"I feel your compliments like bullets on skin"-Olivia Rodrigo. Compliments are a fickle thing. it is impossible to know if a person is being truthful, and I guess that's why I never take them seriously. I don't want to believe in them because I'm scared of the person I might become. From a very young age, kids are often seen as liars, and I was no exception. I remember the first time my mom beat me: my sister ate my mom's personal snacks in her room, and blamed me. I tried to defend myself, but in the end, she didn't believe me. Simple things like that labeled me the 'liar' of the family, even though I truly wasn't (most of the time, eating Halloween candy FOR ME was different than eating someone else's food). As I grew older the label became true,. I started to lie about little things-white lies, fibs. Like telling people I had a Iphone when, in reality, my family was too poor to even own a TV. It became a cycle: people would believe the lie, I wouldn't get caught, and the lies grew bigger. I was beginning to test the limits. Eventually, they became too big. By middle school, I truly think I had become an evil person. I had a friend group that thought they were on top of the world, and they were a very mean group but popular. I became friends with them by essentially integrating and adapting their ways, which included talking behind peoples backs. This combined with my habit of lying created a ugly monster. I would compliment people to their face, then turn around and spread rumors, spin the truth on something small. In truth, I was always jealous. I was a bully. I didn't just experience hardship--I became it for other people. Of course, I had a bad home life, and got so caught up in everything it became a way to distract myself from my abusive mom. Eventually, everything came to a standstill. COVID happened, and I stayed home 24/7. Without my usual coping mechanism, I found a new one: self-harm. I'll spare the details, but around January of 2019 I was sent to a mental hospital. There, I met my best friend, who had been admitted because she was horribly bullied. Her story made me realize the harm I had caused, and I felt, still do, deeply ashamed. I moved away, but before I left I apologized to everyone I hurt and told them the truth of what I had done. Now, in my senior year of high-school, because of my own actions, I can never take a compliment with ease. I can't shake the anxiety that the beautiful people kindly complimenting me, might be monsters just like I was, and without my armor of lies, the guilt hits like bullets. Deep down, I truly feel like I don't deserve it.

The primary cause of food waste in my community is that society has normalized it. Throwing food away has become a routine, and many people don't think twice about it. To address this issue, is to break a cycle and create a new social standard. Change should start small, and it should come first with oneself. For example, instead of throwing away less than satisfactory food: offer it to someone else who could use it-even a stray dog would be better. Then once making it a habit for oneself, start influencing those around (family members, friends, coworkers, etc). Although changing habits across an entire community may take months or even years, small consistent efforts can lead to long-term impact. One effective way to promote these changes is through the hidden gem of the century called social media. Make it a trend, take it worldwide. People are very simple minded, and everyone falls for those fake health guru gunk, so why not use the same tactic. When the internet sees others making these seemingly life changing choices, they may feel motivated to do the same. Still, reducing food waste starts with awareness and small intentional actions. Adopt habit into what's considered normal, and boom, an environmentally friendly standard. Underlying this is the issue of over-purchasing and poor planning. It is extremely common for households in my community to buy more food sales, and bulk deals, because Louisiana is home to soul food and huge crock pot cooking. As a result there is left-over food sitting in the refrigerator that my mom says everyone will eat, but never do. This starts to shift away from individual habits and becomes a plain lack of awareness regarding proper food storage and expiration understanding. Uncommon fact: many foods are still safe to consume even after its expiration date- No, this does not include dairy product, trust me, don't chance it. This is where education plays a key role. Schools, community programs, and even local social media (face-book groups, news outlets, instagram posts) could teach basic meal planning skills, portion control, and food storage. For example, letting food cool down all the way, before putting left-overs in an airtight container and freezing reduces bad bacteria from getting in and extends their shelf life. Additionally, local governments and organizations could create regulations with grocery stores to promote better food safety and environmental awareness. This can range anywhere from a set number of items based on the amount of people in a family to strict no more than one bulk item per person (if it truly gets bad enough in my community. Though simple reminders, like creating a shopping list or checking what is already at home can make a big difference over time. Food waste in my community is largely driven by normalized behavior, poor planning, and lack of awareness. However by starting with small personal changes, education and then community-wide efforts, this issue can be significantly reduced. In short, by making mindful choices, while influencing others can shift what is considered "normal" and create a more sustainable and responsible community.