#DontConform

In my previous blog, I talk about how easily it is for some people to conform to a lifestyle that they are constantly surrounded by because it may appear to them as if it’s a normal way of life, especially for those who don’t know any better.

​My reaction to my raw and tainted circumstances physically manifested itself through illness. I suffered with fever, chills, headache, sore throat, canker sores, weakness, and dizziness. The lifestyle I was surrounded by on a constant basis made me feel emotionally and physically drained. I didn’t want to move, speak, or function anymore. At the tender age of 10 years old, I had become fed up with living this way. My mind, body, and soul would not allow me to conform to society the way others had. I didn’t know what better looked like at the time, but I knew that the environment that I lived in sure as hell wasn’t it!
 
Several homes were like mine, where crack smokers congregated in kitchens to get high while their children played or slept 10 feet away from them. Unfortunately, the families and kids I played or visited with had become immune to this lifestyle and got along as if it was a normal part of life. They accepted their parents behavior and didn’t expect more from them. It was very peculiar to me why I couldn’t conform and just be okay with it, too. It seemed like I was the only one who thought it was wrong to live this way. I was never okay with it and I was highly disappointed at my parents’, and the adults in my community, for their negligence and selfish behaviors. At the mere age of 10 years old, I chose to be different. I refused to conform to an unhealthy lifestyle and unhealthy behavior. I chose to be better!
 
Never accept what you know is not okay. For any youth or child facing similar circumstances or any circumstance you know and feel isn’t ok, seek help. Do not except these conditions as normal. Find a responsible adult and inform someone at your school about your living situation. You don’t have to be a product of your environment. Be Better!