The Door is OpenThe concept of what others think of us becomes either our entire world or something we try to resist in order to become our own person. My first memory was at age three, in the family room of my first home. It was a three-bedroom house in Parkersburg, West Virginia. My mother had just left the room to finish preparing dinner for the evening. I was in the room with my dad recording me from across the relatively empty room. For some reason, the way I remember it is from my father's perspective on the other side of the camera. I was thinking my own thoughts, but I was seeing myself as if I was my father. I held in my hands a blue plastic key, a yellow one and a green one. The keys had a smooth plastic feel that soothed me and kept me calm. I was so hungry and craving something tasty, and I decided the keys looked appetizing so I put them in my mouth. After putting them in my mouth, I heard my father start to laugh. At first I laughed with him, but then I felt like he was laughing at me rather than with me. I smelled the spices and heard the sizzling of my mother's cooking from the other room, so I left the tasty keys in my mouth and started crying. I still ask my father today why he didn't make me take them off and I still can only elicit the response, "I don't know." I don’t even remember.” When I was three years old, other people's opinions of me didn't really mean much yet. At this point, I decided that the world (specifically my father in this case) had a different perspective that I needed to pay attention to as well. This has led me to consider the opinions of others in my future projects. My sister and I are both picky eaters, which is probably both of my parents' biggest pet peeves. One night... middle of paper... the process from this memory when I was three evolved further in my life. At dinner with my family and my father's colleagues, I decided that other people had valuable opinions. I decided to listen to their opinions and found that my hypothesis was validated. I fell in love with this dish and realized that other people I trusted were making recommendations for my own good. I have incorporated this new thought process with my family when we go out to dinner. We all comment on what's happening in each other's boards. Problems that have baffled people are resolved with the guidance of other family members. Discourse and openness make things easier for all of us. Being open has led to drastic positive changes in my life. I am able to see myself from a different perspective. This perspective allows me to decide what kind of person I am and what kind of person I want to be..