The Fire Hydrant in my Road

by Maggie Jefferis

I was waltzing down the street looking up toward the Regions Building, pointing it out to the other kids, and then all of a sudden I felt something hard and kind of cold touch my knee. Something somewhere in the back of my head told me to keep walking. So I did, and then I flipped over a fire hydrant, landing on my knees and giving everyone some pretty good laughs. 

I knew then and there this was how my summer was going to go, me being completely oblivious to everything happening so much so that I might get hurt. When you expect something to happen one way, and it happens a totally different way, it can be a little jarring at first, but eventually you'll get used to it.

---

My first day here this year, I expected to walk in knowing everything: having my own little quiet space in the Video Grave; there being a video team; us still being in our little Hogwarts houses (video, writing, podcasting). I expected more people from last year to show up. 

Instead, I got a room full of kids I mostly knew from one place or another, only eight ​returners from last summer, and my biggest shock of all ... death to the houses. Instead, the people in charge had decided that we would have project teams this summer where each project has writing, video, photography and podcasts, and I will admit, I hated the idea at first. I'm not its No. 1 supporter now, either, but I understand the purpose of it. 

I'm not one who is considered exactly ​good​ with change, and this was a little too much for my liking. New adults, new kids, new format, new everything. I thought ​this​ was my fire hydrant in the middle of the sidewalk, which side note was in a weird spot so it was totally not my fault I ran into it. But, regardless, I think I might have been wrong because I've pressed forward; and I haven't flipped. I'm going to get to the fire hydrant in the road at some point this summer, but it sure won't be change that makes me flip. ​