Read Taste of Chicken Soup for the Teenage Soul III Online
Authors: Jack Canfield
F
ace your deficiencies and acknowledge them; but do not let them master you. Let them teach you patience, sweetness, insight.
Helen Keller
Six years ago, I went blind. Due to a severe herpes simplex virus in my eyes, I lost one of my most precious possessions: my eyesight. Tiny cold sores covered the surface of my eyes, scarring my cornea. I wasn't allowed to stand in direct sunlight or even in a brightly lit room. The light would penetrate my eyelids and cause too much pain. At the age of seventeen, I was unprepared to find myself in a dark world. Who would I be without my ability to see?
All I wanted throughout the entire summer was to be able to see people. What new cute bathing suit styles was everyone wearing? Who had cut their hair or dyed it Âpurple? I would have a conversation with someone and realize that I had no idea what facial expressions he was making. I no longer had the ability to make eye contact, a privilege I had taken for granted before. I longed to talk with my eyes. I just wasn't whole without my vision.
My parents became my sole support system. Hoping for a miracle, they took me to an eye specialist every day. No one was sure if I would ever completely recover, and if so, how long the healing process would take. Meanwhile, Mom and Dad adjusted their own lives in order to keep my spirits up. They would take me to baseball games and out to dinnerâanything to get me out of the house. However, going places was difficult. I had to wear eye patches and dark sunglasses to ease the pain of bright light. As a seventeen-year-old, this wasn't exactly the fashion statement I was trying to make.
My parents had to take care of me everywhere. At restaurants they ordered my food, arranged it on the table, and then explained where everything was on my plate so I could finally eat it. My fifteen-year-old brother took this opportunity to rearrange the food on my plate. My mom was amazing. Each day she would brush my hair and lay out a decent looking outfit so I could walk out of the house with a little bit of pride. She was determined to keep my self-esteem as high as possible. I relied on my mom to make me feel pretty. At an age when I should have been gaining my independence, I found myself becoming increasingly dependent on my parents.
I wasn't able to drive or visit my friends. Movies were completely out of the question. Life seemed to just go on without me, as if I was never there. Fortunately, I had a wonderful friend who knew how to make me feel special. Donny and I had dated a couple of times before I lost my vision, but at that time we were just friends. He would come to my house to sit and talk with me. If the TV were on, he'd watch and I'd listen. One time, Donny took me to a baseball barbecue and introduced me to all of his friends. I had never been so happy in my entire life. He didn't care that I couldn't see his friends. He held my hand proudly and led me around. I may not have been able to see all the people I met that day, but their voices are clear in mind. I can still separate whose laughter belonged to whom. When I close my eyes now and try to remember that day, I mostly see darkness. But I can still smell the sausage and brisket cooking on the grill. I can hear the happiness around me and Donny's voice saying, “This is my girlfriend, Talina.”
I slowly began to make progress toward the end of the summer. Little by little, I was able to open my eyes. My vision was still blurred but this achievement called for a celebration. My parents were still concerned and Donny continued to stay by my side. Then I began to worry,
Will I have to start my senior year wearing my thick glasses that everyone still refers to as Coke bottles?
I didn't want to think about it. August crept up on me, though, and I started school with limited vision and thick glasses. As I walked through the halls, I struggled to look confident. I had a harder time cheering at pep rallies and football games. My lack of clear vision and Âconcern with my physical appearance took the fun out of everything that I used to love. My level of self-confidence had diminished to an unrecognizable point.
At a time in my life when I expected my only concern to be to have fun, I was learning a powerful lesson. I could no longer rely on appearance to make me feel better about myself. I had to go deeper. With the support of my family and friends, I realized that feeling good about who I am on the inside is far more important. Believing that I can overcome the obstacles that I face is crucial. My identity Âwasn't my thick glasses. My identity was my inner strength. This inner strength allowed me to love life even when I was unable to see it. Losing my eyesight could not take away my ability to hear the voices of the people who love me. It could not steal away the fresh smell of morning or the lingering aroma of my mom's cooking. Most important, my loss could never take from me the feel of my boyfriend's hand around my own.
Six years later, I continue to need steroid eyedrops to keep the virus from reoccurring. The scar tissue is slowly improving. Recently, I began to wear both contacts, which is a huge accomplishment. A day doesn't go by that I am not thankful for my progress and the lesson I learned. I am incredibly thankful for my special friend who visited me, introduced me as his girlfriend and is now my husband.
I am currently preparing for my first year of teaching. I think about which of my personal qualities I might be able to share with my students. I know how difficult it is to grow up and I want my students to believe that I understand them. If I can't teach them anything else, I hope I can get across the lesson that changed my teenage experience: True beauty is not about what you see on the outside but what you feel, sense and love from within.
Talina Sessler-Barker
Jack Canfield is one of America's leading experts in the development of human potential and personal effectiveness. He is both a dynamic, entertaining speaker and a highly sought-after trainer. Jack has a wonderful ability to inform and inspire audiences toward increased levels of self-esteem and peak performance.
In addition to the
Chicken Soup for the Soul
series, Jack has coÂauthored numerous books, including his most recent release,
The Success Principles, How to Get From Where You Are to Where You Want to Be
with Janet Switzer,
The Aladdin Factor
with Mark Victor Hansen,
100 Ways to Build Self-Concept in the Classroom
with Harold C. Wells,
Heart at Work
with Jacqueline Miller and
The Power of Focus
with Les Hewitt and Mark Victor Hansen.
Jack is regularly seen on television shows such as Good Morning America, 20/20 and NBC Nightly News.
For further information about Jack's books, tapes and training programs, or to schedule him for a presentation, please contact:
Self-Esteem Seminars
P.O. Box 30880
Santa Barbara, CA 93130
Phone: 805-563-2935
Fax: 805-563-2945
In the area of human potential, no one is better known and more respected than Mark Victor Hansen. For more than thirty years, Mark has focused solely on helping people from all walks of life reshape their personal vision of what's Âpossible.
He is a sought-after keynote speaker, bestselling author and marketing maven. Mark is a prolific writer with many bestselling books such as
The One Minute Millionaire, The Power of Focus, The Aladdin Factor
and
Dare to Win,
in addition to the
Chicken Soup for the Soul
series.
Mark has appeared on Oprah, CNN and The Today Show, and has been featured in
Time, U.S. News & World Report, USA Today, New York Times
and
Entrepreneur
and countless radio and newspaper interviews.
As a passionate philanthropist and humaniÂtarian, he has been the recipient of numerous awards that honor his entrepreneurial spirit, philanthropic heart and business acumen.
For further information on Mark's products and services, please contact:
Mark Victor Hansen & Associates, Inc.
P.O. Box 7665
Newport Beach, CA 92658
Phone: 949-764-2640
Fax: 949-722-6912
FREE resources online at:
Kimberly is the president and founder of Inspiration and Motivation for Teens, Inc. (I.A.M. for Teens, Inc.) a corporation formed entirely to work with and for teens and cofounder of the Teen Letter Project (T.L.P.), a group of teens responsible for answering the thousands of heartfelt letters received from teenagers. It is her strong belief that teens deserve recognition, a more positive image and better treatment within our Âsociety.
When she is not writing, Kimberly spends her time working for the empowerment of teenagers and the improvement of teen education. She has appeared as a teen consultant on television and radio shows, including Geraldo, MSNBC, Fox Family Channel's Parenting 101 and the Terry Bradshaw Show.
Kimberly is the author of the bestselling Teen Love series. She is coÂauthor of the
New York Times
bestseller,
Chicken Soup for the Teenage Soul;
the
New York Times
number-one bestseller
Chicken Soup for the Teenage Soul II; Chicken Soup for the Teenage Soul Journal
and
Chicken Soup for the College Soul
. She is also coauthor of
Chicken Soup for the Parent's Soul
. Contact Kim at:
I.A.M. for Teens, Inc.
P.O. Box 936 ⢠Pacific Palisades, CA 90272
phone: 310-573-3655 ⢠fax: 310-573-3657
e-mail for stories and letters:
Web site:
www.teenagechickensoup.com
If you would like to contact any of the contributors for information about their writing or would like to invite them to speak in your community, look for their contact information included in their biography.
Sarah Barnett
is a student and freelance writer in Ft. Worth, Texas. She has written many poems and other works for various publications including The National Library of Poetry and the Iliad Press. Her story was told to continually remind herself and others that such a simple thing, brought on by a Âsimple person, can conquer so much. There are no limits. She can be reached via e-mail at
[email protected]
.
Michele Bender
is a freelance writer in New York City. She has written for many publications, including the
New York Times, Glamour, Jump, Cosmopolitan, Cosmo Girl, Ladies' Home Journal, Fitness
and
Marie Claire
. She can be reached via e-mail at
[email protected]
.
Michelle Wallace Campanelli
is a national bestselling author. She was born on the Space Coast of Florida where she still resides with her husband, Louis. She is a graduate of Melbourne High School, Writers' Digest School and Keiser College. She is the author of
Hero of Her Heart,
by Blue Note Books and
Margarita,
by Hollis Books. She is also a short-story author in several nationally distributed anthologies published by Simon and Schuster's
Chocolate For a Woman's Heart
series. She has always enjoyed writing and painting as outlets for artistic expression. Currently, she is working on the sequel to
Margarita
. She can be reached via e-mail at
[email protected]
.
Sydney Fox
was born on November 1, 1982 in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Her parents' ministry to the homeless and the poor moved the family to the Washington, D.C. area. Helping the needy sparked her writing desires. It transformed daily journal entries into inspirational anecdotes about poverty's struggles. She works in a camera store and hopes to couple photography with her writings. She loves drama, plays the violin and cello and sings. She's planning her future and college major.
Lisa Rothbard
is a seventeen-year-old senior in high school. She has been involved with the
Chicken Soup for the Teenage Soul
series since she was thirteen. She can be reached via e-mail at
[email protected]
.
Talina Sessler-Barker
, age twenty-three, graduated in 1998 from the University of Texas where she was a member of the Longhorn Cheerleading Squad. She currently teaches language arts and coaches cheerleading at Leander Middle School, while seeking her masters of education degree from Southwest Texas University. Her goal is to help young people realize that true beauty lies within themselves. She resides in Leander, Texas with her husband Donny.
Jane Denitz Smith
is the author of two young adult novels,
Mary by Myself
(1994), and
Charlie Is a Chicken
(1998), both published by HarperCollins Publishers, and both Harper Trophy paperbacks. She is also the author of a board book,
Baby and Kitty and Mommy and Daddy
(Workman Publishing, 1994) and has written several plays, as well as novels. She writes and teaches in Williamstown, Massachusetts, where she lives with her husband and three children.
Elizabeth Stumbo
will graduate as a member of the class of 2000. She participates in sports, scenery for school and community theaters, and is editor of her high-school yearbook. She hopes to pursue a career in the arts and communications field. She can be reached at P.O. Box 338, Ogden, IA 50212.
Julia Travis
is a high-school junior in Livonia, Michigan, where she is class president and a member of the soccer team. Her work has been published in
A Celebration of Michigan's Young Poets
â1999. She would like to thank the friends who have always been there for her. She can be reached via e-mail at
[email protected]
.
Cecile Wood
is a British citizen, studying at the College of William and Mary in Virginia. She is currently doing a semester abroad in Buenos Aires, Argentina. She is grateful to
Chicken Soup for the Soul
for giving her a chance to share her stories.