Relate a memory that is at least two years later than your first post. Try to think of one that reflects a different aspect of your life but can still be connected to the earlier account in some meaningful way.
Submit your response as a reply to this post no later than midnight, Monday, August 25. Post a substantive comment to the individual who submitted theirs immediately before yours in the chronological queue.
It was December 2016, I was visiting family in Chicago IL. We went with my cousin to see the puppy he was looking to adopt. The car ride was quick, snow sticking to the windows, melting from the warmth of the interior. We arrived and trudged through the snow to some ladies front steps. She let us in after the first knock. At first glance, the house was a mess. Dishes were stacked, there was a slight smell of animals. Through the kitchen lye a small pen of 10 or so puppies. Pure bread ginger Chihuahua’s. One older female laying on her side while the puppies feasted. It was a chaotic sight, puppies fighting for a spot, franticly climbing over each other, with one exception. The pack was made up of 9 girls and 1 boy. Almost instantly I spotted this poor boy being trampled by his sisters. I plopped down to watch the chaos from a distance. From within the chaos, the boy waddles over to me, staying leaned against the wall, and collapses into my lap. This boy looked just like his mama, with perfectly golden brown fur and a white circle on the front of his neck. That night back at my Nana’s house I could not stop thinking about how that little puppy chose me. I eventually convinced my mom to adopt this little boy. The next day we go back to buy the puppies with my cousin, who was already going to buy the runt of the pack on this day. That night we finally gave him a name, Cubby. This came from the Chicago Cubs winning the world series that year. We brought this puppy back home, and he was the most behaved Chihuahua I have ever seen.
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When I was in fifth grade, both of my siblings were in the high school band at the same time. My sister was a senior, and my older brother was a freshman. I had just started elementary band on the clarinet, and I was already looking forward to marching in high school. It was the night of a home football game, and I was sitting with my best friend eating popcorn. The sun slowly set, making the air much colder, and as the game ended and people funneled out of the stands, the announcer invited the crowd to stay and watch the band perform their show. I jumped out of my seat and urged my friend to stay with me to watch. She reluctantly agreed, and we moved forward in the stands to see better. Once the popcorn bag was reduced to kernels, the band finally lined up on the field. The band froze before breaking into music. They began moving, each person stepping in time with the music. They were all dressed identically, with the same black, white, and orange uniforms, and they all were a part of the same show. But they were all on their own unique paths, playing their own parts. They were performing this show that took months to learn and will never be perfected. Squinting, I eventually picked out my siblings. As the music slowly crescendoed, their form locked, and I got chills on my arms. I was both astonished by their unity and proud of my siblings. Once it ended, the small audience erupted into applause, and I clapped until my hands turned red.
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I understand what you mean by being proud of your siblings!!! I have a younger brother and an older sister so getting to watch them accomplish something that they are interested in is such a blessing. Reading this made me feel like I was in the moment because of your detailed description of your surroundings! Do your siblings still play an instrument?
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Yes, my older siblings still play occasionally. My younger brother also plays the saxophone and flute in band.
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Every year in elementary school, we all participated in the Halloween parade. This was held the day before Halloween and everyone dressed in their costumes to show them off and walk around the school. I was in the fifth grade and my friends and I decided to dress up as the teenage mutant ninja turtles. The day before our parade, my friends and I made a trip to Michael’s to pick out fabric to make our matching tutus. I remember going into each isle grasping a feel of all the different fabrics. Some were smooth, which felt like silk on my fingers, while others were rough. I picked out the most smooth fabric and rushed to the line so I could get home and to start assembling the tutu. The next day, my friends and I all got ready together to showcase our costumes. I felt a sense of excitement knowing that all our tutus were made from scratch. Another one of my favorite things about the Halloween parade was being able to see all the other costumes. I remember seeing a girl dressed up as Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz and being in complete awe. She had the red sparkly shoes along with the white and blue dress. Her hair was neatly parted down the middle with two long pigtails. As my friends and I were walking in the parade, we wanted to walk slow past all the classrooms so that they were able to see our costumes. We all screamed trick or treat in unison and made sure all the teachers heard us. Till this day, those girls are still my best friends.
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I love how you added the fact that those girls are still your best friends, that is so sweet! My school has something similar around halloween time and it was always so fun, much of how you described your feelings of excitement. I bet your little self was so proud of you making your own tutu, it was always so exciting feeling that independent at such a young age. Thank you for sharing Liv!
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In the summer of 2014, my family and I went to the Walt Disney World resort in Florida for three days. We stayed in the art of animation hotel rooms and I thought it was the coolest thing that when you walked into our room, it was like walking directly into the atmosphere of Finding Nemo. The bright colors plastering the wall and all of the graphics seemingly jumping off their frames was the coolest thing, I was in awe. One of the days we spent in Magic Kingdom and I was so excited to see the parade later that day. It didn’t bother me at the time that it was almost 100° in direct sun because I’m sure it would bother me now. Reaching the time for the parade, we waited in line for hours. Finally as we started hearing the parade turn the corner a, very tall, man is towering right over me. Deciding that that is the perfect spot for him to watch the parade. My parents, very frustrated, told him kindly to move because he was blocking the view of their 7-year-old very excited daughter. Tears are welling in my eyes when I realize this magic crushing man is not moving. After what seemed like hours of back and forth to me he finally moved and I was able to watch the parade.
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My story is also about Disney World! I completely understand what you mean, it was such a chaotic place especially for a little kid, waiting in long lines, being more patient than most of the adults there. I’m glad he eventually moved so you could see and have a memorable moment!
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When I was about 11, my mom took my brother and I to Disney World. I was so excited when she surprised us with the trip details and showed us the catalog to pick out our bracelet colors to get into the parks. I remember I picked out a purple one, that was always my go-to choice. We left in July, my first time on an airplane. I remember my grandfather dropped us off at the airport very very early in the morning, or very late at night, depending on how you look at it. I believe it was between 1-3 AM. We got through TSA with no lines or problems and slept while waiting for the flight to board. After what felt like forever with Disney anticipation, we finally boarded after a delay due to rain and then waited more on the plane because when the rain stopped in Ohio, it moved down to our connecting flight and we wouldn’t be able to land. At this point, we had literally been at the airport for at least 6 hours and we finally took off. We landed in North Carolina and re-enacted Home Alone, running through the airport to make the next flight that was in Gate E, we were in Gate A. We somehow made the flight on time and finally arrived in sunny Orlando and had a great time. Needless to say, airports definitely teach you patience and give character, but I think they make your vacation more relaxing after escaping the chaos of travelers running around with luggage.
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Disney is such a great adventure, and it sounds like you had a big one just trying to get there. I also went to Disney when I was a kid; however, it was so long ago that I don’t remember much of anything. I only remember 2 different areas and 2 rides. Hopefully, you had a lot of fun at Disney, and hopefully youdidn’t meet anyone, like in Home Alone, as you referenced.
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Five days before my eighth birthday, my little sister was born. Her name is Liliana, and she is my only sibling. As a kid, I always wanted a sibling so I could be less lonely. The night we took my mom to the hospital, my dad met my friend’s mom after we took her to the hospital. It was late in the night, maybe even 2 or 3 am, but I don’t remember the time very well. Her mom took me back to her house, and I slept on their couch downstairs since everyone was asleep. In the morning, I went to scare my friend, since she did not know I was there. I jumped around the corner after she walked out of her room. She fell to the floor, gasping for air, and I fell from laughing so hard. I remember seeing my mom at the hospital after she gave birth. I played with a dog in the hallway. I ate hospital food with her, then I eventually got to see my baby sister. While at the hospital, I learned how to change her diaper and how to carefully hold her. My sister went through a lot right at birth; she had some emergency procedures done, since when she came out, she was all bruised. However, she was still released before my mom was. One day, my dad took me to Five Guys, but I do not remember if it was when we were bringing my sister home or before. At the time, I had a big dog, named Chewy, who was about 80 to 100 pounds around when we brought my baby sister home for the first time. He was very gentle with her; he didn’t fully understand what she was either, since the youngest child he ever met was me at 5.
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This kind of experience is very confusing especially when you are young and it’s so late at night. I love that you could stay with your friend and be in a comfortable space. It was probably so exciting that you could surprise her in the morning! I also had a big dog when I was little, and he was very gentle too.
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My family and I left our cabin in the early afternoon, it was late July, and the sun was already bright and hot in the sky. I was six sitting in the back seat with my sister who was ten. We didn’t know where we were going, but we were excited to be in the sun. The day before we sat by a cool creek digging in the stones for fossilized coral, shells, and plants from when Ohio used to be the bottom of an ocean. At the time I didn’t know all the names of them, so I just looked for the ones that looked the coolest. My favorite was the one that looked like a bumpy branch. Later I found out it was called a Bryozoan and used to be a very common type of coral. Today, however, we were in the sun, looking through dry slate rocks. We found a lot of fossilized ferns and other plants. After exploring more of the town and getting dinner, we drove back to our cabin. We sat on the porch with all of our findings laid out and sorted through them. Figuring out what kinds of fossils we found and who had the best ones. The smell of the cleaner was strong. We mixed vinegar and water together, and it filled the whole room. We used old toothbrushes and scrubbed the rocks, getting rid of the dirt and revealing the fossil underneath. After sorting and cleaning everything my sister and I inspected what each other found. A few times she would point out ones that I had that were just rocks. The tables and our hands were covered in the smell of vinegar, and we were ready to sit down and chill for the rest of the night. After cleaning up we sat around the little living room and watched a movie that we brought with us on DVD. While we watched, we decorated shirts, covering them in pictures of what we had done and found in the last few days.
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I love that this is such a clear memory with your sister! Family trips can be so fun and nostalgic when you get to do things you enjoy with the people you love. Have you been back since? I don’t have any siblings, but I can imagine family trips together are very fun and hectic!
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This is such a beautiful memory to have with your sister! I love how you described this memory over the span of a few days, it really added to the timeline and helped me to really picture this summer day! When I was younger my grandpa used to take me into nature to search for rocks and fossils that I could add to a collection I kept so reading your passage brought back some core memories for me!
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When I was about eight years old my family and I took our first vacation to the beach. We left early in the morning, well before the sun creeped over the horizon and drove ten hours to spend a week in sunny South Carolina. l remember my father waking up before everyone else each morning, always leaving a note on the counter that he would be back soon. I wondered what he was doing and woke up early with him the next morning to find out he was looking for shark teeth that had been left behind by high tide. I spent 6 of the 7 days of vacation waking up early every morning, crouching low, digging through piles of sand hoping to find my first tooth on my own. Many frustrations arose, and a few tears were shed after not being able to find one on my own for the entire week. Finally, on the last morning of the trip, I went out to the beach with my dad one last time and as I stepped forward, placing my toes in the ocean, I noticed what I had been searching for all along was right at my feet.
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I really like the way you told this memory. I enjoyed the way you told us that your father was the reason you went to search for shark teeth. I think it is very cool that even though you were not able to find a shark tooth for the first few days, you stayed persistent and were finally able to find one on the last day of your vacation.
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In June of 2021, My family and I took a trip to Sanibel Island, Florida. My dad’s entire side of the family went on this trip including aunts, uncles, and cousins. I remember getting off the plane, walking through the airport and gathering our bags and belongings. After this we exited the airport to pick up the rental car which was a Dodge Durango. I remember walking outside and feeling the warm, coastal air and the sun hitting my skin. It was a very peaceful feeling despite being in quite a loud area. We then drove the car to the condominium that we rented and started unpacking all our things. I was very excited for all of my extended family to arrive and to see my cousins. Once we unpacked everything and the rest of my family arrived, we went to a place called Doc Ford’s for lunch. I remember ordering a margherita flatbread pizza and sitting on the patio at the restaurant overlooking the bay. In the bay, there were what looked like nearly a hundred boats docked. After lunch, we made our way back to the condominium and headed to the beach. The salty breeze and the sun hitting my skin was a wonderful feeling. I believe we spent most of the day at the beach swimming in the water, laying in the sand, and playing catch. After the beach, we went out for dinner. I cannot remember the name of the restaurant we went to for dinner but I do remember most of the food on this trip being fantastic. After dinner, we went back home, took showers, and fell asleep very quickly due to being very tired from the beach and laying in the sun all day. This trip is something I will remember for all of my life because of the fun memories made with my family.
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I like how you were able to feel peace in the small aspects such as the temperature and the wind despite the business of the world around you. I think its important that we stop and notice those things with the hustle and bustle of life. I’m glad this trip made many core memories for you and you enjoyed it so much!
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Coming from a big Italian lineage, the importance of creating and holding onto family bonds has always been etched into my brain. So, when my mom explained to me that Veronica, my cousin from Italy, was coming to America to stay with us for the summer I knew I needed to savor every moment I was going to get with her. I can still feel the weather on the day she arrived: the sun was hot and the air was heavy, perfect for a day at the pond. With her silver suitcase and her pink carry on, she made her way into our living room area. Timid at first, I hid behind my older sister and waited until she introduced me. Many hugs later, I could tell she was tired from her day of travel and needed some relaxing time in the sun. We still had to wait for my other cousins to arrive so I offered her my room so she could begin changing into her swimsuit. As the day went on, Veronica, my sisters and I became more comfortable with each other. Maybe its just because we share the same blood but it seemed as if we were all peas in a pod. The rest of the day we spent splashing in the pond and snacking on some “American Mcdonalds” her only food request for the day. I will always look back on that summer with bliss. I consider it one of my biggest blessings that I have family across the sea.
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That sounds like an amazing experience, I have always wanted to learn more about my own family history in Italy and I will not lie I am a little jealous that you were able to do that. Being able to meet someone related to you but from a different part of the world is such a special thing, and it sounds like you had a lot of fun meeting your cousin from Italy.
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When I was around 11 my parents took me and my sister on summer vacation to Puerto Rico. I remember being so excited to see everything when I was boarding the plane. We stayed a hotel resort that had a connection to this private island that they would take you to by boat. So on one of the days of the trip after having lunch at the restaurant connected to the hotel, where I only ordered chicken fingers and fries, we got on this boat with all of the other people staying at the hotel and we set off to the island. The island its self was very large but we only had access so a select part of the beach as the rest of the island was privately owned. At the end of the boat ride my family and I picked out our beach chairs and began to enjoy our time in the sun. I remember my dad and sister were very adamant on going snorkeling and forced me to go with them even though I was hesitant. I chose to stay in the shallower area of the ocean while my sister and dad went deeper. I looked at all of the little creatures that were on the ocean floor, the beautiful coral and the dark red sea urchins which I knew not to touch. I even got to see a baby stingray that was swimming close to the surface, everyone on the beach was very excited to see it. After a few hours the boat returned to take us all back to the resort, where I promptly fell asleep on the bed once we got back to our hotel room.
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This trip sounds like a lot of fun! I love how you described the island and the little creatures you saw. Even though you were hesitant about snorkeling at first, it sounds like the experience was worth the little push from your dad and your sister. I’ve always wanted to go snorkeling, though I would also be hesitant about going into deeper water. It sounds like you can still see some cool things from shallow waters! You know it was a good adventure when you need a nap after!
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This sounds like such a fun vacation!! You did such a good job describing your experiences that I felt as if I could fully picture them in my mind! I can also relate to you going back to your hotel and just falling asleep; the best naps are the ones you’re able to take after a day full of sun!
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One night when I was younger, after coming home from dance practice, I heard faint sounds coming from a bush beside our house. My parents and I went to investigate, and we found a small kitten. Not only was she stuck in this bush, but she was sitting on top of an ant hill. Her fur was gray with stripes, and though she was so small she could fit in my hands, her cries were loud enough to carry down the street. After a quick family discussion, we decided we would take her in for the night. My mom went to buy cat food, hoping to lure her out, but the kitten would not budge. Her desperate whines continued, so my dad finally reached in and gently pulled her free. She was trembling as we put her in a cardboard box to keep her safe until we could visit the vet the next day. She tried to escape many times throughout the night, scratching at the sides of the box, but we eventually got her to stay put. The next morning, my mom took her to the vet. We found out that she was perfectly healthy, so we finally let her explore our house. Unfortunately, weren’t allowed to have pets where I live, which was heartbreaking to me. Luckily, I was able to convince my grandma to adopt her. I continued to grow up with this kitten we rescued, a feisty cat I named Bella. I’ve always loved animals, but this experience was truly meaningful because it was the first time I felt like I had helped save one.
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This experience sounds super important. I really like the way you described this memory and didn’t only scratch the surface with detail. I like how you really emphasized parts of the story like the cats whines could be heard down the street and showed how scared the cat was. One of my dogs was actually rescued kind of in the same way which is really cool so I can relate to this story a little! That feeling of helping something or someone is so awesome and I am glad you got to feel that way. I am also glad you could convince your grandma to keep the cat too!
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One night, when I was around 10 or so, we were taking our first trip out of the country to Jamaica. I remember feeling really excited and ready to go. I couldn’t even go to sleep the night before our plane left because of how excited and happy I was. It was finally time to leave, and as I had my mini suitcase and backpack filled with all the stuff I needed on the plane. I told my dog bye for the last time and got into the car I remember feeling like life wasn’t real. We were driving to the airport and it was really early in the morning, we got to watch the sunrise as we were walking into the airport. We then made it through TSA and checked our bags in and now it was only time to wait. I remember hating that wait I was so excited to go and leave and we had to wait. Minutes began to feel like hours and my stomach became upset because I was hungry. We got some Cinnabon and I still to the day remember how good it tasted. We finally got to board the plane and it was my first ever time being on a plane before. I was so excited and a little nervous, we found our seats and we began to take off. I opened up the window a little after takeoff and how I saw the sky will never be forgotten. It was the coolest thing I have ever seen, and I was mesmerized by the whole thing. We eventually made it to our vacation, and we had a great time, but being in a plane for the first time is something I will never forget.
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Cinnabon is an essential part of any airport visit. I’m glad you got to experience such fine cuisine before a fun trip to Jamaica! The sky from an airplane window is an unforgettable view for sure, and it’s great that you weren’t scared of flying for your first time. I enjoyed hearing about the moments before you arrived at the airport; those details of leaving your dog and watching the sunrise made the trip sound even more special. Also, the wait at the airport is always so long, especially when your parents get you there hours in advance! This is a great memory.
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Ever since I joined my high school’s art program, I had consistently battled with my artistic abilities. Previously, I had never touched a paintbrush or any art medium, but I believed I would easily settle into a class dedicated to serious and somewhat experienced artists. I struggled to establish a comfortable footing within my class, not because of my inability to create art, but because of my own negative mindset. I felt lacking in comparison to my classmates and decided to forcefully surface some artistic talent through digital drawing. With a sudden and unexpected amount of determination, I spent hours over multiple weeks working on digital pieces. I drew absentmindedly throughout the day and lost hours of sleep on school nights to finish my line work or rendering. Each final product was a replica of some DC or Marvel comic character that I drew without really understanding the proper process. As a result, not much technique stuck with me just from the few projects I completed, no matter how appealing they might have been. Instead of respecting the sometimes slow and gradual journey necessary to develop a skill, I rushed into it expecting immediate results, and in turn, only learned a lesson. From then on, I understood that I was capable but needed to gain experience to see how art fit into my life, not the other way around. This impatience that accompanies my new hobbies or endeavors is felt quite often throughout my life. In the end, I am always left to reconsider my approach if there is enough desire to continue, and because of my digital art phase, I was able to notice the consistent pattern.
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I totally understand what it is like to feel kind of stuck even when you are trying so hard to grow and improve! I think that it is really cool that you were able to look at it the other way around and change your focus to help art fit into your life better! I have always wanted to be a good artist because my brother is amazing at basically every art style and I think it is the coolest skill to have, but I have never had the patience to actually go through the proper process of it, so I totally understand where you are coming from! I hope you have become a lot more comfortable with your skills now and are able to feel a lot better about your art!
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I was leaving one of my first ever shifts as a ride operator at Sluggers and Putters amusement park one night after a pretty long and tiring day. I was assigned to the bumper boats, and working the boats also comes with the job of running the little El Paso train, so I had my hands full pretty much all day running in between the two rides. I remember thinking that I was so excited to get out of there and go home because it was super busy all day and I had to work and close all by myself for the first time. As I was leaving, the park had the same kind of eerie feeling as an abandoned amusement park, but there was also something very peaceful about it with all of the lights and music turned off. The screams and laughter of children on rides was replaced by the chirps of cicadas and crickets. I was taking in the quiet of the park when I walked by a little boy and his grandpa talking to another family. I remembered him because he rode the train multiple times and both him and his grandpa went on the boats a few times. I looked up and smiled to wave to them as I passed and the grandpa saw me and said, “Thank you so much for everything today! We both had such an amazing time!” I remember being kind of surprised because I was only doing my job, but they were so appreciative of me. It made me realize that what was merely just my job to me was so much more to customers, so from then on out I made sure to always put on a smile and help people as much as I could no matter how tired or stressed out I might be.
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For starters that is such a wholesome story! It is always so cool when even the smallest things have such a great impact on those around you. Sometimes even just a smile from a stranger will improve my mood, even more so if I get a compliment. Its such a small thing to compliment someone, or just to say hey, its mind-blowing how much impact these small gestures have. I too find the stillness of the evening tranquil. Listening to the sounds of nature is so calming, and grounding.
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I liked your description of the park after closing. The move from ride noise to cicadas felt clear. Running bumper boats and the little train alone sounds tough. You still kept a warm tone with guests. The grandpa’s thank you shows how small moments matter. Service work shapes memories for families, even on long shifts. I had some similar experiences in my old job when the polite and kind people truly stood out to me.
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During my eighth-grade year, I did school completely online due to the COVID-19 outbreak. This alone was challenging and made learning much harder because I did not have to put as much time into it, and keeping my focus was not something I wanted to do while I was at home. Along with this, my younger sister, who was in first grade, was home with me during the day. She became my main responsibility while I was stuck at home, leaving some of my work to become unsatisfactory. I had many distractions from completing my school work correctly or on time, causing me to have to persevere throughout the school year. I was tasked with making food and taking care of my sister every day. My time management was also important because we both had to join Zoom calls at certain times during the day. This was a beneficial turning point in my early life to give me an idea of what taking care of myself, along with others, is really like. My responsibility skills greatly increased, and I learned what my biggest priorities are. It was not a great time in my life, but looking back, I realize the experience taught me an abundance about myself that I will always carry with me.
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I was a sophomore on the cross country team, trying to hold a varsity spot. Most weeks, I sat around sixth or seventh, which meant I had to stay close to our main group. At practice, our coach kept saying the same thing: find a group, push past them. By the time we lined up at the district meet, I had a simple plan. Get out clean, settle into a good pace by the first mile, and do not let our fifth runner get too far ahead.
The race went out fast. I found teammates and a larger group from schools we knew and matched their pace. Near the end of the first mile, our number seven grabbed at his leg and stepped off with an injury. That meant we had one less person, and my place mattered more. I kept my eyes on the backs in front of me and worked my way up to pass them.
In the second mile, my legs felt heavy, but I stayed on the edge of a large group and waited for the next turn to move. I picked off a few, one at a time, just as my coach told me to. As I came out of the woods, the last stretch was in view, and I heard our coach yell to finish hard. I used the last of my energy, picking a few people off. We stood by the finish, and all we could do was wait as a team until the results were officially posted. When the results came through, our coach said we made it out as a team. We cheered, grabbed our bags, and took a team photo by the district sign.
A week later, we rode the bus to regionals. The field was bigger and the start was crowded, but the plan did not change. I started with my team and stayed with them as long as I could. I did not place well. My pace slipped because of a pain I had tried to ignore. A few days later, a doctor told me it was a stress fracture of my tibia. Making it to regionals together felt like proof that the small steps still worked, even when something went wrong and we had to adjust.
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AJ, I think your experience was very impressive and shows a lot about your perseverance, which I mentioned briefly in my response. I also relate to trying to achieve a spot on the varsity teams and it can be difficult. Its cool to see you improve, as well as your coaches impact on you. It is really cool that you made it to regionals in itself. Trying to run with a fractured tibia must have been no fun. I enjoyed reading your response.
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I really enjoy the way you vividly tell what your thoughts were during this moment, putting me in your mindset. I like how you also tied in how heavy your legs were feeling and bringing it back to how you were feeling and trying to push through.
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So relatable! I ran cross country in high school, and injuries are a real, unfortunate consequence of the countless pounding on your legs. I appreciated the description of the course, it helped me to visualize what you were feeling at every moment. I’m sad you weren’t able to place better at regionals, but the camaraderie you have built with your team is tangible.
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During my eighth-grade year, I did school completely online due to the COVID-19 outbreak. This alone was challenging and made learning much harder because I did not have to put as much time into it, and keeping my focus was not something I wanted to do while I was at home. Along with this, my younger sister, who was in first grade, was home with me during the day. She became my main responsibility while I was stuck at home, leaving some of my work to become unsatisfactory. I had many distractions from completing my school work correctly or on time, causing me to have to persevere throughout the school year. I was tasked with making food and taking care of my sister every day. My time management was also important because we both had to join Zoom calls at certain times during the day. This was a beneficial turning point in my early life to give me an idea of what taking care of myself, along with others, is really like. My responsibility skills greatly increased, and I learned what my biggest priorities are. It was not a great time in my life, but looking back, I realize the experience taught me an abundance about myself that I will always carry with me.
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This was relatable for me on a very close level. During online school, I also had to take care of my little sister while our parents were at work. I was checking to make sure she was on her Zooms and making sure she was turning in her work while trying to keep up with my own classes. The constant switching between her schedule and mine made it difficult to stay on top of things, but it also forced me to build real routines. With the help of my parents, my sister and I created daily checklists for both homework and chores, which really helped us stay on track. Situations like this truly do help you build responsibility and time management skills.
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The summer after sophomore year, I was buzzing with excitement for my friend’s birthday party. First thing in the morning, with my eyes still struggling to stay open, I headed over to my friend’s house to help set up. As I entered, I could hear ABBA blaring from every corner of her house, since the theme was Mamma Mia. I hear the sound of ballons stretching as they are filled from within the kitchen. My best friends greet me, smiling ear to ear. The summer was just freshly starting and every year this felt like the kickoff to the best summer yet, each year bubbling with more and more excitement. We nearly immediately hopped in the car to stop at our favorite smoothie place that was much too far of a drive just for a beverage of any kind. The windows are down blowing our hair in every direction as we all sing at the top of our lungs. I look around the car at the three of us, all looking like we just rolled out of bed with puffy eyes and matted hair, but we were each dressed in our birthday party attire. We all wore different variations of white linen skirts that were long enough for us to trip over ourselves. In this moment, I knew that this would truly be a memorable summer.
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The spring of my sophomore year of high school was hectic. I was involved in our student musical production that year, I was quickly approaching my first ever round of AP Tests, and I was involved in the student leadership team at my local church. I had a lot on my plate, but it wasn’t enough. After the fall cross country season, I had decided I wanted to run a half marathon. I had prepared well, trained as hard as I could, and it was time to see the fruits of my labor. I woke up early this particular Sunday morning, ready to leave at 5:30. I changed into my race clothes, pinned my bib on my chest, and laced up my running shoes, nervous about running my first ever official road race. I wasn’t hungry, but I forced myself to eat a banana, fueling myself for the long day ahead. As we drove into downtown Pittsburgh, the sun having barely risen, I stare out the window, watching the lights go by. We pull into a parking spot at a nearby church and walk to the starting line. I stretch in Market Square, loosening my muscles, ready to spring into action. I navigate my way to the chute and stand alone in the middle of a crowd. My mind is racing, anticipating the shot of a starting pistol. As time passes, I begin to wonder if we will ever start. I jog in place, desperate to stay warm as my breath turns to steam in the frosty morning air. Finally, after what seems like ages, the speakers crackle to life as the announcer relays the message that the elite athletes are lining up at the front of the pack. Five minutes later, the gun goes off. I jostle for position, trying to get a good start even as countless runners surge around me, picking me up like a piece of driftwood carried aloft by a wave. As the crowd thins out, I remind myself to settle into my pace, cautious not to outwear myself. Before I realize, we have passed the first mile mark, and there is a water station up ahead! I never had water stations during my training runs, this feels like a miracle. I knew they were providing beverage stations, but water never felt so good! I drank it by the gulp, finishing off two cups handed to me by volunteers as I sprint past them. This happens again at mile 2, and mile 3, and mile 4, … by the time I reach mile 5, I begin to feel sick to my stomach. The nauseousness comes to me in waves, washing over my body and stripping me of any determination to finish. I begin to run slower, and slower, and slower. More and more people pass me, until a spectator yells out, “Stick to it, bud!” I feel the admonishment of this stranger, and suddenly I have been overcome with a surge of motivation. My legs move faster, and faster, and faster. I surge forward, skipping every water station after that. My feet carry me across the finish line with a time of 1:43:57. As I walk through the finish chute, receiving my medal, blanket, and complementary bagel, I contemplate the mysterious fact that I feel accomplished despite the fact I didn’t complete what I set out to do.
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The way you set up how you already had a lot to prepare for and work on before joining the half marathon demonstrates how hardworking you are as well as setting up the beginning of your story well. I appreciate how you provide the imagery and feelings you have and break it up by saying you were at the one-mile mark.
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drichard-hcopk 
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