My happiness, comfort, and enjoyment come from a hunk of plastic, rubber, and metal. I carry a grey, medium-sized speaker, that has a tiny, green hanger on it that hangs onto smaller things, and a metal-like clip that hangs on larger things. I got it at work during a Labor Day party where they raffled prizes. I remember going to Harmony’s, my best friend. She’s a short brunette with really thin, shoulder-length, shiny hair, brown eyes, a really pretty red belly button piercing, and a whole lot of attitude. I wasn’t even going to end up going to the party because I was in a bad mood after just finding out I was missing $120. Eventually, my friend who also worked at the same place as me convinced me to go. I worked at Forestview, a bowling alley with a big parking lot that separates into two, a bar, and 9 total outdoor volleyball courts. Inside the building, they have vending machines, claw machines, a bar, TVs, slushie machines, good food, and a lot of lanes and bowling balls. I ended up going late and managed to get there before the purple penguin truck was done serving; I got a bubble tea. While I was in line a fellow employee came out and handed me a ticket. About ten minutes later, they called all employees inside because the raffle was starting. I was impatiently waiting for my number to get called, and after a while, my number was one of the last calls. I went into the room full of prizes and saw the speaker. Knowing I needed a new one, I grabbed it.

It’s important to me because I love music. When I'm not in a good mood I just turn on some music, and turn the volume up full blast, and it usually only takes a few songs before I feel better. I remember one time I was just having a really rough day and for a little bit I had lost my speaker, and I ended up finding it. I was so happy I immediately picked it up, turned it on, connected it to my laptop, listened to music for hours, and even got some cleaning done. I carry my speaker because I like using it when I listen to music and I love music. I listen to my favorite songs every single day at least once. 

Its symbolic weight is heavy, to me. My entire life has been surrounded by music, my mom sings, and my whole family loves music. When I was little, my mother, my siblings, and I would grab hairbrushes, spoons, or anything and sing and dance around the house. We used to grab pots and pans, and stuff to bang on them to make our own music. It was, of course, really loud and obnoxious, but we always had a lot of fun. When I graduate high school I want to go into the music field and become a singer. It’s always been my dream, and my mom has supported me every step of the way with it, so music is really important to me.

I carry this speaker because it’s convenient for listening to music, it helps me on bad days to relax, and it brings back good memories of my family growing up around music. It brings me feelings of happiness, comfort, and enjoyment.