|
ThankfulA grandma is warm hugs and sweet memories. She remembers all of your accomplishments and forgets all of your mistakes. – Barbara Cage
Two weekends ago, around Thanksgiving, I visited my grandmother. She lives in a nursing home because she has dementia, a chronic disorder of the mental processes caused by brain disease or injury and marked by memory disorders, personality changes, and impaired reasoning. All of the patients who live in her unit of the nursing home suffer from Alzheimer’s disease or dementia because they have similar symptoms, and they need to be treated similarly. The home is located a few hours away, in Joliet, IL, and my family and I try to visit her often, but it can be hard to make the trip when we are so busy with college visits and schedules. I will try to visit her a lot before I go off to college, because it will be even harder to get to her. However, this is no excuse because family is far more important. It had been months since I had seen my grandma until I saw her this time. Each time we visit her, it is like playing russian roulette; we are not sure what to expect because she has good days and not-so-good days. I am never sure if she will know my name when I greet her, which is pretty scary. Luckily, my grandma was feeling very well when we got to the nursing home. She is is permanently in a wheelchair now, but she remembered who we all were, and she was extremely happy to see us. She was also able to recall a lot of old memories. My mom is really amazing at asking her questions about things that happened when my grandma was younger to stimulate her memory. This time, my grandma told my sister and I how she first met her husband at church. It was such a sweet story, and it crazy to imagine my grandma being young like I am now. She is so strong and incredible; she raised nine children in a three bedroom house, and she now has too many grandchildren and great- grandchildren to count. I learned that she has never in her life owned a dishwasher or seen the ocean. But my grandma has lived an amazing life. This particular visit to the nursing home made me realize that I have so much to be thankful for. Most of the patients that reside in the nursing home alongside my grandmother can no longer, walk, perform daily tasks, or even speak sentences. It is absolutely heartbreaking. These are things that I take for granted every single day. Many of these people cannot remember who they are and the amazing life experiences that they have had. Each person has their own story, and I wish I could know them all, just like my grandmother’s. If I learned anything from my grandmother and from the other patients it is that I should make the most of my life while I am young, healthy, and free. I have an amazing opportunity to go to college, get a good job, explore the world, and have a family. I would be silly to turn it down. This Thursday, December 7, 2017, is my grandma’s 89th birthday. I can only hope that one day I am able to be 89 years old and thriving like my grandma still is. The End of an Era6 years. That is a little over one third of my life.
Nine years ago, I stood at a cross country meet, watching my older sister run, and thinking to myself, Why would anyone ever want to participate in this sport? I mean, I was sweating just standing there, and everyone looked like they were in a lot pain. But there was something special about it that my sister loved, so 6 years ago, I decided to try it, and I soon found that feeling that she had. Best decision of my life. It may seem silly to someone else, but to me, DXC was something I could rest my identity in. It’s a name on a sweatshirt, a activity on my resume, and a uniform to wear, but it is so much more than that to me. It is my home away from home, my therapy session at the end of each day, and my escape from responsibilities. When I am running, it is just my legs and the course. I have run more miles than I can count. All of the calluses, sore muscles, and holes in my shoes made me tougher. Each hill that I conquered gave me a boost of confidence and made me stronger. And it is not physical toughness and strength that I am talking about. Cross country is a mental sport. You have to be mentally tough to be willing to stay after school every day to run for two hours. Or maybe we’re just insane… you tell me! Through all the craziness, I know I have my teammates by my side. During the season, my team is my family. I lean on them, they cheer me on, and they keep me accountable. And outside of the season, we are still close! It amazes me how unique each member is; we all bring a different dynamic, yet we all share one thing in common: a passion for running and the drive to push one more step ahead. Fast forward to now. As I hung up signs on my teammates’ lockers this morning for the final time, I felt like I was hanging up a little part of my life. Tomorrow, Dunlap’s top seven girls will run their last race at Detweiler Park and potentially bring home a big trophy. I can’t wait to be there for one last ride tomorrow, cheering on my best friends/ role models. In the future, I will not continue running on a team. However, I plan on running for the rest of my life, as it has become second nature to me. I will continue to set goals for myself ( my next one being a half marathon and eventually a full!) If there is one thing that I have learned from this 6 year experience, it would be that there is always room for improvement. I can apply this concept to all aspects of my life. That is the beauty of the sport that I have come to love. Storm SeasonSeptember was hurricane season. I’m not talking about Irma or Harvey, although those did indeed occur. I’m referring to my own personal hurricane that swept me off my feet, spun me around, and left me with a flood of college applications, school work, and many other responsibilities.
With the change of weather, fall is fast approaching and so are college application deadlines. They’ve been looming overhead for months like ginormous gray clouds, and they finally decided to come crashing down on me these past few weeks; it is time to start making some tough decisions. But how am I supposed to focus on college when I can barely focus on what is directly in front of my eyes? Senior year is a year of lasts, and I don’t want to miss a second of it! Sitting front row at the football games, running my last season of cross country, maintaining good grades, working, and volunteering has been enough to drown me. I can honestly say that I am the busiest I have ever been in my life. The solution: you can not tame a storm, but you can prepare for one. The State Emergency Service provides steps to become storm-ready. The first step is to brace yourself; there is no way to completely avoid damage. Step two: create your emergency plan. Mine is to apply to SIUe, the school where my sister, Emilie, currently attends. It is relatively close to home, it is affordable, and I know people there already. This is my storm shelter; I feel safe there. Step three: create your emergency kit; I’m slowly but surely gathering my resources, including information from school counselors, teacher recommendation letters, test scores, and a list of my activities from the past years. (By the way, creating a list of my activities has made me realize all of the amazing programs I have been involved in through Dunlap since pre-K, and it is extremely bittersweet to know that I will soon be leaving.) The final step in becoming storm-ready is to prepare your home. This is perhaps the toughest yet most important action to take before the tumultuous wind strikes. Dunlap has been home for 14 years, so it is impossible for me to imagine sacrificing any piece of it. I must remind myself to delight in all of the regular places I go to and the roads that I have driven on countless times, for soon I will be heading down new, unfamiliar paths. In the midst of this natural disaster, it can be easy to lose sight of those closest to you. I find myself pushing my friends and family away when, in reality, they are here to help me weather the storm. A storm that is unavoidable and will strengthen me after it passes. A wise Frederick Douglass once said, “It is not light that we need, but fire; it is not the gentle shower, but thunder. We need the storm, the whirlwind, and the earthquake.” I agree with him. I say: bring it on, life! |