By Allyson Itow
Hello everyone, my name is Allyson and I’ve been going to the Temple since preschool.
Sometimes I complain about the commute to the Temple because I have to wake up earlier than everyone else and then I get home later than everyone else. However, in all honesty, I enjoy going to the Temple because it helps me calm down from the stress from school. I wanted to talk about some of my struggles throughout high school and about the line of continuity within the Temple.
To begin, I think everyone has a tendency caught up in the midst of things. For me, I think I get lost within the shuffle when it comes to my self-esteem. For the longest time, I’ve had a problem with comparing myself to my older brother, Evan. I viewed him as a guide since he always went through these life events before me. While this might seem beneficial, it led me to constantly compare myself to him, thinking that if I did similar things, I would be just as good. These comparisons lead me down a path of self-doubt.
I found it hard to become satisfied with my accomplishments because I thought they fell short of my brother’s success. I would put a lot of pressure on myself when it came to school and while it really motivated me to always do my best in everything and keep on track with my assignments, it made me feel very dejected and all I could really think about was doing as good as he did. However, through my senior year, I learned how to accept myself. I know that everyone says that each individual is unique and that you shouldn’t have to compare yourself to others and it can be hard to believe. Personally, I still struggle with this as I still fall back on comparison when times get rough, but am proud about my self-improvement even if it is short.
But, a good thing to know is that progress, even if it’s just a little or it takes a long time to take the first step, is always better than sitting around procrastinating. By taking the first step, I was able to live my life more confidently and it wasn’t until he moved away for college where this happened and I knew I would have to forge my own path. I started to become more independent and more aware of myself, including my strengths and weaknesses. By understanding these things, I became a bit easier on myself. I went through a lot of things that were unique to only myself. For example, the Spaghetti Dinner, which was the first since the pandemic was very intimidating and daunting. I thought I wouldn’t be able to do it at first. When I was first handed the big Spaghetti Dinner binder and even the bowl that came with the bag, I was immediately intimidated. There were a lot of parts that were a lot of notes that were out-of-date, and sorting through the huge Spaghetti Dinner Google Drive was not easy, but I persevered and kept going. While it was stressful, I know that I gained something from these events. I learned valuable lessons such as responsibility and time management that have helped me become a better person. Overall, I am very proud of my self-improvement and trying new things I’ve never done before.
Next, I want to transition into talking about the Sangha. I really enjoy being a part of a Sangha that is this welcoming. Personally, I really like helping out at various Temple events such as the Mochitsuki, Chicken Teriyaki Fundraiser, and Obon. Yes, I complain about waking up early, but I end up having a lot of fun. These events highlight the interdependence of the Temple and you can see the continuity between different age groups. Whenever I go to these events, I don’t just see the YBA kids. I see people from many generations. For example, I enjoy seeing the kids from Nakayoshi Gakko and I can even say “Hi” to my mom’s friends or my bachan’s friends at the Temple. Since everyone is so nice, you can say “Hi” to basically everyone and you’ll probably get a response back. You can see how friendly the community is through different age groups and it’s one of the many highlights of the Temple.
I would like to finish this off by saying “thank you” to my family for always supporting me. Thank you to my parents for dealing with always being stressed out, my brother for pushing me to do my best in everything, and my grandparents (grandma/grandpa Itow and bachan/jichan Tamaru) for being fun to talk to and for giving me snacks. Additionally, I would like to say thank you to Sensei for giving me guidance and the Sangha for being welcoming. Lastly, thank you to the YBA Advisors for everything you do and the YBA members for making YBA memorable.
Please, join me In Gassho,
Namo Amida Butsu
Namo Amida Butsu
Namo Amida Butsu