Difficult Situations: How to Cope

     Activities that I enjoy while coping with difficult situations are watching shows or movies. I enjoy these activities because they become a source of escape for my problems. When I watch movies and shows I like to pretend that my friends and I are the characters on screen. Imagining the different lives I can have is entertaining.

There are different ways people cope. Not every way of coping is healthy. For example, when Alma died from her body rejecting the kidney transplant, Kenneth chose alcohol as his mechanism. Although getting drunk causes a person to lose control of themselves and forget what is going on around them, it is only a temporary solution. I relate to Kenneth in a sense that sometimes making bad choices seems okay to do if it offers a quick solution. You don't always think about the long term consequences one choice can have. Constantly indulging in alcohol every time a difficult situation arises will lead to more harm than good.

Wes' mom decides to sleep on the couch so she can be on guard if anyone decides to break in. However, sleeping on the couch is also her way of coping with not having her husband sleeping next to her in bed anymore. Another activity I enjoy is painting. It gives me the freedom to create whatever scene I want. There are no limitations as to what I can try to make. It is also therapeutic and calming to me. The way that the paintbrush smoothly floats across the easel is peaceful.

When Wes moves to the Bronx to live with his grandparents, he takes interest in basketball. While walking to the court, he takes in how the neighborhood has been destroyed by arson, drugs, and poverty. Although Wes has a supportive family, he cannot escape the dangers that plague his neighborhood. Thus, basketball becomes a peaceful outlet for him. He didn't think about missing his old home and friends. Being on the court allowed him to meet people who were bigger than him, but welcomed him to play something he enjoyed. All his difficult headaches were put on the back burner as his confidence in basketball soared. He was able to find relief from his neighborhood.

I relate to this because when I am going through hardship, I hate feeling alone. I cope by surrounding myself with people that I share similar interests with. Although we each have our individual situation, we hang out together nevertheless because we have common ground. Wes was used to seeing people from lower class communities banding together in one area. The "other Wes" section showed how members of a community are faced with similar situations. The "other Wes" highlighted one difference he found in his friend in terms of their households. Most of his area had a single family household. That is something he envied and admired about his friend Woody. It was such a rare sight to have parents married. Therefore, the basketball court gave Wes, the author, a chance to see people from all walks of life. He saw drug dealers and straight A students playing together. There are no limitations for them being able to play together. They forget their differences for a few moments and become a basketball brotherhood.