About the Writer
My name is Colleen Scanlon and I hail from the suburban oasis of North Attleboro, Massachusetts. I am a sophomore in the College at Georgetown University. Currently a Spanish Major, I am shopping around for a second major to broaden my academic concentration. I am a DC Reads tutor, a barista at Lauinger Library's haven, Midnight Mug, and a peer writing consultant at the Georgetown Writing Center. I love to travel and experience new cultures. My family consists of my four best and goofiest friends. My hobbies include snowboarding and playing tennis.
A Small Glimpse: Short Life Stories
I was a trendsetter as a baby. While all the other babies were wearing t-shirt onesies, I was rocking a body suit and oven mitts. It was the only thing my parents could think of to prevent my insatiable itching. My aunt Mary still apologizes for the time she left me to nap in a short-sleeved shirt and diaper. She came back to find me covered in battle wounds. I didn’t realize itching was bad for me. At family gatherings I would even scratch my family members’ arms to express my love; I guess I thought they liked to itch too.
I stood behind the block shaking. My coach finally put me in a real, live race. What was I doing? I wasn’t a swimmer. I just joined the team on a mere whim! As doubts clouded my ability to focus, Sara Bell appeared from nowhere and gave me a stern look while holding my face “You can do this. Swim like a fetus coming out of the womb-bah.” Then she just walked away. What!? As I stood trying to process the absurdity, my heat stepped up onto the blocks. And you know what, I wasn’t nervous anymore.
It was so freaking hot. My high school was prehistoric and refused to invest in air conditioning, and consequentially, it seconded as a sauna. I sat in the chapel during my religion class, counting down the minutes for the mass to be over. The priest was taking out the Eucharist, so I only had to hold on for a little longer before I could run to the bubbler and rehydrate. Just as the priest said, “Say the word and I shall be healed”… I was. God must not have been happy with my inattentiveness because right then and there, I fainted.