Wednesday, August 27, 2014

Coming of Age: Final Draft

        It’s actually pretty funny. How a simple thought can lead you to another and eventually become something great, amazing, and extraordinary. But that was the thing with me, everything stayed simple.  Practical. Believe me, I have absolutely no problem with it. It leads me to be focused, driven to work. Never to stop, never to relax. I’ve always been raised and told that the world was an extremely dangerous place and I’ve believed that for a huge part of my life. I was trapped in my own mind, with no interest in taking risks. It came to the point where I was scared to try new things and explore new places; instead I stayed home a lot not knowing the endless possibilities there were to discover. 

            Towards the middle of the freshman year, there was a day that I had to stay late after school and the only choice I had was to take the bus to my mother’s clinic. I’ve never taken the bus by myself all the way to downtown and I despised waiting. “Where is the bus? It should be here by now.” I thought as I brought out my dollar and twenty-five cents. It came to the point where I thought the bus wasn’t even come, but in reality I’ve probably been waiting for only 5 minutes. I see the bus arrive and I’ve entered, placed my money in the slot, and looked for a seat. And what do I come to find? No darn seats. I basically was thrown around in that bus literally bumping into others around me, refusing to hold the pole that could be covered with disgusting particles. I hated it. I hated the bus. I have vowed to myself that I would get my license and laugh at the days where I had to take the bus. Yet taking the bus to downtown had been a regular thing I would do. I hated the feeling of being on the bus yet I loved being by myself, alone in downtown.
            Each time I would step off of that bus, I knew I was free to do whatever I wanted. Well at least until 5:00.  But being alone in this part of the island made me realize that I am so drawn to the “city life” and this is as close as it’s gonna get. I loved everything about it. The only problem left, was the fact that I would have to take the bus in order to get here, which definitely didn’t stop me. But the main point of what I’m trying to say is that even though I absolutely hated taking the bus, it eventually came to a stop. I’ve grown into a person that faces any challenges in front of me to reach the “destination” I desire. I realized that I am on my own, I am responsible for my own decisions and what I choose to do, and to think a couple bus rides and trips to downtown got me to think about my future.
            I’ve learned taking risks sometimes has to be the only option you have in order to move on and experience brand new things. I think that everyone's life is always full of good and bad experiences. I’ve realized the key to success is to appreciate the good and find a way of turning a negative situation into a positive, which is something I’d keep in mind for the rest of my life. Whether it’s having a huge, drastic change in a single day or even learning how to take the bus to a certain place I’ve come to love, I am gaining the knowledge and realization I need to grow as an individual.

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