Dare to Make A Difference

It's not always easy to stand up for what you believe, but you can sure change a lot of lives.

Have you noticed how many teens wear the baggy shorts that are always falling down around their hips? It made me think of my days in junior high when we had to conform to a strict dress code. Girls wore a skirt and blouse, or a dress.

My friend Susan was always complaining about how cold her legs were, and while the rest of us were sympathetic, we knew the principal was a miserable old crank, and when it came to rules, it was his way or the highway.

Finally, Susan couldn’t take it anymore and showed up for class one day in a pair of pants. When she walked into class you could have heard a pin drop it was so quiet. While we admired her plucky spirit, we knew it was only a matter of time before the hammer dropped.

The PA system crackled to life summoning Susan to the office IMMEDIATELY! Her reward for following her convictions: she was booted off campus and told not to show her face again until she was in compliance with the dress code.

So, that was the end of that, or was it? Susan returned to class a few days later, and the dress code didn’t change that year. However, it started a conversation among the school bigwigs. Maybe Susan had a point, and it wouldn’t be the end of the world if girls could wear a nice pair of slacks and blouse.

Gradually the dress code changed, and now kids choose what to wear and more emphasis is put on just getting them to show up for class.

How many times have you wanted to take a stand for something you believed in, but were afraid people would make fun of you, or like Susan, you would be the only person standing up for what you believed in? Dare to make a difference. You may change a lot of lives, but the biggest change will be in your own.

Reviews

[D Connolly]

Pat, this is a great story, I love it because I am forever getting funny looks (and when I was younger getting in trouble) for doing what I feel in my heart to be right for me. Whether it's dressing a certain way or body modification (I have lots of tattoos and my own personal reasons for wanting them), standing up for someone who's getting picked on, or eating a vegetarian diet... I mean, people can make judgments about others for any old reason these days. I like your viewpoint because it's so different. Imagining that a girl wearing pants could cause such an uproar! I want to make a difference in this world, so I love that you wrote about this