i've sucessfully stopped cutting

by Micha
(Petoskey MI)

when i was about 14, i started to get really depressed. so i found cutting my own body as an escape. nobody ever knew. i was always happy. i have lots of friends. i enjoyed to laugh. but nobody knew i was dying and screaming on the inside. my home life was horrible. i love my family no doubt. but i have a step parent and he expects so much out of everybody all the time.

not until this past school, when i met my new best friend and i were on a school trip she happened to catch a glimpse of what i did to myself. she reached over and grabbed my arm, lifted my sleeve and looked at what i had done.

i looked into her eyes and she looked scared. her face was blank. she didnt know what to think. i said, "sara....i know i have a problem. but this is too hard to stop. this is my only escape from what life hands me."

sara sat there for a moment until her eyes finally sad something. they said, "i wanna help you." she hadn't said anything to me for the rest of the day.

at the end of the day, she came up to me with 4 pieces of paper in her hands. she took my sleeve rolled it up, and said "read these". then walked away.

on those papers, were 300 things she could think of off the top of her head that she loved about me. sitting there reading what somebody really thought of me was shocking. nobody ever told me what was so great about me. but sara did; she took the time to write down what she thought.

to this day i keep those papers with me all the time. sara really brightened my eyes. she showed me that there was something great about me, even when i didnt.


i've sucessfully stopped cutting on my own.
i still want to cut every single day.
but when i feel the need, i pull out that list.
sara is really my best friend and my voice of reason.