This I Believe: Change

Every year at ESK, eighth grade students share their “This I Believe” essays with their fellow classmates during Chapel. Students are tasked with sharing a life lesson they have learned with the student body. According to the “This I Believe” organization website, students are encouraged to “start by telling a compelling story about how you came to hold an important personal belief—something that guides your daily living.” The talks are based on the “This I Believe” radio show hosted by Edward R. Murrow more than 50 years ago. Students all over the country – and the world – participate in the “This I Believe” project each year. ESK will feature several of these essays, including today’s from eighth grader Maddie Talmadge. 

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Gandhi said,“Be the change you wish to see in the world.”

I moved to Cashiers, North Carolina when I was 7.

My sisters and I were excited about the house because it had a big stream in the back yard.

My parents found us in it before they could turn around.

We explored the crystal clear water that felt refreshing on our ankles.

The stream went far back into the woods two opposite ways.

The left side of the stream was our favorite; it was more shaded and was surrounded by trees that hung over us and formed a tunnel.

But what really made it our favorite were the sounds of the birds and the water lightly flowing over the rocks.

It was peaceful.

A little bit farther ahead, there was a place that had a little beach, a big mossy rock, an area with two lawn chairs on it, and a waterfall.

We decided that it would be a good idea to divide the place so that each of us could have our own land.

Rylie, my older sister wanted the mossy rock and named it “Rye-land.”

Lily, my younger sister, chose the tiny beach and named it “Lilypad,”

and I chose the land with the chairs and called it “Madagascar.”

We went back often. Eventually there was an addition to the family, and it was our dog Satchmo.

He is the black lab that you have probably seen around school.

He’s a water dog, so of course he loved the stream.

We named a pond after him; its name was “Satchmo Lake.”

At this time it seemed like a lake because he was only a puppy.

Soon, the leaves hanging over the stream on the trees started to change colors.

They were no longer that ripe color green that always made the air smell fresh. Since it was fall and winter, the stream turned colder and we took a break from it. Instead we would hang up our eno over the stream and watch the leaves fall overhead.

One of my favorite memories is when we would have a campfire out next to the stream.

There was a stone fire pit with chairs, and we would always have s’mores.

The conversations we had were definitely memorable.

Spring and then summer came slowly afterward.

It was a tradition that on the 4th of July we always had a duck race in the stream. We had a big collection of random plastic ducks.

Every duck was different: one was a fireman, one was a snorkeler, one was a princess, (that was the one Lily chose every time).

We chose our ducks and then everyone made a course out of the rocks and sand. We dropped them in the stream, and they were off to the finish line.

will never forget how much fun we had!

After that, we never really went back to Lilypad, Rye-land and Madagascar that much anymore.

The day before my family moved here to Knoxville, Rylie, Lily and I went back one last time.

Things had drastically changed.

The trip there definitely didn’t seem as long as it used to.

Everything was smaller.

Then I realized we had grown; we had changed since the last time we were there.

 

When my parents first told us about moving to Tennessee,

I will admit, my red hair temper came out, and I was scared.

I knew I would have to leave my old friends, but it was the unknown that scared me the most.

My dad and I traced the creek in our backyard on a map, and discovered it was a headwater to the French Broad River.

You all may know the French Broad meets the Holston River just east of Knoxville, and together they make the Tennessee River.

This connection with the Tennessee River and our stream was shocking,

Our symbol that we didn’t want to leave would still be with us because of the connections.

Just like the stream in the backyard, we didn’t know what would be around the next corner, but did know that things would be different.

Just a short time later, right around the bend in my life, I discovered a great place with a great school. It was Knoxville.

I am learning that wonderful places like Lilypad, Rye-land, Satchmo Lake, and Madagascar also exist downstream.

All of these components lead to the idea that the change in my life wasn’t as scary as what I thought it would be. With faith, good things will come, and for me, they did.

My family is now living a whole new and great life, in a new place.

We love it here in Knoxville.

Ironically, our new home here has a BIG stream in the back yard. So our sentimental symbol is still with us in a way.

My sisters and I have met great new friends, and people.

And I will always be grateful for the kindness shared with my family and me through this transition.

When you walk away from something, it is a goal to hope you have done good in the world.

You won’t be able to go right back to where you left it.

So make the best choices.

Change is never a bad thing; in fact, it builds a better mindset to be prepared for challenges that may occur in your life.

Things will move on, people will move on, and even you will move on.

We will always change whether it’s our growth, our schools, and our minds, so embrace it as an exciting journey and you will find wonderful treasures.

Try your best to succeed for the world, and good will come.

“Be the change you wish to see in the world.”

-This I Believe.