Coffee n' Conversations #10 - Unforgettable

Again this week we come to Monday and I am exhausted! But there is a reasonable explanation for it! We went on a spur of the moment camping trip this weekend. Stay tuned for my weekend update post for all the details on that! But that doesn't mean I am going to miss out on on the conversation this week with Lauren and Kalyn.

This week's Coffee and Conversation is: Who is your most unforgettable character and why?

When I first read the question I immediately thought of a book character. I also read Kalyn's post where she spoke about a real life person, and in order for me to not sound redundant and talk about the same people over and over (which I could do, but honestly I can see your eyes glazing over into the future) so I think I am going to go with a book character.

As a child I loved The Little Women, and the character Jo. She had such spunk and charisma that I could read it over and over. Her relationship with her sisters always made me long to have siblings, because I am an only child. It's such a classic story and one that I hold near to my heart. However this was not the book that stuck in my head as much as that one. It was "One Fat Summer" by Robert Lipsyte.

"One Fat Summer takes you through a summer of change for Bobby Marks, an overweight 14-year-old boy who wishes he were thin. Faced with nothing to do for the summer, Bobby gets a job from a stingy estate owner, Dr. Kahn. Working for Dr. Kahn, Bobby learns about hard work, determination, and pride. The only thing that can stop Bobby's productive summer is Willie Rumson, the town bully who seems to have it out for Bobby. Throughout the story, Bobby learns things about himself that he never knew before, and his view of summer changes drastically."

I related to the character immensely. I was an overweight adolescent that longed to be accepted by my peers. I was incessantly made fun of because of my red-hair and freckles, but that didn't stop me from doing the things I love and doing them well. Knowing that a job well done can make you feel proud and overcoming obstacles to get where you want to be makes you feel on top of the world. I was extremely shy and that did not help my peers from understanding me, however I eventually found that core group that truly understood me and made me feel better about who I was....inside and out.

Reading this book made me realize that I wasn't alone in the world of bullying. Today's standards of bullying are vastly different then when I was a child. With online social network profiles and cell phones, kids today have it really hard. We need to empower our children to stand up to bullying and try to help put an end to it as adults to. I was not the child that stood up for myself, I stayed in the shadows and eventually figured out who I was with the help of some close friends. It took a long time to do so, but knowing that your not alone does help. Other books that hold true to the power of friendships, empowerment and love are definitely the Harry Potter series. Overcoming obstacles and learning to be your true self is something that I think is very important for today's youth.