When your pain was first healed
By the sweet hands of the
One you called mother.

When you first learned the art
Of finger-painting
Or when you received your first kiss
With the one who shared your cookies with you.

When you finally understood those
Difficult math problems and
When you were first honored
For your intelligence or when
You arrived at the principal's office
With despair.
That was the quiz of life.

When you suddenly changed
Emotionally, mentally, physically.

When everything around you
Seems to be different,
But your fear fades as
Your finesse flourishes.

When you are flung with responsibilities.
When you decide to take on the adult role by
Flipping your first burger or
Selling your first item.

When you finally passed that exam
Aafter three tries.

When you feel the caress of the wind
While hearing the purr of the ride to your adulthood.

When you make life long friends.
When you experience your first love,
And your first heartbreak,
Or tried so hard to impress that one
But stood frozen as they passed.

When you walked up that stage
To receive your diploma
That will lead you into
the future.

That was the pretest of life.

When you finally wrench free
From those who carried you for eighteen years.

When decisions force itself around you,
And confusion viciously takes its toll.

When the world seems so vast,
And yet you feel so little.

When everything that you once
Believed in is now challenged.

When obstacles confront you.
When walls loomed around you,
And you think there is no way out,
And your helplessness starts to show.

When you first overcome those barriers
That withheld you or
When your first took the initiative to
Understand others as well as yourself.

When you first awoke from the hypnosis
And walked into the harsh reality of life.