Zachary

Given the chance to meet another Zachary, I wouldn’t be so slow to approach them. The things I could learn from someone who’s never known the luxuries of a cell phone or computer are immense. I looked at myself, who had brand new Calvin Klein Jeans and a stylish Guess watch, and I thought I was happy. He was deaf to our taunting, blind to our stares, and chagrined by our pettiness. Their message is to be happy with who you ultimately are. In this new journey that lies ahead of me, I am ready for the next Zachary. No longer in the corner, he moved to Tennessee. But he has inspired me to be open and accepting with others and most of all, happy with myself. Society’s label on him as an outcast had little effect on Zachary, because he was perfectly content with himself no matter what label you were to tape on his back. Yet, even at that tender age of twelve, I could see that Zachary H had found the true meaning of happiness.

What amazed me about Zachary H, for his name will forever be carved into the walls of my mind, was that he was able to look past a poverty that would have crippled many adolescents during that time. Leaving my mind in a whirlwind, I longed to talk to him and to learn whatever he had to teach me.

For now, Zachary H is just a memory. Behind your clothes, your group of friends, and your bank account is this being, a soul worth knowing.