Destiny Taylor

Professor MaryLouise Hill

ENG 200 05

September 16, 2016

Respect

In life I believe it’s important to be the best person you can be, live up to your potential. To always treat the people around you the way you would want to be treated; with respect. Be kind to whomever you encounter, because you never know if you may need them one day.

I’ve always believed “do onto others what you would want done to you”, but it was never made as clear as it today. I would like to share what strengthened this belief; at the age of nineteen I became pregnant with my now one-year-old son. Being only nineteen and pregnant, there weren’t many people I could lean on, or ask for assistance. Although I did have a wonderfully supportive family, my friends were even more supportive.

Throughout my pregnancy I had several complications, in and out of the hospital way more than a normal pregnancy. Being that I had a high risk pregnancy, I always had a constant fear of losing my baby. I was dealing with a lot of emotional ups and downs and stresses. I was overworking myself to make sure I had everything for my son when he came home. Walking almost two miles to work every morning, it doesn’t seem like much but when you’re pregnant it’s a lot on your body.

I couldn’t get through it by myself, my family and friends stepped in, they gave me rides when I needed them helped me around, back and forth to appointments. Before I became pregnant I did everything I could possible for my family. I was always there to babysit, letting them borrow things, as well as emotionally and have always been respectable.

I pride myself in this belief I know it’s a part of others beliefs as well, but it means more to me. When I actually did have my son, I had him early at twenty-eight weeks; he was just 2 lbs. and 8oz. The hardest part for me was leaving the hospital without my baby, I cried for days. I made sure I went and saw him every day he was there for two months straight. My family visited but my friends were there every day with me like he was their own. Now that he’s one years old nothing has changed I still have wonderful family and friends. They are there for us as much as possible, and there’s nothing I appreciate more.

I have had such a large impact on the people around me, that in my time of need I actually have people I can depend on, because they were able to do the same when they needed me.