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“Bye Kai-ah, I’ll be home soon arasson” petting my pet dog head over once more before walking down to the kitchen to fetch my lunchbox my mum had prepared before going to her morning shift in the hospital along with my dad. My mum’s a nurse while my dad’s the hospital radiologist, both loving parents to an only child, me. Well, if you considered 2 dogs and a cat as children I guess, both of my parents are loving parents to 4 children.

Closing the front door, I took off walking down the familiar pavement towards my school in my school uniform. Saint George High School is one of the most, if not the best, high school in the country and only the richest and the smartest would be qualified to enter such prestigious school. Me? Well considering the average family background, I was blessed to have been offered a fully funded scholarship at the age of 11, skipping 3 years ahead and enter Year 10 after undergoing several tests and examination which, not to be cocky but it was rather easy.

Funny story really, I was actually supposed to enter Year 7 for stage 3 in secondary school with the entrance exam but since I scored full score on all the exams, the school higher ups suggested to my parents to take the opportunity to take the high school entrance exam instead.

It was a blessing really, to have one in a lifestime opportunity and I was thankful to be smart, people would usually be embarrassed of being a nerd, not me though, I’m proud of it, being smart meant that I have the chance to change the future for the better. Something that I extremely needed.

Now here I am, 16 years old, one of the youngest to attend the school in their final year walking on another Monday morning. The familiar old red brick building came into view as I looked over my watch that showed 7.29 a.m., it was at least an hour before class starts so the school ground was obviously empty as I walked through the empty hallway towards my next class, one of my favourite where I always feel safer. Coming inside the classroom, she was already seated in her desk, reading her daily newspaper while sipping her hot coffee from her mug.

“Good morning Mrs. Lisa” looking up from her newspaper as she looked over to my direction, “Oh good morning Jennie-ssi, here take this, I baked this yesterday, my husband had relentlessly pleaded me to bake these cookies for weeks now” her soft smiled gave me warmth as I approached her and took one, when I bite into it, I could tell how her husband would be crazy about it, it was bloody delicious and from the look of her face, I could tell that she was satisfied by my reaction.

“Kamsahamnida Mrs Lisa” bowing respectfully before taking my usual seat at the back by the window. Quietly pulling out my current book obsession written by Brene Brown, Rising Strong.

This has been my usual daily routine on weekdays, school days, morning class of calculus with Mrs Lalisa at 8.30 a.m. and while waiting for class to start, I would take my time to do one thing I’ll never get tired of, reading. It’s the only peaceful time I’ll have by myself in school to appreciate the beauty of literature and books, the time for me to escape from the harsh reality.

I define wholehearted living as engaging in our lives from a place of worthiness. It means cultivating the courage, compassion, and connection to wake up in the morning and think, no matter what gets done and how much is left undone, I am enough. It’s going to bed at night thinking, Yes, I am imperfect and vulnerable and so