The bus ride came to an end as we approached the school forest. I couldn’t remember the last time I had been to Brush Lake, but I was excited to be spending a morning outside instead of in school. We all started our journeys on the trail walking in a big group at first but splitting up as we continued further. I reached a secluded area by the lake where the sun peaked out over the trees. I chose to set up my hammock there.

The water was calm but not still, and it reflected on the trees around me. The trees across the lake were in their beginning stage of changing color. There were mostly still greens along with some yellows and oranges. One tree, in particular, caught my eye.

In the midst of all the yellows and greens stood a red tree. It wasn’t the most vibrant red, but it was bright enough to stand out to me.

When I looked at this red tree I felt that there was some kind of connection between the two of us. In a forest full of greens and yellows this tree stood out. But it only stood out because it was changing faster than the rest of the trees. Some of the trees were close to the same color, but not the same.

As fall turns to winter, all the deciduous trees will eventually lose their leaves. During winter they will all look the same. Come spring they will blossom at their own rate, and for a period of time they will all share similar looks. When fall arrives again, the red tree will become red again, and the others will take on their green and yellow.

Sometimes I feel that I have changed, like the tree, a little quicker than some people around me. Because of this, I sometimes feel alone. This past summer I worked almost everyday, and my shifts would last almost all day. It didn’t leave me with much room to hang out with friends unless we hung out at 1 a.m. I wasn’t bothered by the fact I couldn’t spend as much time with friends as I wanted because I knew making money was important. It did bother some of my friends though, and they would get frustrated when I was unable to join them for a day at the lake. I felt bad when I had to reject invitations, but I needed to prioritize. I had important things to save money for like college, and it annoyed me that my friends didn’t respect that.

I know that there are many people who feel the same way I do. There were multiple trees that shared almost the same color as the red tree. But the red tree, she and I were the same. Both scared of growing up too fast. Both scared of looking different, thinking different, and acting different. In high school, the more different you are the scarier it can be. The more you stand out the more people will look at you and watch what you do. This adds more judgement to your life. People have an opinion about everything, and many people think it’s important they voice their opinion whether it be kind or not. In my opinion the red tree was pretty, but not everyone likes red.

As the sun came out more, the other trees cast shadows over the red tree making it not as visible. But when the sun was behind the clouds, the red returned to its original vibrance. The shadows were like negative words coming from other people. They were rumors other people heard about you. They were the reason you got all those stares when you walked down the hallway. All anyone could see was the shadows. They didn’t know what color you really were.

The forest was a world of its own. Filled with trees of different shapes, sizes, and colors. Just as the world is full of people of different shapes, sizes, and colors. No tree is exactly the same. They change at their own pace. The red tree realizes this. She knows that even though it may seem like she’s the only one that feels alone, the other trees feel the same.