summers went and what we looking forward to in sixth grade. But, before we got to finish our conversation, Mrs., Patalano told us to go back to our original seats, so we could begin our day. All right, class! Today, to start our day, you will out a paper called, ‘Get to Know Yourself ’. You may sit next to a fried or two while working on the paper, Mrs. Patalano explained to our first period class. The quiet class then turned into a discordant one as everyone moved to sit with their friends. I took my paper and went over to my new friend, Shiksha. “Mrs. Patalano seems really nice, doesn’t she?” I asked Shiksha. “Yeah! She let us work with our friends. But, my sister told me that not all out teachers are like that. Some don’t even let you talk in class at all.” “Hopefully, none of our teachers are like that,” I said as Shiksha nodded her head in agreement. As we finished our question, the bell rang again. This time it meant period one was over. “Give me your papers as you leave to your second period class.” Mrs. Patalano commanded. I gave her my paper at the same time as Shiksha did. The, we split up. She went to social studies and I want to science for our second period class. Then, we met again third period for English. We enter the classroom and sat next to each other in the middle of the room that was surrounded by many other students. Then, we had lunch and Shiksha and I sat at the same table along with our other friends. Next, we had math together and after that, for fifth period grade, Shiksha went to science and I went to social studies. Our sixth period and seventh period classes were also different, but we finally met on the bus where we sat together. I was upset that Shiksha and I weren’t in all our classes together, but, then as I thought about it, I was happy that I had Shiksha in at least some of my classes. As the days turned into months and those months turned in years, Shiksha and I got to know each other mare and we became closer friends. We are best friends, now. But, more than that we are SOUL SISTERS!! **Author’s Note** My inspirations for this memoir are my loving family and caring friends. With the contributions and the compromises they have made, I am very grateful. Without them, I wouldn’t have achieved all my goals in life. My writing intention for my wonderful readers is anything is possible when you have supporting friends and family. But, before you can get that, you have to believe in yourself. If I had not believed in myself, I would have not experienced any of those reminiscences. The information that I think is important to include in my authors note is always…always believed in yourself and never give up. You may fail the first time, maybe even the second time, but one day you will get it right. But, if you give up, you cannot ever hope for that “one day” to come because it will become a “no day”. Always remember to reach for the stars.

**Should Drivers Text While Driving? **

 Imagine this: "Beep! Beep!" Your cell phone goes. You realize someone just texted you while you are driving. So, like always, you take both of your hands off the steering wheel to reach into your messy bag for your phone. Unable to feel it, you take your eyes off the road to look in your bag. Then, you finally find your phone and start to reply back thinking that it would only take less than a minute. But, do you know what else could just take less than a minute? DEATH!  Hundreds of people - adults and teenagers - across the world do the same thing. Apparently, they find texting more imperative than their lives because about 6000 deaths and half a million injuries are caused every year. Texting while driving distracts all drivers, whether they are experienced or not. It causes deaths and lots of damages. It is also against the law in many places. Texting while driving is not the correct choice.  Death is a major consequence of drivers who text. They lose their concentration on the road and by the time they get it back, it is too late. A recent survey shows that car crashes are four times greater with only one person on the road who decides to text while driving his**/**her car. But, not only do they jeopardize their own lives, but other drivers and passengers’ lives as well. The car next to yours would be driving in the lane and the next thing you know is you bump into it. A recent survey done in 2011 states that texting while driving decreases the speed of a driver’s reaction time by 35%. Yes, 35%! That means that in an emergency, if a driver is texting while driving, his/her reaction time will be late by 35% and in that time, any harm could occur! Now, do you really want to put your life at stake?  Texting while driving also causes a lot of damage. Obviously, your car can get totaled or dented, but did you even think about the environment around you? You can be driving on the highway and you could bump into the railing on the side of the road. In a neighborhood, you can bump into a tree. In the city, you can bump into the street signs. There are so many possibilities. And, then there are people who are complaining about the increase of tolls! We pay tolls to pay back the cost of building and maintaining the roads and bridges. The only reason these tolls are increasing is because more and more people are damaging them. If you text while driving, you are as guilty as those who have crashed because of texting while driving. Please don’t encourage the government to increase the tolls any greater as they may bankrupt each and every one of us. The more the damage on the road that is caused by texting while driving, the more money you lose from your pocket. Also, note that you should tell all the people you know to not to text while driving, because even though you may not necessary do it, you will still have to pay the toll.  "Weee-oooo, weee-oooo, weee-oooo!" Jenna could hear the sirens getting closer and closer to her. The lights were blinking and getting brighter and brighter. She then came to realize who is behind her and pulled over. Can you possibly guess why the cops pulled her over? Yes! She was texting while driving. In 36 states in the United States, there is a law which states that texting while driving is proscribed. The other states have restrictions about this matter as well. Be a responsible citizen and follow the laws. Don’t be like Jenna! Unless, you enjoy being dragged into court or paying fines or even going to jail!  I can understand the opposition’s feelings. It could be an emergency text or even a text from work. No one is stopping anyone from texting. But, just don’t do it while driving. If possible, you can wait until you reach your destination. But, if you can’t wait, you at least pull over to the side of the road to answer the text massage. I doubt that it would be harder to just simply pull over rather than to text at the same time as drive. Now imagine this: "Beep! Beep!" Your cell phone goes. You realize someone just texted you while you are driving. So, you pull over to the side and read your text. Then, you reply and after that, you get back on the road and drive safely to your destination, setting a role model for all ages.  Henry Longfellow once stated, “It takes less time to do the right than to explain why you did it wrong.” Make the right decision today and tomorrow you won’t be asked why you made that decision. Texting while driving is really insecure to not only your life, but also others’ lives, too. It causes lots of damage to the environment around you. Also, it is against law. So, do the right thing: Don’t be the caution sign; be the stop sign! Do not text while driving. Unless, of course, you want to be a hazard to all!