The Girl Who Taught Me to Spell the Word 'Love'
In my 49 years on this planet, I have had the chance to meet some amazing people and make a lot of good friends. Some have lasted beyond time and circumstance, while others have ended naturally after school, or a move or job change.
A few ended painfully.
But there is one friend whose effect on me was so profound that I think of her often.
Carol and I were in the same afternoon kindergarten class. She was my ideal of what a girl should look and be like. Her long, brown hair hung down to her waist, and she possessed the all-American face I longed for myself. She had the ability to make friends easily and always managed to look neat and pretty.
If Carol was a polished pearl, I was a diamond in the rough.
I couldn't stay clean if I was kept under glass. My hair never looked right, no matter what my mom did to it, so I frequently sported an un-girlish pixie cut. And it wasn't always easy for me to make new friends, especially with other girls.
Unlike Carol, I couldn't color in the lines, glue anything neatly or cut a straight line to save my life. School never came easy for me, and kindergarten was no exception.
It wouldn't be until years later when my dyslexia was discovered that I knew why everything was such a struggle. But even at the age of 5, I knew something was wrong.
I never felt like a misfit when I was with her. She liked and accepted me for who I was. If someone smart and popular like her wanted to be my friend, how bad could I be?
One day, we were sitting ne...
Source: Healthy Living - The Huffington Post - Category: Consumer Health News Source Type: news