curly line with flowers print

Curly Line Curly Line Curly Line Curly Line withwithwithwith Flowers Flowers Flowers Flowers A story from the inspiring book

A word from the author Monday, 7 April 2006

This e-book is part of a very special mission – to make the world a happy place.

Today, I’m releasing this story to the world, with the aim of reaching 1 million

(1,000,000) people around the globe. It excites me to think that 1million people will be

joining me in spreading the word on acceptance, tolerance and diversity, until it

reaches all of humanity.

Thanks to the Internet and to e-mail, and with your help, I know we can do this.

Please enjoy this free story, reflect on it and be inspired to live a happy life. Then,

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Contact me on [email protected] or www.behappyinlife.com/contact.php.

Ronit

Curly Line with FCurly Line with FCurly Line with FCurly Line with Flowerslowerslowerslowers Ronit BarasRonit BarasRonit BarasRonit Baras

2 © 2005 Be Happy in LIFE. All rights reserved www.behappyinlife.com/books

To be yourself, in a world that is constantly

trying to make you something else, is the

greatest accomplishment.

– Ralph Waldo Emerson



This story is dedicated to all the people with learning difficulties, like

dyslexia, and to the wonderful parents and specialists who enable them to

make it in the world.

Dir daiery,

This is the ferst time I am raiting, jast raiting. Mises hart geiv me this daiery and

told me to rait. She promised me no one wood rid it. she geiv me the book and sed

“this book is for you to rait evrything you hav in maind,no one is going to look at this

book but you. I want you to rait without thinking abaoot your speling misteiks, just

as you are toking to me naoo.” I felt so relived, I coodent weit to get home and rait. I

had so many words in my hed that I wanted to say, and never felt I cood rait them

daoon.

I felt so streing when she geiv me the book. Mom looked at her and I cood see som

tirs in her eyes, I fliped the pages and I so that evry few peiges she rote sam sentenses

with her beutifool hand raiting. On the frest pege she rote

“Never, Never, Never Give up”

It was only words but it geiv me so mach strength. I think that I fooly understood

the mining of not giving up.

I fil streing raiting to myself, it is a bit fany, but I laik it. mom bot me thos gel pens

and I laik the wey the ink flos from them ontoo the peiper. It looks olmost laik a

droing. I laik cheinging colors evry fyoo lains.

The day mom said we are going to see this leidy, I was working on my pictcher, I

looked at her with disper and sed “why can’t you giv up mom?”

“never” she sed konfidentli.

I felt sory for mom. For seven yirs she has bin going from one expert to enather,

from one ticher to the other and traing to faind the risen I can not rait or rid properly.

“why do we nid another person to tel us I’m styooped” I asked. mom keim closer.

she looked at me very cros and sed “don’t you ever say that egein, no one that is



styooped can make such an ameizing masterpis” and she looked at my pictcher

praoodli.

“maybe insted of peinting she shood rid mor”

“do you min she shood hold a book and pritend she is riding, so you and her ticher

woold feel beter?”

Dad held his hed. he didn’t no what to say. I new he thot I was styooped and leizy.

He never sed it, but I felt he was asheimed of me. Mom was the only person that kept

me going. She (and sports, and woodwork lesens) helped me get up in the morning

and feis the day.

Mom lowered her vois, “peinting is the only thing that meks her hapy. It is her

sankchooery, we are going to incarege her to peint as much as we can. She is a

wanderfool gerl, even gronups can not dro the way she daz”

“Sam,” he sed in a nais vois, “maybe somthing is rong with her, and it is hard for

you to axept it”

mom sat on the cher. she looked very sad. “Richard, somthing is defently rong with

her, but insted of thinking abaoot arselvs, we shood think abaoot her. We shood faind

a solooshen”

“maybe there is no solooshen” he sed

“ofcors there is a soolushen, we just havent faoond it yet”

“what did we do rong?’ he asked her

“there is no point looking for somone to bleim” she sed, determined. I admayered

her.

somtimes at nait, I cood hir them talking abaoot me. It meid me very sad. no mater

how hard I traid, the words wood get mingled and I wood skip lains and after five

minits of riding I wood looz mai pleis and forget what it was all abaoot.

I remember the day mom faoond the ad in the peiper. She went to see this leidy

withaoot teling as abaoot it. At diner she sed “at last, I think I faund her. she was

ameizing. the energi in the room was so good. don’t you get this filing somtimes? The

filing that this is it?” she asked dad, and he looked at her and sed “No”



And we all lafed, becoz mom talks abaoot filings that dad yoojooali dazen’t no what

she is toking abaoot.

The ferst time I so mises hart, I cood izily understand what mom ment when she

sed ‘good energi’, we went to a clinic in her haoos. The room was fool of lait and

colorfool pilows and matching kertens. she sat on the carpet berfoot and her purple

skert tached her legs gentli. I cood imagin her on my canvas siting on a carpet of

flaooers, looking soft and prity,with her byootifol hair.

“Hi Jessie, my neim is jein hart, you can call me jein, come on in”

I was sepraized. evry person I met ignored me and talked to my mom and she

ignored my mom and sat on the carpet.

“I’m gesing you didn’t want to come today” she sed and I felt exposed, I looked at

mom.

“don’t wory abaoot it. I’d be sepraized if you wanted to come. I have been working in

this fild for 20 yirs and I don’t remember one person that wanted to come. I think you

nided a lot of carege and you can start by ading this qwolity to your list of strengths.

Carege, that is a greit qwolity.” she sed and brot a notbook and a pen.

“confyooshes ones said that aooer greitest glori is not in never foling, but raising

agein evry taim we fol” she sed opening her notbook.

“I think it is best if I explein what my profeshen is. I stadied somthing called speshel

edukeishen, a lot of pipl ask me what a speshel edukeishen persen is and I tel them it

is a persen who nos how the brain works. Naoo, I’m not a brein speshalist, I only no

how the brein works in the lerning proses.” She droo a lain on her not book, from top

to botem. “do you see this lain?” she asked me.

“most of the pipl step on this path in there qwest for noledg. It is a very izi ,

camfterbl path. Pipl are difrent so sam of them use this path and others use a paralel

path. It is a bit difrent, but stil it is smooth and izi.” She said and droo lains paralel to

the ferst one.

“you on the other hand, are using a very difrent path” she said and droo a lain

starting from the seim pleis but insted of going streit up, it went in kerly weivs to the

said. My hart droped, I felt so bed.



“in this path, it teiks much longer to get to the top, it is not izi, not streit and not

comftebl at all, but the path is so byutifool, no wonder you want to take the taim to

enjoy it.” She sed and droo flaooers on my kerly lain, I thot it was nais of her to meik

my lain naiser.

“pipl do not chooz their path. it is the brein that disaids where it wants to go. The

kerly pipl are very speshel pipl, most of them are very crieitiv and they have a difrent

way of looking at things. They are inventors or artists. They cam up with things that

pipl that use the streit lain can never lern.” She sed and kept drowing flaooers on the

kerly lain. I looked at mom, she sat there, lisening to us and smailing. I cood see in

her eyes that she felt relived, her chiks were red and her feis was shaining. With her

eyes she sed “thenk you” to mises Hart.

“let me giv you this pazel” she sed and geiv me a pazel that had red sqwers to poot

in a freim. I finished it in no taim.

“naw I want you to tray this one” she sed and geiv me this streng pazel with streng

looking pises. At ferst I didn’t no what to do. It had difrent sheips and colors. and she

helped me sort them in the freim. When we finished I smailed , it looked so prity, it

had very nais lains , colorfool lains.

“this pazel” she pointed to the sqwers pazel “ is what normal pipl’s brein looks laik.

But this one” she pointed to the colorfool one “ is what your brein looks like. I hop you

see the difrens . it was harder to finish it, to faind aoot the way to conect the pises, but

I helped you and now that we’v finished , it looks greit, dazent it?”

for a secend I felt very speshel, as if my problem was an advanteg, I looked at the

lains , they were so prity. I wanted to biliv her.

“we are going to play a gaim” she said and took aoot of a box a pak of cards with

pictchers of fames peinters like De Vinchi, Gogen, and Renuar, whenever I imagin her

feis I see a pictcher of her in renuar stail, with flawers araoond her and smadgi peint.

“your mom told me you like to peint. We are going to pley a geim, a memori gem.

Remember the lains ?” she asked and showed me her peiper and the lains she droo. “

Aooer job today is to find aoot exactly what your path looks laik. We have three

opshens, one, to fors you to cach up” and she droo a streit lain from the top of my

kerly lain on the said to the top of the streit lain. She did it so sharply, it olmost hert

me.



“we can let you continyou with your path or make conecshen bitwin yours and the

streit lain” she sed and droo a doted lain bitwin my lain and the streit lain.

“if you ask me, we nid to meik a conecshen bitween your path and the streit lain,

not becoz we want to force you to be laik them, but becoz we don’t want you to be alon

and aisoleited. Your brein wont let us cheing the path, but when it is not thretened we

can crieit a conecshen , if it is convinced we are not going to teik away its aidentity, it

will sho us how to crieit it.”

She spred the cards on the flor, ap said daoon. I wanted to ask her so meny things,

but I coodent spik. She talked abaoot my brein as if it had a seperet aidentity, as if I

didn’t have any control over it. I didn’t no if I was hapy that this was not my folt or

frastreited that I coodnt do enithing to cheing it. I wanted to ask her and the words

didn’t cam aoot, I remembered mom saying “spik, sei what you have to sei, words

coming aoot of your maooth can’t have speling misteiks”

“what do you min by ‘thretened’”? I asked her.

“we think we have fool control over the things in aooer heds, but we don’t. can you

stop shivering if it’s frizing?” she asked, I shook my hed.

“your brein is working all the time, even when you are aslip. All the things you fil or

do are kemical riakshens, hapines is a kemical riakshen, sadnes, fir, anger. We think

the filings are insaid and they cam ap whenever they nid to, but if you slap your brein

whenever it takes a step forward by teling it ‘bad, bad, you are not on the rait path’,

your body fils with poizenes kemicals and the brein is thretened”

“but it is not on the rait path” I told her, she smailed

“there is no rait path” she sed ,I looked at her, serpraised. I wanted to sei “ofcors

there is!” but I new it wasn’t the rait thing to sei.

“let’s pley” she sed “things wil be much clirer after we lern how your brein works”

it was an izi memory geim. We had to tern over two cards at a taim and faind two

matching ones. From time to time she spred the cards aoot or brot them closer to me.

“what are you doing?” I asked her

“traing to lern how your visual presepshen is” she sed and reviled two matching

cards

“my what?”



“your brein has many secshens. the visual secshen proseses what you si throo your

eyes. it is very important, I’m traing to see whether your brein likes to work in an

orgenaized envayerment where evrything steis in one pleis, or prifers the envayerment

to be as smol as posibl, iven if it mast sort the cards egein and egein?”

“and?” I asked her. mom ceim closer and sat next to us on the carpet.

“you find more pers when the cards stei in the same pleis. If I moov a card, you stil

go to its old pleis.” She sed and rot sam nots in her notbook.

“what does that min?” mom asked her. She smailed and looked araoond as if she

was looking for somthing.

“samtaims words dont have the pawer to explein” she seid, and got ap from the

carpet.“ I’ll sho you what I min” she brot a box with 10 drors. She opened ich one of

them and spiled the contents on the flor. It was totaly creizy. the flor was fool of bids,

and fethers and cards and badges and all sorts of tainy things.

“this is what is going on in your hed rait naw. a mes, a big mes. Can you plis bring

me one bid?” I looked araoond, the flor was very mesy, I tried to moov sam of the cards

to the said, I noticed it took me too long to get her the bid.

“Jessie can you plis sort all this staf intoo the boxes?” she asked and helped me put

the bids and the cards. mom helped us too.

“naoo I want you to get me one bid” she sed. I opened the secend left dror and geiv

her a bid. When I poot the bid in her hand I rialaized it was mach faster then the ferst

time.

“isnt it faster for evry one?” I asked. she shook her hed.

“no, sam pipl can giv me the bid very fast in both situeishens” she said, I looked at

mom, she looked serpraised too.

“imagen that your brein looks laik those drors, but you have thousands or even

millions of drors. When I asked you to bring me the bid, you went over the mes and

traid to look for the bid, but when I told you to sort the things into the drors, you had

to poot twenty bids in the dror, when ever you poot a bid in the dror, your brein

registers it in your memory. it is laik a stamp for evry entry. It works the seim in

school, if you lern a word, your brein reqwayers a serten number of entry stamps. Sam

pipl nid 50 entris, others nid 300 and in your ceis abaoot 500 taims or even 1,000



taims. So you nid to si the word abaoot a 1,000 taims befor your brein seis ‘I no how

to rait this word’.”

at ferst I didnt no what she ment. it saunded anril. 1,000 taims, thats a lot. But it

geiv me the anser to my qwestchen “why am I difrent?”. The way she sed it, we are ol

difrent. Sam kids nid 50, the smart kids, and sam nid 1,000, the styooped ones. And I

think she red my maind becoz she looked at me and sed.

“sam pipl nid to teik one glans in a pictcher in order to copi or peint it, and others

nid 1,000 lesens” and it meid so much sens.

“the drors are not ol the sem saiz. your crieitiv dror is thin, you nid a fyoo entry

stamps, but your raiting dror is very thik and you nid meny entry stamps. The riding

dror is atached to the raiting. they have a sicret paseg bitwin them. If you fil the riding

dror, the raiting dror fils up too”

evry thing we do is an entry. The wey she discraibed it, I’m lerning ol the taim.

She geiv me som bloks to bild and crieit paterns. I so her raiting sam nots.

“why are you giving me this?” I asked her, traying to rest a bit from the hard work.

“this geim cheks the way your brein dils with paterns. I can see it is a bit hard. dont

wory too much, do as much as you can and when you fil youv had enaf, stop” she sed

and kept on raiting in her notbook. She so me looking at her notbook.

“I have very bed memory, I forget the resalts after one aooer. this is why I rait daoon

evrything.” She apologaized. I had never herd a gron up seing they had bad memory.

then she sed “ if you want I can rid you all the resalts”

I looked at the paterns. they were very hard and I geiv up. She pleid sam other

geims with me, itch only for a short time. Then she geiv me a book to rid. I was so slo,

my eyes started wotering. She got up and ceim bak with a rooler that had a naro

windo in it. she put it on the lain I was riding. The peig looked shorter. I felt my eyes

relaxing a bit and I started riding faster.

“this windo is helping your eyes fokoos on 3 or 4 words at a taim. It is much izier

then for the brein to sort them into the rait drors”

She asked me to tel her somthing nais abaoot my clas and I told her abaoot peny, a

nais gerl that sits next to me in clas who can dro evry cartoon you can think of.

samtaims I ask her to dro samthing and she has the imeg in her hed and starts droing



it from a streing ples. somtaims she starts from the fit or the ear and only at the end I

can si how it cams to life.

Mises hart rot daoon evry word I sed and looked at my feis a lot. When I finished

she sed “well, we are naw at a point where I nid to ask you to rait samthing. only 150

words. Most of mai styoodents heit this, which is why I liv it antil the end. I promis

that after this, you can go hom. I’ll go over my nots tonait and we’ll talk again next

taim. no mor tests after that”

I wanted to run awey. she geiv me a pen and I felt very hot.

“wood you like to rait with a pensel?” she asked and I felt much beter when she geiv

me a pensel. The tip had an iraiser and I felt relived.

“what wood you like me to rait abaoot?” I asked her. I had a lot of words in my hed,

but I coodent rait them daoon. I wanted to rait a leter to my dad, but evry sentens I

wanted to rait, I didn’t no how to rait a serten word an I kept looking for another word.

“I don’t know what to rait abaoot.” I sed. she smailed.

“I no Jessie, I no it is very hard, but I hav to analais your raiting. Do you hav any

relatives that you hav agood relashenship with?” she asked

“yes, my ant nik” I told her.

“then rait a leter to nik” she sed and went bak to her nots.

it took me a long taim to start raiting. I wasen’t shoor if I nided to rait ‘dir nik’ or

‘deer nik’ or ‘dear nik’. It all saoonded the seim to me. I looked at mom from taim to

taim and she smailed and wispered “you can do it, go on, you can do it” I think it took

me eiges to rait the sentenses. Evry sentens took so long, I was so afreid to rait it with

a speling misteik. I ireised evry secend word. Evry new sentens I aded, I caoonted the

words again.

“how meny words hav you caoonted so far?” she asked.

“89” I ansered.

she looked at her watch and rot daoon the taim in her not book.

“OK, you can stop naw” she sed and I geiv her the leter.



“Jessie, I nid to ask you sam qweschens. and I nid you to be onest. If I showed you

three ways to rait a word and only one is corect, wood you no which of them is the

corect one?”

I shook my head.

“how meny books do you rid evry wik?”

I didn’t sey anything becoz the anser was 0. I didn’t rid eny books.

“when you hav to lern for a speling test, what do you do?” she asked.

I looked at mom and mom sed yes with her hed.

“I traied to rait it three taims, just laik the ticher sed, but I forget after ten minets. I

traid raiting ten taims, iven twenty taims but it didnt help.” and when I told her this I

remember what she sed abaoot the 1,000 entry stamps. Gosh its too much for one

word.

Then she geiv me two lists, and said “tel me which one will be harder to lern” she

said

the first list had very long words like byootiful, sucsesful, pleyful, armful, handful

and things with ful and the other list had just words that I don’t remember. They

were both very hard for me.

“they are both very hard, but I think I will lern the ones with the ful a bit better” I

told her. she smailed and got up from her cher. she was stil berfoot and looked so soft,

laik an impreshenistic pictcher.

“I think you worked very hard today Jessie, it is amazing to rid your words, it is so

consistent. I’m sepraised. You don’t giv yourself the fridem to rait, I so you ireising

your words and felt laik you were traing to fors yourself to moov to the sreit lain. You

shood stop hiting yourself ol the taim.”

I didn’t no what to say. No one, exept mom, thot I worked hard. she actchooaly

expresed my filings in sach a good wey, I wanted to stey.

“it was very careiges of you to cam today. you hav a very speshel mother. there are

so meny parents I no that fait and fait and evenchooaly giv up and your mom didn’t.

she is a breiv women too” she sed and woked us to the dor.

“don’t forget to rait in your daiery” she sed.



In the car, mom was qwayet. She drov and looked at me from taim to taim as if she

so a cheng.

“what do you think, Jessie?” she asked.

“I don’t no, I rily don’t no, but I shoor no what you ment when you sed ‘good

energy’.” I told mom and I cood see she was hapy to hir it.

The day after, I sat in clas traying to disaid who was a streit lain and who was a

kerly lain. Peny sat in her cher with her cartoons and I cood imagen her on this lain

with the flaowers. mister sokoya was defenetly a kerly lain becoz he joked ol the taim

and told us abaoot history in a very funy wey. jeison, the tol gay that sits at the bak is

a very smart gay, but he is streing and dasnt hav meny frends. I’m not shoor if he is a

streit lain or meybe he is kerly. He shoor looks good. I looked at ol the styoodents and

sed to my self, this one nids 70 entry stemps and he has a thin dror and that one nids

400 entry stamps and his dror is thik. When mister sokoya tot history, I had a filing

he had two stamps for evry sentens he sed or maybe we ol had a thin dror in history.

Dir daiery,

Today, I cooden’t weit for the miting with mises hart. I went over the last miting in

my hed and traied to hav beter ansers. In my hed I told her so meny things. When we

entered, the room smeled nais and looked laik she espeshily clined it for us. She held

the report in her hand and sat on the carpet egein.

“Cam, sit hir, I want to sho you my concloogens” she sed and sat down with her legs

folded. She had soft long heir and she looked so yang and cool. I looked at the report.

It had so meny words in it.

“Don’t wory” she sed, as if she cood rid my maind. “you don’t hav to rid this, I’m

going to explein evrything” she sed and started going over her report.

“I told you last taim that difrent breins proses things in difrent weys. A long taim

ago, pipl laik you were considered styooped antil they faoond aoot abaoot lerning

dificeltis, which is a difrent neim for aooer cerly lain. One of those lains is cold

dislexiya. In this lain it is hard for the brein to analais simbols, laik leters. This is why

you can’t rid properly and this is why you can’t rait properly” she sed.

I thot I had herd that word befor. It saoonded bad.



“The regioolar ediooceishen sistem canot handl kids laik you properly bicoz they

only no how to tich kids in the streit lain. And bicoz they hav a dificelty, they meik you

fil like its your problem. And this is what they hav bin teling your mom for yirs. Sam of

your problem is the sistems folt, bicoz piking up in erly yirs that you were cerly and

not streit wood hav meid life much iziyer for evry one” she sed and shod me the droing

she did the last taim. “insted of meiking conecshens from this cerly lain to the streit

lain at an erly steig” she sed and droo a doted lain clos to the botem (it was a short

lain). “with a bit of work, we hav to meik a much biger conecshen from the point that

you are in naw. It is hard naw, but cen be dan!” she sed that confidently. From the

point I’m in naw, the lain was much longer but I felt so strong, I had a lot of hop.

“I hav noticed in your tests that when you told me abaoot your frend peny, you used

so meny words, byootiful expreshens, but you were efreid to rait. At this steige, you

hav so meny frustreiting expirienses that it limits your riten expreshen, which is wors

then raiting with speling misteks” she sed and tached her skert

“Why do you think we rait?” she asked me.

“I don’t no, meybe we wont to sey samthing” I sed.

“That’s rait, Jessie. We rait when we cant spik, bat we wont to sey samthing. Do you

think that when samone els rids your raiting they can anderstand what you are

seying?” she asked and I looked at her pazeled.

“I don’t think so”

“Well, then how cen you explein that I understood every word you rot?”

I was so serpraised, I thot no one understood what I was raiting. Then she geiv mom

a pis of peiper. And this is what the text sed

(she geiv Mom the peiper and Mom geiv it to me)

Aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at an Elingsh uinervtisy, it deosn’t

mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoetnt

tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteers are at the rghit pclaes. The

rset can be a toatl mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit any

porbelms. Tihs is bcuseae we do not raed ervey lteter by itslef but

the wrod as a wlohe.

Mom smailed.



“you can kip it” she told her “this text is a total mes, most of the words hir hav

speling misteiks, but stil evry person can rid it. Your raiting Jessie is very much laik

this text. When you lerned your English, you had a mes in your hed and not meny

drors to poot the informeishen in, so you lerned the “saoonding aoot” sistem and you

are very good at it. This is why you don’t rid the hol word. The words for you are a

mixcher of saoonds. This is why your riding is slo. I understood every word you rot,

evry one can understand your raiting, but you wont be eibl to rid this text.” she

pointed to the text she geiv mom.

Then mom asked her how cam I no how to rait my numbers or sam other words I

rait properly and she expleind that when I lerned them, I lerned them as a groop.

“Somone took the taim to crieit a dror, poot a sain saying ‘nambers’ on it and tot

you ol the nambers together.” And I looked at mom. She was the one to do that in

greid 5 when she was so frastreited and she kept me at home for two weeks and tot

me how to rait the nambers and body parts and the ‘wh’ qwestchens and the days of

the week. I never nyoo it helped. Mom told her she thot it was the tichers resposebility

to do that and she sed that most of the children can poot the sain by themselvs.

And then she asked me to tel her abaoot samthing that happened in my clas today

but she told me to teik a dip breth after evry sentens. It saoonded fany but then she

told me to do the seim when I’m raiting in my daiery or in school and whenever I stop

to take a dip breth I shood poot a fool stop and start the next sentens with a capital

leter. It was so izy to do it, bicoz I sey them aoot laood enywey.

She rot so meny things in her report, she seid things and I remembered only the

ones she geiv an exampel or toked abooot the lains or the drors.

Then mom asked her “then what do we do?”

She shod us the last peig in her report. It had a long list of things we shood do and

she started to rid them to as.

“Every taim Jessie cams to see me I’ll tich her a trik to get faster to her 1000 entry

stamps and to crieit the conecshen.” And then she sed she wood contact the school to

explein the resalts.

“I’ll see evry one of your tichers and meik shoor he or she nos how to tich you.” I

think mom felt beter that she woodnt have to explein to the tichers herself enymor.



“Do you have a computer at home?” she asked and mom seid that we did and that I

loved using the crieitiv programs that dad had bot me.

“You nid to rait me a leter evry day, but you have to send it to me by email. The

problem you have with raiting by hend is that you rait a mistek and it is not

considered an entry. If you use a word prosesor you’ll have a red sqwigely lain under

ich misteik and a green one under capital letters or rong pankchoeishen. You shood

fix it. If you pleis the cerser over this lain and pres the rait maoos baten the computer

wil give you opshens. Faind the rait one. When you pik the rait opshen the lain wil

disapir. When you finish this leter, evey word wil get an entry stamp. Theoreticly, you

nid abaoot 1000 leters to corect the words you are using in your leters.”

It was a lot. A lot of days, a lot of leters, but I cood see the end of it. And then she

told me to rid books. She sed any book, even books for greid 2 or 3 with larg print

were good. Even riding the seim book. She sed that evry chaild rids 10 to 15 minits a

day. It was hard for me to beliv they red so much. I think I rid meibi 1 minit a day.

“You nid to catch up on ten yirs of not riding. If you rid laik them, 15 minits a day,

the gap bitwin you wil stey the seim, bicoz the ather kids wont weit for you. They kip

going forword. So you nid 30 minits a day in order to moov twais as fast as they doo.”

I traid fainding taim to doo ol this.

“We want your eyes to see the words 1000 taims. It dazent mater how. Theoreticly if

you rid samthing 1000 taims, you shood be eibel to rait ol the words properly. I hop

you anderstand it is not exactly 1000. It can be much mor, but in two to three weeks

you’ll see a difrens.”

There was hop after ol. She geiv me her email adres and I thot it was very nais of

her to giv me her praivet email. She sed she wood send me short ansers to help me get

mor entris.

And then she geiv me a CD. She sed this was a tach taiping CD.

“It is a very nais CD with a lot of geims. The only rool is to do a bit evry day. Lets

sey 10 minits at list. If you skip one day you are in big trabel becoz your brein wont

be eibel to stor the noledg insaid for sach a long taim. It wont remember.”

When we ceim hom I went streit to my room and opened this daiery. I don’t think

I’ve ever riten so much at one taim. I have so meny things to doo toomoro and I don’t

no where to start. Mom sed that we’ll go to the laibrery and get sam books and I have



to rait a leter to mises hart and start working on the CD. I was planing to continyoo

with my pictcher toomoro but I think it can wait.

Good nait daiery.

Jessie

Dir daiery,

Waoo, I had a long day today. I got up erly and terned on the computer. I wrote

mises hart a letter. You wont biliv it. I had so meny sqwigely lains. So meny, I olmost

geiv up. Then I remembered her sentence:

“Never, Never, Never Give up!”

And I sed, no, I can meik it. At ferst I fixed evry red lain and then I thot, meybe it is

a good aidie to liv them and see how bad I am. I’m bad, rili bad. But I noticed that in

the letter I yoos the seim words and when I fixed one, I nyou how to fix it egein and

egein in evry pleis. It took me one awer to write 50 words. I hoped to tray the CD but

mom sed I had to get redy for school.

Mom ceim to pik me up from school and we went to the laibrery. I felt imbaresed to

look at the coloured boxes on the big teible. There were boxes in difrent colours. The

red ones were for biginers and the books in the blue boxes had more words on ich

peig. I think I so 6 or 7 difrent colours. Mom sed we shood teik as much as we can

from the red and when we’re dan we’ll go up a level. I red most of them in the car, on

the wey hom.

“Freedom is not worth having if it doesn’t include the freedom to make mistakes” - Mahatma Gandhi

What a cowinsidens! Mister Sokoya toked about Gandhi today in history.

I traid the CD she geiv me. It was a cool one. I think I worked mor then an awer. I

laiked it a lot. My spid was very good and my acuresy was 80%. Not bad at ol.

It is leit naoo. I have a long day toomoro.

Dear diary,



Since I am writing dear diary evry day, I thot it best to look it up in the dicshenery.

It took me a long time to find it, but I felt good when I did. This morning when I got

up I had an email from mises hart. It was exaiting to get an email from her. She rote

a list of words and told me to rid them aoot laood and find a patern. Words like: take,

bake, make, late, shake, mate, plate, name, shame. I red them six times antil I

rielaized that the ‘a’ and the ‘e’ olways apir in the same plases. Then she told me to

write 5 sentenses with ich word she rot. And make shoor thos words are riten

properly. It took me a wail bicoz I taip so slowly. I had no problems fainding the

sentenses. I felt praood to send an email with no sqwigely lains. When I look at the

words I’m raiting now, I can si that there are meny words with the same patern.

Mom went to the laibrery today wail I was at school. On the way home from school I

red mom some of the books. I had the rooler with the windo mises hart had given me

and it helped me a lot.

This afternoon I worked on the taiping CD and did the hole midel row of my kibord.

At that level I cood pley a lot of games and it was fun.

Last Saturday, my clas went to a moovi, but not evryone was invaited. I hate them

anyway.

Good nait.

Jessie

Dear diary,

Sory I havn’t written for so long, but I went to si mises Hart evry day befor or after

school and stil had to practis my tipeing, write a letter and rid the books mom brot

from the liberery. When I had no more books, I red the same books bicoz mises Hart

sed it was stil an entry. In the last three weeks, I’ve felt like I have repited primery

school. She shode me ways to overcome my speling mistakes and some of them

actchooaly worked. I have finished ol the letters on my kibord but it is stil not the end

of the CD. I’m geting beter at it. I can write ol the words with a 89% acurasy and spid

of 21 words per minit. When I play the games I can tipe 35 words per minit. I’m very

praood of myself.

“Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss, you’ll land among the stars” - Less Brown



Which remineds me – I have finished my last pictcher. I droo an indigo nite and the

moon. On one of awer trips, I took a foto of this glorios twailite. When the red sun

clirs the stage for the moon and the stars. I remember I had this wanderful filing siing

the nite in such a colourful way. I have bin planing to paint it for such a long time

and it is finealy finished. Dad sed he wood frame it for me.

Last week, the most streing thing hapend at school. The tichers were very nise to

me and tride to make me participate in the clas activitis. In the last leson, the English

ticher, mises Boyd, came up to me and sed “I never nyoo abaoot the way you lerned.

We had a miting with mises Hart last nite and she expleined evrything to us. You can

submit your work on tape or on the computer and insted of siting for a riten exam,

you will sit with a ticher and tel her the ansers.” Then she smiled. She looked so

difrent.

I looked araoond to si if anyone was lisening, and they were ol bizy paking their

books and gigeling abaoot a birthday party someone is having next week.

“It is not going to be izy, not for you and not for us, but if we do it together, it is

posibl” sed mises Boyd and put a book on the taible.

“Shakespir is very hard to rid, so I spent some time in the liberery and faoond this

‘Shakespir for children’ book. You have three weeks to finish your asinement. You

can ask someone to rid it for you, and submit it in any way you wish” she sed and

went to pak her things.

I rote about it to mises hart and she sed she had a good miting with them and that

they were very cooprativ and came up with meny aidies to help me lern.

My leters to mises Hart are very good naw and I’m hapy with my progres. Mom

looks at it befor I send it and she fineds mistakes that the computer dasnt.

Sometimes I think it is beter to write on the computer becoz it fixes my mistakes and I

fil much beter noing that the person riding it is not going to think that some stupid

girl sent him this letter. Sins I started I have mised only one day with my tipeing CD,

but I told no one sins I sat a hol awer the day after. Mises Hart shode me this

program that tiches the words in groops and I have to say I was serpized to find out

that ich vawel had two saoonds.

“I don’t think I’ve ever lerned that” I told her.



“I’m shoor you did at one stage, but most of the children made a patern by

themselves, wile riding. Your brein cood not do that by itself.”

Mom was very upset to hir this. I think she sat there and blamed herself for not

figering it aoot in first grade. Mises Hart went to her cabinet and took out a folder

with meny laminated colourful pages. She gave mom one with the sentence

“Yesterday is history, tomorrow is mystery, today is a gift. That’s why it’s called the present.”

“There is no point torchering yourself for things you had no wey of nowing. Think

ahed” she told mom, but I think she was toking to me too.

Mom showed it to me and we both smiled. Mises Hart has this pile of sentenses she

yooses when she wants to explein something.

When I came home today, I copied it on nise paper and posted it on the dor. I think

I nid to rid it a lot to anderstend that there is no point complaining abaoot things that

hapend a long time ago. But what abaoot the things that are hapening today? Like ol

the clas is going to a party or a moovi and they never invite me becoz they think I’m

styoopid. I don’t think she has a sentence for that.

Dear diary,

I planed on writing every day but it doesn’t work. I’m so bizy with the work Mises

Heart gives me and my homework. I did a lot of my homework on the computer and

because I tipe fast, I have a lot of time to fix my mistakes. Mom read me the

Shakespir book and I wrote some notes. It was cool. I liked it. I wrote the anser on

paper and then read it into the tape. Mom says I can do the same with all my

homework; write the anser and then rid out laud in clas but I can’t take the risk of

anyone looking at my notebook.

Some time ago, Mises Heart gave me lists of words. She said if I lernd them in the

right order I’d have les and les red lines on the computer. She shode me five lists.

One was the 12 most used words, the second was the 36 most used words and then

the first 100, the second 100 and the third 100.



“Most of the words you use are on these lists. On my report I wrote that you have

learned some groops and you have most of the first hundred fooly stamped in your

brane.”

She gave me so much work to do on the words I didn’t know from the first 100

words that I think I caunted 120 entry stamps for ich word. Today I can’t write much

because I have a lot of homework. I have to say I like it. I have never been so bizy in

my life and I have to say it is serprizing how much time I have. When ever I fil I have

no time for something she gives me, I manage to sqwiz more work in as if the time can

rily strech. One morning when we went to see Mises Heart (she asks me to call her

Jane but I got so used to calling her Mises heart that I find it very hard to change).

Mom told her she didn’t think we’d be able to do something because we had no time

left during the day and Mises Heart smiled. She looked so gentel with her smile. She

had this soft lite on her face, she moved her heir to the side and said “Henry ford once

said ‘whether you beliv you can do a thing or not, you are right’, you won’t beliv how

many things you can sqwiz into your daley rootin. Managing time is an art. I promis

you both that by the end of this you will master this skil.”

And she was right, because we did find the time to do it. I beter moov on to my

homework. Other wise I won’t have time at all.

Dear diary,

School sucks, the tichers suck, everything sucks.

I had a bad day at school. And it sucks! I’m not going to go there ever again! I

need to get dresed because we are going in a minet to Mises Heart. I wish I had time

to dro a pictcher. A black one with no lite.

I’m back.

The kids talked all day today about a moovi they went to see last night. Most of

them went to the moovi and I felt like I didn’t belong. During lesens I sow some notes

changing hands and a lot of gosip about Michelle and Brian siting together diooring

the moovi and kising. I wanted to cray. I stood next to them dyooring brake and

realized I was so difrent and it made me want to die. And as if I didn’t have the worst

day of my life, Mister Sokoya asked Jeison to sit next to me. I felt so bad, I couldn’t



hide my notebooks from him and he was frendly and wanted to help but I was so

ashamed with my speling.

When I went to Mises Heart she said “What’s rong Jessie?”

I looked at her. I wasn’t shoor if mom had talked to her and had asked her to

convins me to go to school, or maybe she was very sharp and had noticed by herself.

“I had a bad day at school” I said and kept on working.

“I have to say I am serprized to hir it” she said “ I would have thot that most of your

days would be bad and only some good, but it looks as if it is the other way around.”

She gave me this close exersize that I had to fil in.

I was shoked. It’s troo! I used to have so meny bad days. I remember that every

week I had this discasshen with mom about not going back to school.

“So you try to look at the bright side?” I asked her.

“The big question in life is not why things hapen to us, but what we do about them”

she said.

“And who said that?” I asked her.

“That is Jane Heart’s verjen of something Socrates ones said” she said and didn’t

explain.

“I can’t imagen you having bad time at school” I told her and she smiled.

“Oh, I had hell at school. In primery school I had lokimia and I couldn’t hide

anything. I had no hair and I was in hospital for a long time and no one from school

came to visit. No one, but one ticher. She was wonderful. She helped me understand

there were more important things in life then school. Do you know how many bad

days I had? Every day was a bad day. I can caoont on my two hands the good days in

school. But you know, this ticher, Mises Wiliams, once told me ‘What doesn’t kil you,

makes you stronger’ and she was right, because I had no plans on daing and it made

me stronger. So bad things can tern into good things if you change the way you look

at them” she said and kept on writing notes on her notebook. I had tirs in my eyes. I

imagined her with no hair, going to school and all those crul kids making fun of her.

And she mised so much school that she probably didn’t know what the tichers were

talking about.



“Mises Wiliams told me that I have strengths that I didn’t know I had antil I had to

use them. She made me a poster and left it on the dor and it said ‘the best way out is

olways throo’. I never knew how grate an efect it had on me antil I went to

yooniversity. She was in my heart long after I left school.”

“Is this why you help other kids now?” I asked her.

“I ges so” she said “Mises Wiliams told me that when she was in hi school, she had

a problem and was about to be throne out of school and one of her teachers helped

her stay. It was very inspayering for me. Tel me, what hapend at school today?”

I wanted to tel her about the moovi and jeison siting next to me, looking at my

books and notebooks, but it all saunded so sily, there are so many moovis and Jeison

is olso cerly, and it is not a queschen of life or deth. One day, when I lern to love

myself, they will love me too. I sow this sentens on this diary when I fliped throo the

pages.

“Nothing siries” I said and she smiled again.

When we came home, I had a serprize from Dad. He had made posters from my

pictchers. He had printed them on glosi paper and they looked amazing.

“Waoo, it looks grate! Maybe we should frame them” mom said.

“No, no” said dad. “We’ll frame the originals. These are for Jessie to put on her

notebook covers.” I was shoked.

“You are so talented. I’m very praud of you. You should put these on your

notebook and be proud too,” he said and I cride, and we kised and huged and it looked

like a sin from a moovi.

In the end, it turned out to be a very good day.

Dear diary,

I don’t know if I beliv in fate or luck. I don’t know what I fill. I think this is

happines, I wonder if the things that happend yesterday, happend for a rissen. The

hole day I thot, what if mom and dad had alowed me to stay at home.

Today, in Math lessen, I traid to hide my notebook from Jason with my pensel case.

But he kept on looking at my things and fainaly said “Waoo, this is byootiful.” He took



my notebook and looked at the picture on the cover. I panicced and tried to take it

back from him.

“This is amazing! Hang on, let me look for a secend. Where did you get it from?” he

asked, admayering my pictcher.

It was my ‘moon and stars’ pictcher. “I droo it,” I told him and he stoped, looking

shoked. He looked at me and then at the pictcher, then he brot the pictcher close to

his eyes.

“I can see your signicher on it. It is yours,” he said serprized.

“Do you have any more of these?” he asked and I couldn’t anser, I just nodded.

“Can I please see?” he asked nisely. Without saying anything, I took out all my

notebooks. Jason looked at all of them with his eyes wide.

“These are the most byootiful pictchers I have ever seen” he said.

“Thank you,” I said quietly, “I studied art in primery.”

“This is nothing you can lern in an art lessen in primery. This is art that only rare

pippel can create. You are lucky,” he said and I felt as praud as a pikkok. He talked

to me but without looking at me, he kept on looking at the pictchers. Then he left

them on the tabel and said “So you are an artist? I never knew” he said and I couldn’t

spik.

“Maybe you can tich me to dro and I can tich you something you are not so good at.

My dad olways sais that god gives us something and takes something away. It’s only

fair, you know.”

I nid him to tich me everything; to rid, to write. I wanted to cry, for not being able to

talk, for not being used to boys talking to me.

“Well, what do you think?”

“It is a bit complicated, you see. I don’t know how to tich you to dro and you can

not help me because I have dislexiya. It is a problem that makes it hard for me to rid

and write.”

“I know what dislexiya is. My dad is dislexic. He is a big maneger now. He found

out in grade 2. He said he never let it bother him that much. He stil uses the same

rooler you’re using to read. That’s no bigi” he said. I had never herd him talk so



much. Then Mister Marsden said with a firs voice “Jason, have you finished with the

excersize?” and Jason said “Yes, yes, I have, but I think there is something here you

should see, sir.” He lifted one of the notebooks in the air. Everyone stopped and

looked at Mister Marsden aproching our table. He took the Math book and looked at

it cerfuly.

“That is byootiful. Who did this?” he asked Jason and Jason looked at me. I looked

at mister Marsden and he looked difrent to me. He was always so siries. Well, he was

siries then too, but difrent.

“There are more of these,” said Jason and gave him the rest of the notebooks and I

thot all that time how the day before I didn’t want to come to school. And only the day

before dad brot me the posters. Was this a qowinsidens or maybe there is a plan for

us all?

Mister Marsden made some serprized sounds and soon all the students got up and

came over to our table. In secends it wasn’t a Math lessen anymore and Mister

Marsden didn’t mind. They passed on the notebooks and admired them. The bell

rang and every one rushed to live the room. Mister Marsden gave me the notebooks

and said “Well done Jessie, well done. You are very good. The art department is

looking for aidies to decorate the entrans. I’ll tell them about you.”

I smiled. I think my heart almost berst. I had this lump in my throt and I tried very

hard not to cry. Jason sat there for a secend or two and then he packed his blue bag

and left for lunch.

I was in the class all by myself, crying.

Dear diary,

It has been six months since I started going to Mises Heart and we reduced the

frekwensi of the lessens to three times a week. It gave me some time to do other

things and I started art lessens on Thursday evening. My Art teacher helped me with

this picture of a lady siting with a skirt on a carpet full of flowers, which looks as if

she is in a field of flowers. Dad says it is going to be my best picture ever and he can’t

wait to frame it.

I’m so good at my typing that I do most of the assinements on the computer. Mises

Boyd asked me to send her my English homework by email and I have finished



reading my first 270-page book. I think my spelling is better since I don’t have so

many red squigly lines when I type. I have riched a stage where I can fix my squigly

lines by myself, without clicking the right mouse butten. Mises Heart said that most

people have some spelling mistakes and I have to say I was serprized to hear that. I

always thot I was supposed to be perfect.

Dear diary,

Last week was a stresful week. The end of the term is always stresful. Because I

can’t sit for tests, most of the teachers gave me a written assinement, which in some

cases was wors. With some of them I had to scedual time for an oral exam. I couldn’t

bring notes, but had to memorise most of the matirial. I studied so much I knew all

the answers by heart.

Today was a special day for me. We had a History lesson with Mister Sokoya and

every one was excited and talked about selebrating the end of the term with a movie

and a trip to the beach. I was so dipressed but I thot about Mises Heart going to

school with no hair, and it helped me realize that there are wors things.

Mister Sokoya came in with the tests under his arm. I was sitting close to him but

didn’t try to find mine because I hadn’t taken a written exam. Jason stretched himself

to see the markings on the table. I always thot that students like Jason weren’t

worried about their marks. He always gets 95% to 100%, and we know because all

our teachers usually annaunce the students with 90% or higher. He was so smart,

didn’t talk much and had a book with him all the time. I don’t think I ever sow him

playing basketball with the others or hanging out with any of the boys.

Mister Sokoya started the lesson with jokes, but everyone looked siries and no one

laffed.

“Why are you so sirius?” he asked. “It is only an exam. Ok, ok, I’ll give you your

exams. You were very good. I was very happy to see that you know something about

the history of the world.”

He started giving out the tests, calling each student’s name and handing them the

exam papers. After about 6 tests, he called out Jason’s name and Jason got up from

his chair.



“You were brilliant! Well done. If I remember correctly, your exam was the second

best. 96%. Well done.”

Jason smiled from ear to ear. He gets those marks every time and still looks as if

he’s serprized and excited. He took the exam paper and sat and read it again.

I didn’t expect to hear my name, since I didn’t think I had a written exam, but

Mister Sokoya held a paper in his hand and called my name. I think every one

expected him to hand out the paper and say nothing, like they usually do, but he kept

holding it.

“I had the most unusual exam with Jessie. I sat with her and she had to tell me the

answers out loud. It was very strange for me, because I wrote down the things she

said. Do you know when I last had to sit for an exam? I actually liked it. Next time

you are all going to have an oral exam, so I don’t have to sit for hours and check them

insted of baking a cake. No gigeling, I love to bake, I consider my self kwite an artist.

Don’t you know the gratest chefs in the world are guys?” he said, but everyone still

gigeled.

“Anyway Jessie, you had a grate exam,” he said and I missed a heartbit. “I see that

sitting next to Jason did you well.” We were both imbarresed and turned red.

“I’m happy to annaunce that Jessie had the best exam in class and got a score of

97%,” Mister Sokoya said and handed me a paper with his handwriting and the score

written in red pen and circeled. I couldn’t hide my tirs. Never, ever in my life, had I

resived 97% on an exam. I wanted to jump and scrim and say “yes, yes, yes!”.

Everyone said “waoo” and he went on to the next person. Jason smiled at me and

kept looking at his exam, while Peny made a critcher out of her 82% mark.

We didn’t have much of a lessen, because Mister Sokoya spent the entire lesson

talking about the exam.

I kept looking at my paper. It wasn’t my handwriting, but it had my name on the

top written by Mister Sokoya. The red number looked grate. I wanted to fly home and

show mom or call Mises Heart.

During lunch brake, everyone talked about going to a daytime movie and then take

a bus to the beach. Some girls went from one to the other and invited them to join. I

knew they wouldn’t ask me to come, because they never had. Dip inside I hoped that



a good mark would make me part of them, but I gess I was wrong because Jason gets

good marks all the time and I don’t think they ever invited him.

I didn’t want to destroy the grate day. In my school diary, I copied a sentence from

Mises Heart’s office:

“Keep away from people who try to belittle your ambitions. Small people always do that, but really great ones, make you feel that you,

too, can become great” - Mark Twain

So I left the class and went to sit near the cafetirria to eat my sandwich and go over

my exam paper again.

“Hi Jessie,” I heard a voice, when I was drawing a cerly line on my exam. It was

Jason. He had a book in his hand, as usual.

“Hi,” I answered.

“Congratulations,” he said. He looked shay.

“Thank you,” I said.

“That was really good. Maybe now you can teach me to dro?” he asked.

I was so imbarressed, and I said “Shoor.”

He smiled. “Grate, grate, see you later,” he said and started leaving, but then he

terned around and said “Would you like to go to a movie?”

I almost choked. “I didn’t think you were invited,” I told him, hardly able to get the

words out of my mouth. He came closer and shifted his weit from one leg to the other.

I could imagin him on my canvas, with his glasses and the school uniform hanging on

him.

“I wasn’t,” he said, and I smiled.

“I’ll be happy to,” I said and he smiled too.

“Grate, grate,” he said and walked backwords. “I’ll see you later, then,” and he

turned away.

On my exam paper, I droo two cerly lines with flowers joining into one.

Download more stories by Ronit Baras from www.behappyinlife.com/books

Read inspiring articles by Ronit Baras on www.behappyinlife.com/inspiration

Contact Ronit on [email protected]



About the Book

“I wish I'd had this book when I was a teenager and I also wish I'd had it when my

children were younger. Be Special, Be Yourself is very wise and inspiring on a lot of

everyday topics that aren't discussed much.”

– Sandra Hogan, Public Affairs manager

“I really love the book. We face peer pressure every day, so it’s cool to read a book

that goes against everything people look for. Be happy with yourself, you are the only

person you will answer to, in the end. If you have enough determination, you can do

anything. Be Special, Be Yourself is on of my top 10 book list. I love it! There is really

hope!”

– Stephanie Cook, 16 years old

“Be Special, Be Yourself says you might try something and fail, but trying it

differently will give you different results. It beautifully shows that not everyone who

looks perfect has a perfect life. Keep trying, no matter what. The greatest massage to

parents and teenagers is ‘Never give up. There’s always a way through’. I loved it!”

– Jennifer Masterton, 16 years old

“I liked Curly Line with Flowers very much. Reading the dyslexic writing with

intelligent thoughts was very graphic. The Building of Life was my favorite story. I like

the ideas very much, and the way the thought processes developed to the very

provocative conclusion. Biography so beautifully shows adults and teenagers that we

need to appreciate who we are and what we have and feel free to show love to our

loved ones.”

– Annique Goldberg, mother, skipper and world traveler

“Be Special, Be Yourself has taught me that being different can be a good thing and

we shouldn’t change our beliefs just because they’re not what most people think.

People are special not because of how beautiful or popular they are, but because of

what kind of person they are inside. The book encouraged me not to be afraid to ask

for help. No matter what problem you have, there will always be someone there to

help you and someone to listen to you and you should never give up. I learned that if I

try my hardest, I will get what I want and that sometimes the things that I want most

can be right under my nose…”

– Penny Johnston, 14 years old



“This enjoyable and original book is special on so many levels – from the imaginative

story lines, to the way it creatively and sensitively deals with issues of relevance to

both teenagers and adults. Be Special, Be Yourself is an absorbing read, which

stimulates our thinking about human nature and how we deal with love, acceptance of

self, finding personal strength and the understanding and acceptance of the

differences which define us as individuals. The interest created by the inter-woven

storylines, particularly in Love Me, Love Me Not, are especially enjoyable as we trace

the invisible emotional connections the characters have with one another. Be Special,

Be Yourself contains positive, inspiring life messages for young and old.”

– Tamara Luski, Music teacher

“Be Special, Be Yourself helped me accept people the way they are. It taught me

that it’s what’s inside that counts. It tells us teenagers to love our parent and be

thankful for what we’ve got. It is a great way of saying to parents ‘be supportive and

never give up on your kids’.”

– Geneva Goldberg, 12 years old

“Be Special, Be Yourself has a powerful message to ease the struggle between

power/authority/conformity and the need to express. We’re entering the stage of life

when we have to start taking other people into account. It helps teenagers see why

they shouldn’t judge people before they get to know them. I feel it’s a real eye opener.

As teenagers, we need this book.”

– Clare Richmond, 16 years old

“This collection of stories samples a wide range of significant social and emotional

experiences in the lives of a range of young adults, their friends and families. Ronit

has managed to convey deep wisdom and sage advice about values and behavior, self

esteem and relationships, in a style which refrains from preaching, but rather allows

characters, events and storylines to illuminate issues, struggles and resolutions, in a

manner which is particularly engaging for young people. It strikes me as an ideal

teaching resource for the study of society and personal development.”

– Maria Delaney, teacher

Buy the book on www.behappyinlife.com/books

Download more of stories by Ronit Baras from www.behappyinlife.com/books

Read inspiring articles by Ronit Baras on www.behappyinlife.com/inspiration

This e-book is copyright under the Australian Copyright Act. All rights reserved.

You may provide it to others in its entirety, including this copyright notice,

free of charge. In fact, please send it to everybody you know, who may enjoy it

as much as you have, and tell them what it’s done for you.

You may not sell it or make any financial gain from republishing it without written

permission from the publisher, Be Happy in LIFE.

Feedback, reviews, suggestions and ideas are welcome and appreciated. Please

send them to [email protected] or visit www.behappyinlife.com/contact.php

and we will respond to them as soon as we can. If you’ve found the story inspiring,

please tell us about your experience.

Inquiries to the publisher can be sent on www.behappyinlife.com/contact.php or

[email protected].

curly line with flowers print

Education