The Hero and Me

My name is Taylor Tramel. I'm not normal so to speak. In life I would typically be your hero as a lover and your unbalanced hero. I try to do what makes me happy in life. The love that i have for the things I do drives me and makes me want to just continue and achieve. Without a passion or a love for something, I don't feel as much need for doing something. When I love something like tennis for example I do whatever I can to get better and I spend as much time possible playing. Love for something motivating you is what makes you get out and go for it over and over. The passion will keep your love constant and you don"t want to stop. I have a love for many things and those many loves drive towards many things i do.
As I said I'm not normal. As well as being a hero as a lover I am an unbalanced hero too. I have lots of things that people don't know about me. Only a few people really know the real me and truly understand me. I am not truly mental (yet I've been called it) but I just have a different mind thinking than others.


I'm an involved person and have a love for: tennis, theatre, photography, film, animal rights and family. A lot of times I just stay quiet but when I think needed, I say what I think is right. I'm quirky and it's hard for people to understand me. I put my heart into things when it matters the most. I've never thought of myself as a hero but according to our blog assignment I am some type of hero(thank you Mrs. Vaughn). I enjoy a fun time and wish I lived in a different time period.

Where Am I Going?

In the scheme of things I don't have most of the stuff i need figured out. You always here in high school "what are you gonna do in life?", "you need to have a plan for the future", "have you figured out what you want to do with your life yet?". Truth is I have absolutley no idea what i want to do in life. I plan to live for a while so I want to do something that i know I'll be okay doing for the rest of my life....or at least til I retire. I'm into a lot of things that I believe I want to do until I can't.


I have a passion for the arts. Theatre, photography, and painting. I also have a passion for tennis. I wish I could have a career in all of them when I get older. Right now, I can picture myself changing my major in college several different times because I can't decide which art I want to persue as a career. Tennis can be something I play as a hobby. My great aunt still plays and she's 62 now. Since the issue of tennis is fixed, I just need to figure out what I will persue as a life choice for a career.


Right now I don't know what I want to do and I have a feeling I won't for a very long time. Life is extremely stressful and sometimes I wish I could just fly above the clouds like a balloon. Sometimes it feels like I'm a red ballon tied to an anchor (Sandra Cisneros).

My Guidance

In life I would say that I have two mentors. My no longer living uncle and my best friend. Now that I think about it, my uncle has helped me more since his death than when he was alive. Uncle Guy, yes his name is Guy, was an outstanding human being. He was couragous, out going, stood for what he believed in and loved his family more than anything. In the eight grade my uncle quit school and started working. By the age of twenty he was at the top of the company and doing very well. When I used to go visit him he always told me to do what I love and don't let people stand in the way of my dreams. Also, he'd use to tell me that the world is made of dreaming so don't ever stop my dreaming. When he was alive he taught me a lot of things such as: never give up and don't be afraid to do things. Not all of his "teaching" per say made sense to me then. But when he died and I got older it started to become more and more clear to me. Even today as I hear stories about him from my mom and aunt he never seizes to amaze me.

My other mentor as I said is my best friend Kaitlyn Bethel. She's not afraid of much and has helped me through a lot the last couple of years. I can tell her anything or come to her with a any problem and she will always help me. Also she has helped me look at life a little different and helped me become a better person. When it comes to our friendship, we have a complex way of understanding each other and we are both totally different. I think that our differences actually are part of the reason she is one of my mentors. When she helps me and gives advice she's able to work the matter through a mind set different than mine. Through thick and thin I believe that she will always be a mentor of mine.

Helping Me Through the Threshold

Kaitlyn is a lot of things for me. Kaitlyn isn't just my mentor or just my best friend. She is my threshold guardian aslo. With helping me through the last couple of years, she has changed me for the better. She knows my flaw and my strengths and helps me embrace the flaws into a positive manner.

I used to be shy and just follow people but now I am out going, daring, and willing to speak my mind thanks to Kaitlyn. She is willing to speak out and is able to put herself out in the open and not really mind what people say. She has helped me be less afraid of being in the open and be brave. Kaitlyn knows everything about me and helps me deal when it's tough. She has been an amazing influence on my life. Without a doubt I am a better person because of Kaitlyn.

My Shadow

I've often been thought of as a "goody-two-shoes" and the kid who has just been good their whole life. If only it were true. I've done things I'm not proud of and don"t like to discuss. I don't have these things out in the open and I prefer it that way. I wish they would stay apart of my past and not resurface in the constant manner that they do. Recurrently these are talked about amoungst my friends and I am put in a place where sometimes I don't know how to deal. Although none of them truly know my shawdow besides Kaitlyn, I still feel exposed in a sense. In times I wish I could walk in someone else's shoes so I wouldn't have to walk in mine. It's not always the best place for a teenager like myself to be. Running from your shadow doesn't work because it will always be there. Unlike Peter Pan, there is no saying "good-bye" to your shadow. Eventhough I am not proud of my past/shadow it has made me who I am and I can only try to move forward.

Letting Comedy Balance It Out

Life can't always be serious. It's just not healthy. You have to have fun and let loose sometimes. When my life gets too serious for too long (a day or two) I seek something to make my life not so serious. Hanging out with friends is always good. But when you can put on really excellent dancing music (80's has a good selection) and just dance with no one watching is even better. You can be crazy and do whatever without worrying about an audience. Being funky and rediculous could reselt in some new slick dance moves...bonus! Watching a good comedy movie can also help with relieving too much seriousness. If you're serious all the time you are destined to be cranky and a prude when you get old. No one wants that. So when you are handed serious lemons, go out and trade them for humorous lemons! It's all about finding a balance for yourself.

Naive and Sheltered

I love my parents dearly and they would do anything for me. I had a great childhood and they have always been very involved in my life, maybe a little too much though. Since birth I have been sheltered very much. In 6th and 7th grade when my friend were going to the movies by themselves I was told no because there was no parent. Until this year I haven't been able to date unless I double dated with them (very irratating and frustrating). And now if I go out with a guy I still have to double with a friend. I know it's because they care but sometimes it feels like I want them to care a little less maybe. Once I got to high school I was in for a spin. I learned about so many things that I hadn't ever heard of at home because I was always sheltered. I felt so naive and out of the loop. Some days I'll be telling my mom about something that happened at school and she'll ask me how I know about that kind of stuff and my answer is always the same,"I go to school". It's shocks her and my dad quite often. I know there sheltering was out of love but I wish I was sheltered a little less.

My Unhealed Wound

It's almost been a year now. It will be the 1st aniversery of when I tore part of the ligament in my ankle in July. I used to tumble and I was really good. Many times I have been hurt while tumbling but it has never made me want to stop. Last year when the accident happened I thought that I had just landed wrong on my ankle and it would be okay soon. Oh boy wasn't I wrong. A couple of days later I had a tennis lesson and I had to stop the lesson short because my ankle started to throb and hurt really bad. My thinking was that it was still sore I just needed to rest some. So I skipped tennis and tumbling for a couple of weeks. It was a little better when I started back up. The pain never went fully away but stupid me thought it was just because I was always on it.

About six months ago the pain became unbearable and one day I couldn't walk on it and had to stay home from school. Concluding this I was forced to go to the doctor. Dr. Kooper took x-rays and gave me the bad news. He told me that part of the ligament in my left ankle was torn. But then he told me the even worse news. He told that I would have to give up tumbling or tennis and which ever one I didn't give up I had to take a break from. I couldn't give up tennis because I was on the school team. It was hard to just quit tumbling like that though. Not to sound dramatic but it was heart breaking in a way. But things just kept getting worse and worse. I had just given up tumbling and now had to take a two month break from tennis. And then i was given this huge ankle brace I had to wear every day plus I had to do physical therapy which I dreaded very much. Once I started tennis again I was given an elastic brace that I have to wear in all physical activities and I have to wear most days. My ankle is better now but Still hurts some days. The tear wasn't big enough for surgery so my ankle will never heal completly most likely. I am reminded everyday of the accident and still miss tumbling. Happy almost aniversery to me.

Thumbs Up For Me!

Ask anyone I know what sport I play and you have the answer of tennis! This is my game no doubt. A lot of people think that tennis is some easy sport that anyone can play but buddy you are wronger than having needles in a balloon factory! It's half mental, half physical and can be very difficult. I've been told since I started tennis in 4th grade that I was good. But I stopped because I got mad a the coach( very mature I know). I never thought twice about starting tennis again until at the end of 7th grade year when I was asked to join the tennis team by the new coach. When 8th grade started I thought that I would be horrible since it had been so long since I had played. But at the end of the week when the coach ranked us I was the third girl. Throughout 8th grade year I fell in love with tennis and wanted to play in high school.

I practiced all summer and I wanted to make varsity. I was dedicated and determined. On the first day of JV practice I made myself noticed and asked Coach Schubert if I could come and practice after school with varsity and possibly move up to varsity. She was excited that I was driven and I wanted to get on varsity as a freshmen. After a couple of weeks I had improved even more and Coach saw that. I was put on varsity and was ecstatic! As this year progressed I improved even more and this spring my doubles partner, Genesis Reed, and I became ranked third in the district. I am happy with how much I have improved and thumbs up to me!

The Beauty of Friendship

My friends mean more to me than a lot of things and I'm very picky about who I am friends with. In all of my close friendships we are able to tell each other things and not nessicarily have to say "don't tell". We make fun of each other and do the stupidest things that make us crack up. we all have inside jokes and half the time people have no idea what we're talking about. We don't get embarrassed around each other and it's cool that way. With each friend I have a special connection that I don't have with anyone else. This makes each of them very different to me.

Kaitlyn is definately my best friend who I can say anything to without being judged. We say that we are vent buddies because when we're angry about something and need to blow off steam we call each other. Also, she's the only friend I have who knows everything about me. Lauren and me have a connection with music and making fun of each other. We call each other Chipmunk(me) and Bird(her). Alicia and I have known each other since we were two I believe. We have been friends forever and reminisce over our countless memories all the time. I have special bonds like these with many of my other friends as well. I appreciate my friendships and don't know what I would do without them.

The Journey

I am on a journey to find myself I believe. I'm not quite sure about what I want from life exactly. As I said in my second post, I don't have alot of stuff figured out that I should. If my life was a book, probably the only chapter written would be the first. Thinking about the future is difficult for me. I like to live in the present and past but don't enjoy the thought of the future. As I am on my journey to find myself I am truly afraid of what might happen. But, I still push forward as if everyday is just another day instead one less day I have. I want to enjoy the good things that come along with the journey although it is tough at times. Thinking about the journey that I am making to discover myself is something that makes me think deeper than usual.

To many people I just seem goofy and want to have a good time. In all actuallity though I am a big dreamer, a deep thinker, an underestimated, and complex person who wants answers but wants to be able to just wonder also. Things like this also make my self discovery journey hard to make. Along the way I would love to be inspired and would like to be taken seriously but not all of the time. The journey is trying and I want to be able to have fun along with finding myself. I don't want to be afraid of the future but embrace it. I want to be changed but stay myself also. I want to fulfill my journey and end it with pride.