This is a peace I wrote about smiling and overall being a positive person. In such a negative and stressful world we live in, we could all use a smile or two. 

‘S’ stands for Shilton. That’s my name. Shilton Joe Freeman (yes, my middle name is Joe). An 18 year old boy. Since I was born, at that moment, on that day, on that very second, God gave me the ability to smile. I’ve been thrown a whole lot of nonsense throughout my life. But for the past 18 years, I've still been smiling. 

‘M’ stands for Me. I really really like ‘me’. When I look in the mirror and I see my looks, heart and soul, I smile. I love loving myself. I love who I am, what I do and where I am going. I love myself when I wear a nice fancy suit with nice fancy jewellery, but I also love myself when I just woke up in the morning: messy hair, morning breath and tired eyes. I love myself. I love sprint training, playing drums at my church, making beats on my laptop, making cinematic films, acting in theatres, and drawing, all of that. I love it all, it makes up who I am as a person. That’s me, and when I think about me, I can’t help but smile.

‘I’ stands for iron. I think people are like iron. Yes, every single one of us. It sounds confusing, but let me explain. Alone, nothing much happens. But when we are around other people, they change us in ways we can’t realise. Just like how iron sharpens iron. From being in a sixth form with like-minded intellectuals who strive for academic excellence or going to the gym with young men just like myself, willing to take control of our lives and forge new paths together. Iron sharpens iron like brother sharpens brother. And when I think about my brothers, I can’t help but smile.

‘L’ stands for loss, the losses I go through in life. I lose a lot, whether it’s in a video game or a bad grade in an exam, forgetting my lines in a play or messing up a song when in a drumming performance. I tend to lose a lot. But that’s fine. When I look back on my life, I regret nothing. Each and every one of those losses I've taken has forged me into the man I am today. And I am willing to embrace and welcome every loss I take from here on out with open arms. For every tear I’ve shed and moments I’ve wept, they’ve built me into who I am today. Because, at the end of the day, it’s just character development. Because the best part about being down is that you have nowhere else to go but up. And when I think about how far I’ve come, I can’t help but smile

‘E’ stands for excellence. That’s what I’m destined for. I want to be a creative director when I’m older. I have a real passion for portraying messages and creating art, whether written or visual, that really speaks to the soul. Everything I’ve done, everything I’m doing now, will eventually lead to that in the future. And when I say excellence, I’m not just speaking about my career. I’m speaking about a peaceful life as well, with my friends and future family. I look forward to it all, and I look forward to the person I will become. As petrified as I may be, I look forward to sitting my final A-level exams and doing my best to get all A’s. I look forward to opening my results day and hopefully getting into Kings or Bristol and studying liberal arts. I just look forward to living. Every day is a reminder that God woke me up for a reason. I’ve still got things to do before I die. People to inspire, places to see, poems to write, races to run, plays to act, instruments to play, projects to direct. I’m not done yet

S-M-I-L-E

When I look ahead at what I’ve got left, I just can’t help but smile.