My Chicken Soup Excerpt

Most of m

y students will be surprised to hear this... but I was in high school once. Actually, it wasn't that long ago in the grand scheme of things. If my math is correct, I was in 9th grade when my students were about 4 or 5 years old. And they would have been 5 or 6 when I had my heart broken for the first time.

It was the Monday after the musical I was in wrapped, and my boyfriend at the time was gracious enough to wait until it was over to break up with me. With my arm in a sling (I had dislocated my shoulder during the show that weekend--yikes!) I skipped out of first hour with a cheerful smile, ready for him to meet me by my classroom, as he always did. Of course Eric was there, but he wasn't smiling. "Come with me, we need to talk." I'd seen enough movies. Oh crap. I skipped class for the first time ever, and we spent all of second hour breaking up, and I spent all of third hour crying. He had met a girl at the fast food restaurant he worked at. It was over between us.

Panicked about my inability to quit crying, I stumbled to my drama teacher and theatre director, Mr. Shafer. I explained what happened and told him I couldn't stop crying, no matter what I did. "Um... Okay, well you can chill out here, and I'll write you a pass. Just fill out the time when you're ready to go back to class. It'll be ok." He left to go do something. I was left alone to sulk on an old, but comfy tweed couch. Didn't he know how badly I was hurting? How my whole world was crumbling? I was grateful, but he didn't seem THAT concerned. I took a nap, and I woke up accepting that this is why people make movies about heartbreak. It's surreal.

Looking back, I genuinely laugh. Of course it all felt real, and the pain was exceptional, but 15-year-old me had no idea that Eric would be the first of many broken hearts, and she certainly didn't know how strong she would be someday. As I watch my teenage sisters experience the same pain and growth, I understand Mr. Shafer not making my heartbreak into such a big deal. Sure, the pain I felt, that they feel now, ruled my world in 2010--but the strength I've gained has made me grateful for every miserable experience I endured. Someday, they will feel that too.

#life #hope