Yes, chemistry can teach you valuable lessons in life. Have you ever seen the reaction between granular zinc and acidified water? If you haven't, YOU MUST! I was hoping to share a video of the the reaction with you guys, unfortunately, I couldn't find one. I did, however, find a picture to explain exactly what it looks like:

Basically, when granular zinc and acidified water are initially mixed with each other, the solution immediately becomes a dark blackish-brownish color. However, when you continuously swirl the mixture it slowly becomes a lighter color. Turning from brownish to orange and then eventually yellow and lastly, completely water-clear. The whole process takes around 10 to 15 minutes and you must swirl it in the same direction until it is finally clear. By the end, especially if one person is doing this, your hands start to hurt!

One day during lab, I was the unlucky one who had to swirl it continuously as one of my lab partners was absent and the other had to perform another procedure. I messed up the first time and had to do it again. For almost half an hour I went at it, swirling and swirling and swirling and at the same time trying to help my partner with her stuff.

At that moment, it was chem lab that was annoying. I didn't see its relevance in my life until I arrived home that night and spent some time reflecting on my day right before I slept. Two things were on my mind: one, how annoying that day's lab was and two, how frustrated I was over my mistakes.

I feel like I am currently going through a big change in my life (I've had enough people say this, so, yes! I know it sounds a bit early for someone who's 16). But goodness, do I feel like I need to change: spiritually, mentally, and emotionally. I have been reflecting over my past and thinking of my present and future. I have been making some big decisions and very actively, adding different things to my subconscious. It's beautiful!

That day, with all those thoughts in my mind, with no hope for change, I was frustrated over the person I had been. My mistakes, from my perspective, were unforgivable. I was unacceptable. How could I have been so stupid? All my life, I had been careful. I have looked at my things in a very, very detailed manner, so how did I slip? How could I?

As these thoughts came to mind, I felt like I wouldn't be able to ever become the person I hoped to be. That day's annoying lab came to my mind and I realized then that our souls and hearts, our slates of good and bad are just like that mixture.

We are born clean, with love and happiness, however, as we grow, we slowly, slowly add the world's negativity in our lives. Hatred, jealousy, anger. One at a time like a piece of granular zinc, we add it to our souls. As they pile up we become this dark person with seemingly natural hate and animosity. Sometimes, some of us get lost in that moment, quite literally, stuck in the dark with no way to find light.

Without realizing we become dark souls who don’t know how to think positive and don't know how to let go of the negative. And even when we want to, we don’t believe our worlds can become as clear and pure as they once was. So we leave it a that. Going back doesn't seem possible. Loving and caring for the world so purely seems like an unrealistic goal. But my lab taught me otherwise. You have to keep pushing! You cannot give up.

Each of us has the beautiful power to really change and really become the people we always wished to be. It takes time, sometimes weeks and even years! But you have to keep turning towards the good, looking for the love you have hidden within yourself, accepting your mistakes and realizing, instead of crying over them, that you should learn from them. Choose to become a better person because of them.

As I talk to more people and listen to their stories, I have come to realize that at some point, most of us come to this hopeless realization in our lives and there is only one thing I want to share with you all. If you get anything out of this article, I hope it is this: There is always time to become the person you have always wanted to be.

Your soul, like your physical body, is capable of going through a diet and getting into shape. So let yourself go through that change. Allow yourself, force yourself to go through that change. I know it's hard, but force good habits into your subconscious and without realizing it, soon, you're going to be doing good things without realizing. You're going to be loving humanity and doing for others as you want for yourself without any thought.

For most of our lives we stay negative, we allow ourselves to hate. We think, "Oh well, we've become this person and there's no turning back so let's keep going!" We don't realize that we are all given the opportunity and the strength to change. It sucks that only some of us see it.

Only some of us are able to keep pushing and only some of us learn to change the bad within us and finally become the people we want to be. Only some of us keep swirling in that same positive direction without losing hope and only some of us are able to return to our natural state of pure love, innocence, and empathy. We all have it within us, but only some of us realize that.

I hope whoever out there is reading this, realizes this and I pray that we all have that determination we need it to change into the best versions of ourselves. May we all return to love and really love humanity. May we all see the true potential of our positivity and together, may we all make this world a better, more beautiful place to live.

To end, I want to share something small I wrote a few days ago, I hope you can all experience this, and truly live by it (I know it's kinda wordy, but y'all get the point)!