|
Student Union
Kori Matsuura |
Head-banging experience
makes priorities evidentIt was a breezy day in October -- no, scratch that. It was another white-hair-pulling, coffee-drinking, busy day in October at Moanalua High School. I was sitting in my AP European History class, trying to figure out what Gustavus Adolphus did for Sweden in the Thirty Years War.
The bell rang. My mind clicked. Lunchtime. Mandatory Junior Class meeting. Scribbling frantically, I took one final hard stare at the test and bolted out the door. Oh, no, I'm late again! The treasury report ... need to pick that up. Hope the fund-raising chairs have something planned for the meeting ... what about Project Grad? I didn't finish my biology homework ... wonder when I'm going to do it ... do we have a lab today? Did I wear shoes? No time, no time, they should make lunch longer ...
Suddenly my foot lost traction. I struggled briefly, but the books I held prevented me from protecting myself with my hands. I fell hard, hitting my leg and my face with a burst of red dirt.
"Are you OK?" I had been staring at the ground for some time. There were fresh spots of blood on my history study guide. For a couple of milliseconds, I was not in control of my life. After the initial shock, I collected my thoughts.
Ack! The meeting! The treasury report! The fund-raising chairs! Project Grad! Noooooo! Thoughts of the important meeting ran through my head over and over again.
"Are you OK?" A boy had stepped out of a classroom and was looking curiously at my dazed expression, my ugly wounds and my scattered books. A small crowd gathered around me. As a kind girl handed me paper towels to stop the bleeding, I started to have another horrible thought. Ack! My poor, few brain cells! I just killed about a billion. How am I going to pass another history test? What about my biology homework? What about the SATs? Nooo! Quickly, I tried to remember. My name is Kori Matsuura. I go to Moanalua High School. I just took a long, hard test on Gustavus Adolphus and the Thirty Years War. Right. I breathed a sigh of relief. I felt my head for a bump. My fingers were met with a gash. Ack! I look like Harry Potter! How am I going to get a date for Winter Fantasy? Noooo!
Priorities are important to any teenager -- or any human being, for that matter. If it had happened to another girl, she might have been concerned that she might not be able to play soccer, or the likelihood of wearing a paper bag with holes cut out for the next few weeks. In this case, we can see that she cares about athletics and her appearance. If it happened to a boy, he might use it to show off his battle scars ("I fought this huge guy!").
In my case, you can readily see my priorities. The first was to the Moanalua High School Junior Class of 2005. My awesome juniors, who I will yell and scream for, even if I am the only one in the crowd yelling and screaming. The second was to my education. Yes, I am a nerd. I care about school and grades -- a lot. The third was to my image. Like almost every other person on Earth, I care about how I appear to other people. My priorities are a reflection of who I am.
Priorities are like short-term goals. They define who we are, our initial, gut reaction. Priorities eventually become internalized, and change into goals. They determine our thoughts, our actions and our future. Unfortunately, my future happened to be a missed meeting, a sore head and no Winter Fantasy date!
Kori Matsuura is at junior at Moanalua High School. She lives in Wahiawa.
Join the Student Union
Student Union is a forum for Hawaii's teenagers to tell the community what's on their minds and in their hearts. It appears every Thursday, starting today. We welcome opinions of no more than 700 words on any topic. Please include your name, address and phone number. E-mail to letters@starbulletin.com, fax to 529-4750 or mail to Student Union, Editorial Page, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., 7 Waterfront Plaza, Suite 210, Honolulu, HI 96813. For more information, contact Jeff Finney at 529-4735 or jfinney@starbulletin.com.
