I'll never forget when my school's superintendent came over the loudspeaker and said, "We are taking away everything that makes your high school experience enjoyable." I'll admit, that's not what he said, but that is how it felt. The musical that my friends and I had worked on for months was canceled. Homecoming and prom were canceled. I was no longer able to have meaningful interactions with my friends during passing periods or at lunch. My band concerts and my senior volleyball games were also canceled. When it felt as if the world and MY world were falling apart, that everything I loved was being taken from me, it was hard to find joy. I have always been a joyful person, known for my unwavering smile, but being joyful during this time was a struggle. If there was anything good that came from the COVID-19 pandemic it was that I and many others learned through necessity how to find joy in the little things. A cup of coffee with the perfect amount of creamer, a walk with my dogs, sunshine, dinner with my family. These are only a few examples of things that brought me great joy during and now after the COVID-19 pandemic. These are the things that I may have never appreciated to the extent that I do now. I am yet a very joyful person, but I am no longer reliant on others or things to make me joyful. I am able to find joy in every circumstance that I encounter in life and I hope that I can inspire others to do the same.

I never could have imagined the impact that the book, The Richest Man in Babylon would have on my life. The front cover of the book says, “More than two million books sold,” and my great uncle, Larry, claims to have purchased over half of them. My great uncle gives these books to all of the teenagers in his life as a sort of “coming of age” present. He gifts the book with a $50 bookmark that you can spend (or save) once you finish the book, and offers you a lunch to discuss the book. This book has countless pockets of invaluable information. Reading the book taught me about the seven rules of money and many other life lessons but the most helpful piece of advice was that “what each of us calls our 'necessary expenses' will always grow to equal our incomes unless we protest to the contrary”. This quote reminds me to always save my money even when I am in a season of earning more, and could afford to spend more. Saving money for things like my education will mean more to me in the long run.