Personal Narrative Essay

I have heard the phrase, “life isn’t easy”, so many times in my life. And I finally realized the truth in it.

“In the end we only regret the chances we didn’t take.” - Lewis Carroll. The quote discussed is Jack London “The proper function of man is to live, not exist. I shall not waste my days trying to prolong them. I shall use my time.” In order to support this I will use evidence from articles and studies. I agree with Jack London’s claim that people should live not exist, and use their time wisely. I agree because risk taking actually has health benefits, people often take risks and then love the outcome and research has found risk taking can actually be eye-opening.

At age 16 I was told that I was incapable of being an athlete, I was told tennis was not a sport, I was told I could never play “a real man’s sport”. That same year, I stepped onto a soccer pitch for the first time in my life, I lined up against young men who had been playing the sport for more than a decade.Yet, I went out there with confidence and challenged them along with the notion that I could not play a real sport. Although, I was scared to embarrass myself, I knew that this decision would be one of the greatest I would ever make because of the life experiences I would gain from leaving my comfort zone for the first time,

“Life is like a box of chocolates you never know what your gonna get” (Gump, Forest) sounds familiar huh? When I ponder on the idea of an electrifying episode in my life, I think about the unexpected things that have happened. However something out of the ordinary “tickled my fancy”. After all my years of thinking it was impossible, the improvable became reality. Now just for a second I want you to sit back, relax, and enjoy my journey of becoming Student Body President.

Although it isn’t equivalent to daredevils who bungee jump or skydive, most of what we do is in the boundaries of risk taking. People start taking risks from the moment you were born. Babies take the risk that their caregivers will provide them the right nourishment to prosper. In infants, their first step to walking involved them taking the risk of falling down. Children take risks of losing whenever they play a game of competition. High school students take risks when they take standardized exams such as the SAT which serves as a measuring stick between themselves and their peers. Adults who apply for a job take the risk of not getting accepted or eventually fired. Old people take the risk of getting up everyday and face the possibility of injuring their frail bodies. One of the most risky concept in our modern day world is sports. Sports attract a huge audiences and unite people of all backgrounds. However, if you watch sports, you likely have a favorite team. If you have a favorite team, you are putting your money that your preferred franchise will win the championship year after year. As a result, if you follow a specific team, you face the risk of elimination. This exemplifies that the most unifying concepts involve risk

As I cleared the jump for the last round, I heard the crowds rousing cheer, it felt as if the whole world was by my side. Leaning forward to my horse I whispered, we made it Tekeze, we are the stars now. As I made my way out of the arena other competitors and trainers have fived me and talked about how beautifully I finished the curves, nodding my head, I searched for my trainer and friends to share the excitement that I could no longer hold. As I did two men caught my attention, one was encouraging the other to walk up to me, I could hear him say “I’ll ask her afterward” repetitively and walked towards the crowd disappearing from my sight.

When taking a risk there is many things or obstacles that might stumble in your way. Even though someone has the courage to give their all it might not always end up how we want it to or how we expect it to be. Life is all about giving it all you got and giving it a chance because without stumbles and falls, we will never know how life will treat us in the future. It will have many challenges that we will accomplish.

As we were walking up on the haunted ship everything became cold. “Hello! This is the ship named Queen Mary. This ship has been here ever since the 1800s. It’s told to have over 50 ghosts being seen in the isolation room and in B105. This ship is told to be the most haunted ship ever,” said a lady in a uniform. “Woah, okay, we’re going to be ghost hunting for 3 days here.” I said. The lady's eyes widened. “What?? You guys are going to be in the suite room which has been haunted for over 100 years. I won’t stop you guys but I'm just warning you guys.”

My mother is an excellent chef and tonight we are having one of her specialties: philly cheese steaks. These aren’t just any philly cheese steaks though. The rolls are homemade honey wheat and each bite reveals just a hint of fresh basil. The meat is a succulent beef that has been sliced paper thin and has been cooking slowly in its own juices for eight hours. The mozzarella was made by my grandfather earlier today, and it melts into a delicious, gooey mess. Mom does not make this often as the beef she uses is pretty expensive, but today’s special. Today, not only do I turn eighteen, but I was also recently accepted into the honor’s program at Moss University.

Warm, salty sweat was dripping down my drained face. Snatching the towel which was placed delicately around my neck, I used the towel by daintily wiping the sweat gathered up on my forehead. Shutting my eyes unanticipatedly, I lifted the heavy dumbbells once more before setting it back on the large metal rack. Locating my throbbing body on the poorly painted wooden bench, I picked up the cold water bottle and initiated to drink all the remaining water to fill my thirst. Exhaling vociferously, I planted my chin on my moist palm. My bulky, muscular arms started to pulsate causing my whole entire body to stiffen up. I sat on the bench for several moments, too overwhelmed to move.

Thursday March, and I was on my feet. Be that as it may, then I lost my foot. Stating it like this might confound, yet you will get it toward the end.

Once there was a single guy and a single girl; in the same class, and hoping to date the other. In foods class, more specifically, of my sophomore year (PrepPh). I talked to many people of my foods class, but never really connected with any of them in particular. Then the seating order changed, and I finally sat with a girl that seemed interesting. I am going to call her Ashley as to not give away her true identity. Ashley, who was a bright and talented girl, was a girl I suddenly had a crush on (ADJ). Ashley and I hit it off quickly and became fast friends in our foods class. At first I thought of her as a talkative and smart individual, which is all I need to be able to have a crush on her. We talked and enjoyed each other’s company in foods

Whew! Attending college full time and working part time kept my mind busy. The one hour drive home from UNC was a respite which allowed my mind to wander. On this particular day, it was wandering between summer vacation plans and my research on the meaning of Zen when I noticed the neighbor’s large, white cat, Phaton, wrestling with a small animal on the front lawn. “Phaton! Get away from that squirrel!” Stepping out of my car, I positioned myself as a barrier. There would be no lip smacking or paw licking on my lawn. “Now that you’ve made it to the tree, you can climb to safety,” I encouraged. To my dismay, I realized that what I thought was a squirrel was instead a prairie dog and could not climb. Its den was just a block away. As if on cue, the little rodent began to run toward 2nd Avenue, the intersecting street. I felt empowered to be at the right place at the right time to save a cousin of the slaughtered mink.

Then the 134 arrived. I got on, showed my pass to the bus driver and

Everyone’s journey is a unique one, and that’s what makes us special. I might only be twenty-six years old, but I have had a lot of experiences. From people and athletics to jobs and education, they all have taught me something. Without being intentional and taking risks, you won’t discover new things about yourself, and you won’t lead a happy and fulfilling life.