Newton's First Law of Motion

The author.

Newton’s First Law of Motion states that an object in motion tends to stay in motion in the same direction unless acted upon by an external force. For me the event that changed my course and speed so drastically was bullying. Until this summer I was a very confident teenage girl. I did not let silly things bother me because I knew what I wanted to do with my life. I have my life planned out; I am very meticulous.

Well, this summer changed my attitude completely and changed my outlook on the world. However, I definitely gained some important and useful knowledge from this experience. 

I was bullied this summer by anonymous people. It all started with a rumor that I was pregnant, which was strictly a rumor, but no one listened to me when I said I was not pregnant. I received harassing phone calls almost daily telling me how worthless I was, asking me about the baby (that did not exist), and they even wrote very humiliating things on my car.  I was being torn down by a rumor that was in no way true.

I usually did not let things like this get to me, but I was never under this much scrutiny before. Before this happened I was a very social and outgoing person, but while this harassment was going on, I changed. I refused to leave my house, I was miserable, and I did not know what to do. For once in my life, I was at a loss for ideas on how to help me advance in my life, until I finally realized how hard I was being on myself.

​Being harassed this summer did not only change me in a negative way, it changed me in a positive way as well. While I was spending every minute punishing myself, I realized that I was helping no one, especially not myself.

That is when I decided to initiate my very own project to help the school. I took it into my own hands to start a bully-prevention program in my home town of Bayfield, Colorado. I am talking to victims, bullies, and individuals who are perhaps both, and I am getting their input on the situation of bullying. I am also getting input from several large organizations such as Second Wind Fund, Safe2Tell, and many others.

I want kids to realize the impacts of bullying and the cruelty it causes. Bullying does not only affect the victim; everyone is involved and is affected in some way.

My goal is for people to realize this. I am looking for personal accounts, stories, and any other resources that could possibly help with my project. If you or your organization can offer any assistance or input, please contact me. 

My life was well planned out. I had all my classes, graduation, and college planned out perfectly. I did not, however, plan for the event that changed my outlook on life. Yes, there were negatives from this summer; but I am choosing to overlook them and look to the positives from this.

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Emily Peinado is a senior at Bayfield High School. She horse back rides and does archery in her spare time, and she really enjoys any outdoor activities. Follow her on Instagram.