Courage

In the chapter where the other Wes Moore had to break the news to his mother about getting Alicia pregnant. I did put myself in his shoes and pictured the shame and disappointment he would feel with giving his mother such devastating news. Personally, I did have to break news to someone where I felt similar to Wes. 

 

 

 

In high school ( about sophomore year) I was not doing well in school due to some personal struggles I was going through. This was embarrassing for me at the time since my parents had told me that high school was supposed to be “the best four years of my life” but I felt extremely awkward and out of place which led to mental health issues which led to low grades and social anxiety. I remember at the time trying to hide this information from my parents, especially my mother because she had worked so hard to help provide for my siblings and I with her own success in getting her masters degree. There were a lot of feelings of guilt and shame which  led up to a personal breakdown in school the next year and I had a panic attack one morning around first period. This day was both a blessing and a curse. A curse at the time for me because the last thing I ever wanted to experience was a panic attack around peers but blessing  in the way it  forced me into talking to a great counselor at my school who helped me and this also helped me be honest with my mother about my mental health. My grades did improve from there and socially things got better for me. 

I relate to Wes Moore here in those difficult emotions that come up when speaking an uncomfortable truth especially when it is towards a parent. But there is truth in the infamous quote “the truth shall set us free”. I’m in a better mental space since that dark time in high school and speaking freely about it without judgment helped me heal and showed me the importance of speaking up for myself.