Writing Portfolio
"This is 15."
This is 15.
15 is looking over the edge of a cliff. At the bottom of a mountain of the high school years ahead of you, you can see adulthood if you squint your eyes. You begin to look back on you 12 years old self like you were a completely different person, even though that was only three years back. You’ve hit a bump in the road of growing up, a bump that causes you to take a better look at the world around you.
15 is being grateful for the loyal friends you have. The ones who you know don’t talk behind your back, the ones who you can trust with a secret.
15 is when every birthday candle wish is for a winning lottery ticket.
At 15, adults stop looking as flawless and intimidating as they once did. You realise that’s just what they wanted you to think when you were younger, so that you would stay in you lane.
Fifteen is the very beginning of the teenage years (depending on how you look at it). You still don’t feel adjusted to this new stage of life. When you were little, you thought 11 and 12 year olds were teenagers. When you were 11, you thought 13 year olds were teenagers. By the time you were 13, you pushed the limit up to 15. Now that you’re at the latter age, you understand the pattern that’s going on here. You have no real choice that you’re one of them now, whether you feel it or not.
It is still liking your siblings and hating your parents. You don’t like being ordered around, or told who not to hang out with. Still, you appreciate your siblings for having your back.
Fifteen is becoming more aware of the world you live in. You know how to file your taxes (when you’ll eventually need to), you’ve learned a thing or two about driving a car, and you know how to apply to college. You aren’t looking forward to any of it.
At 15 your tolerance for bullies is higher than it should be. You care too much about what the people around you are thinking, what they’re saying behind your back. You too often blame yourself for the rude things they have to say.
It is ten months of slow, meandering school, and two months of short-lived summer. You never feel you can have enough time to catch your breath. In the end though, the five school days, two days-off pattern you get into in the winter, spring and fall, makes time pass by faster than you even notice.
15 is full of fleeting moments of parties and hangouts. Every time you plan to do something with your friends, the time passes by way too fast. Being the first one to leave makes you feel like an outcast, and being the last one to leave makes you feel like a loner.
It is taking pictures of sunsets, and skylines, and oceans. The world suddenly looks much prettier to you than it did before, and you try your best to capture ever sight of it.
15 is constantly trying to get your homework done as close to the due date as possible. Unfortunately, the part of your brain that handles time management is underdeveloped at this age, and you seek fun now, and work later. This results in a lot of stressful hours spent at 7:00 on a Sunday.
At 15, anyone five years younger than you is a kid, and anyone five years older than you is an adult. You understand that these two ages are equal distances apart, but that fact just doesn’t make sense to you.
At age 15, you still don’t understand it all, but you try not to worry about the future. You probably aren’t sure about what you want to be when you grow up, or what college you’ll go to, or how you’ll get in there. You figure there’s plenty of time between then and now to get it all sorted out.
It is closing your eyes at night and burying your mind in the music you love. It is staying warm, indoors on a rainy day. It is outwardly wishing for more, but unknowingly seeking less.
This is 15. This is me. Now.
15 is looking over the edge of a cliff. At the bottom of a mountain of the high school years ahead of you, you can see adulthood if you squint your eyes. You begin to look back on you 12 years old self like you were a completely different person, even though that was only three years back. You’ve hit a bump in the road of growing up, a bump that causes you to take a better look at the world around you.
15 is being grateful for the loyal friends you have. The ones who you know don’t talk behind your back, the ones who you can trust with a secret.
15 is when every birthday candle wish is for a winning lottery ticket.
At 15, adults stop looking as flawless and intimidating as they once did. You realise that’s just what they wanted you to think when you were younger, so that you would stay in you lane.
Fifteen is the very beginning of the teenage years (depending on how you look at it). You still don’t feel adjusted to this new stage of life. When you were little, you thought 11 and 12 year olds were teenagers. When you were 11, you thought 13 year olds were teenagers. By the time you were 13, you pushed the limit up to 15. Now that you’re at the latter age, you understand the pattern that’s going on here. You have no real choice that you’re one of them now, whether you feel it or not.
It is still liking your siblings and hating your parents. You don’t like being ordered around, or told who not to hang out with. Still, you appreciate your siblings for having your back.
Fifteen is becoming more aware of the world you live in. You know how to file your taxes (when you’ll eventually need to), you’ve learned a thing or two about driving a car, and you know how to apply to college. You aren’t looking forward to any of it.
At 15 your tolerance for bullies is higher than it should be. You care too much about what the people around you are thinking, what they’re saying behind your back. You too often blame yourself for the rude things they have to say.
It is ten months of slow, meandering school, and two months of short-lived summer. You never feel you can have enough time to catch your breath. In the end though, the five school days, two days-off pattern you get into in the winter, spring and fall, makes time pass by faster than you even notice.
15 is full of fleeting moments of parties and hangouts. Every time you plan to do something with your friends, the time passes by way too fast. Being the first one to leave makes you feel like an outcast, and being the last one to leave makes you feel like a loner.
It is taking pictures of sunsets, and skylines, and oceans. The world suddenly looks much prettier to you than it did before, and you try your best to capture ever sight of it.
15 is constantly trying to get your homework done as close to the due date as possible. Unfortunately, the part of your brain that handles time management is underdeveloped at this age, and you seek fun now, and work later. This results in a lot of stressful hours spent at 7:00 on a Sunday.
At 15, anyone five years younger than you is a kid, and anyone five years older than you is an adult. You understand that these two ages are equal distances apart, but that fact just doesn’t make sense to you.
At age 15, you still don’t understand it all, but you try not to worry about the future. You probably aren’t sure about what you want to be when you grow up, or what college you’ll go to, or how you’ll get in there. You figure there’s plenty of time between then and now to get it all sorted out.
It is closing your eyes at night and burying your mind in the music you love. It is staying warm, indoors on a rainy day. It is outwardly wishing for more, but unknowingly seeking less.
This is 15. This is me. Now.