Staring. Waiting. The small, square door stands still while the inside spins round and round like the propeller on a boat. The thump, thump, thump of the dryer has a loyal beat. My fingers run through the round, red rug as I sit there. Just waiting.

I tear my sight off the door to see my sister enter the room. She looks at me, shakes her head, and leaves, muttering the words “try-hard” as she does. I understand her disgust and confusion, because this is a strange activity for a first grader. Well, actually for any kid. Finding someone that enjoys chores is as likely as finding a Wisconsinite that doesn’t like cheese. It’s a rare phenomenon.

My head snaps back to the dryer as the thump, thump, thump slowly dies. It’s time. I jump up and crack open the door. The instant warmth curdles my excitement. I reach for the clean, dry clothes and delicately place them into the bin. While carrying them to my room, I take a break in the middle as my shaky arms gain their strength.

I take out a fresh, yellow t-shirt and lightly fold it as if it was made out of a thin piece of paper. I look at my final work and my face turns into a grimace. This isn’t the best I can do. So I start from scratch hoping I can accomplish a better outcome. While focusing, I finish better than the first attempt. Yet the sleeves look asymmetrical and there is a strange crease in the bottom corner. However, this was improvement for my naive, first-grade hands. And improvement is better than settling for something under my potential. This is continued for the rest of the clothes while I place them in piles based on their ownership.

This is the job that was entrusted to me. I, Aubre, was given the job to fold the clothes, and I couldn’t be prouder.

This ‘give 100 percent effort’ attitude of mine has grown with me ever since a young age. Along with that I still crave the responsibility and anything that is less than my best just isn’t good enough. To me dedication and responsibility is more valuable than settling and just hoping to be better.