Personal Narrative: The Value Of Life

I walked off the floor with sweat dripping from my hair. So many thoughts flew through my head that I couldn’t focus on anything. My junior year of basketball felt like it ended as quickly as a blink. It was as if in seconds we went from the stars of the state tournament to the embarrassments of it. I tried to forget the disappointment of it but it still will not leave. My desire and love to win games comes from the more apparent hatred of losing them. Junior year we had a chance to win a state championship, but we lost that chance. That was when I realized that I had one chance left to win. Senior year our basketball success would only be as rewarding as we would make it. The pressure placed on ourselves was substantial, and we faced trials on the road to success. In the end, we stood alone, crowned as the champions, not letting our chance slip away.

My family was born to play basketball, both of my brothers had the size and athleticism to play professionally, and my dad towered over others standing at 6’6”. At a young age I was expected to follow in their footsteps. However, I did not have the size that the rest of my family did, and struggled to compete due to my small stature. In the seventh grade I tried out for my middle school basketball team and was promptly told I wasn’t good enough to play. I came home crying feeling that I disappointed my family. The next year, during the eighth grade try-outs, the coach said the same thing and broke my heart for the second year in a row. Dissatisfied with these results, I promised that I would make a change before entering high school.

I was an incoming freshman, two weeks prior to my first day of high school, and I was terrified. I knew that I loved the sport of football, however I had heard stories from my brother about how tough Stepinac’s freshman football coach was. Everything that I was told was true. One of the coaches great lessons that he taught me was that a hardworking disciplined team is typically more successful than a team that has all of the talent in the world, but is not disciplined and does not work hard. That summer was the hardest that I had ever worked up to that point to start in a football game. The hard work never paid off, and I left at the end of that season defeated. I wasn’t good enough, I wasn’t fast enough, and I wasn’t strong enough. I had only played in two of the games, one, for a snap when

In the late spring semester of my senior year in high school. I decided to take a risk with my future. All throughout high school I, identified as a football player. From a freshman I was placed on varsity and throughout my career I contributed heavily in games. Glaring into my history of sports I naturally believed college football was the route for me. During my final season as a high school student. I a major family set back. Lucky for me one of my teammates could not bare to see me leave during the middle of the season. He offered that I stay with him for the finish of the football season. I accepted his offer with much embarrassment and shame. For the first time the spotlight of being needy that I had been dodging all of my life finally caught up to me.

It was late October, leaves were changing, and cold weather was rolling into the Ohio area. You could always tell whether or not your team had been having a successful fall season when you finish up your regular practice time, and as you are walking out of the gym the mens basketball team is lacing up after you. Our second round of the tournament we travelled out to the boonies of Ohio; Blanchester. An hour trip from our little town, we were determined to come out on top. We weren’t making this trip just for a loss, especially during homecoming week. My team played beautifully, executing a win. After this game, I received a phone call from Jim explaining that a local coach had heard of my recent accolades, seen me play, and was very impressed. Flattered, assuming he was just telling me a compliment, I grinned and told him a generous ‘thank you!’ Little did I know, this coach had played for Coach Condit at Miami University. She had told her about me and wanted me to call her. My heart jumped out of my chest; not only was this one of my top schools WITHOUT volleyball, but now with it was an opportunity of my dreams. A nervous and thrilled sensation struck me all at once. I knew in an instant that this was where I wanted to be, that my goal was within reach I just had to work harder than ever for

It only took me until my sophomore year of High School to figure what hard work and determination really meant, but man did I wish that I had learned it years before. All throughout High School I was a multisport athlete, I played everything you could think of, Football, Basketball, Baseball, Golf, Tennis, Volleyball. I excelled at each and every sport, and I even earned many achievements and awards for each sport. With all that being said my Freshman year did not go so well. I barely showed at practice, and even when I did I did not care to be there and just slacked off like it was a free time never taking it serious. Fastforward to the end of that summer going into my Sophomore year, everything was about to change.

As I lay awake in my comfy cot, I start having these nauseating pains. I scatter to the washroom and chunks fly everywhere. When awake I feel the cold stone floor underneath me. I reach beneath myself to hoist myself up, but all I felt was a puddle of slimy vomit.

The coaches observed as the players warmed up with high flying dunks and and deep three-point shots. With only a couple minutes left to warm up I quickly laced my sneakers and got shots up. Five minutes into shooting, a loud and deep voice filled the gym, it was the coach screaming for all the players to huddle up at center court. Everyone already dripping with sweat, gathered around the main coach and listened as he explained what he expected from us. Finally, it was time to play ball. The first four games flew by, I had made a couple shots and got a fair amount of playing time, among the deep rotation of players waiting for their chance on the sideline. By the time the fifth scrimmage came around all the players were drenched in sweat and fatigued, including me. However, everyone knew that the last scrimmage is what mattered most. That was where character showed, the question was who still had something to give when everyone else was tired. I was selected in the starting lineup and knew I had to give it my all before I was subbed out. All the coaches were lined up on the sidelines ready to see who had the most heart. The game whistle blew and I ended up with the ball after the jump ball. The first possession we had I crossed my defender and sank a midrange jump shot over him, as all the coaches gazed. After we got back on defense my teammate stripped the

In the years leading up to high school, I attended basketball camps, played on AAU travel teams, and practiced relentlessly to sharpen my skills. My ultimate goal was to earn a spot on my high school varsity basketball team. I was thrilled when I found out in my sophomore year that I was the only player to go straight from the freshman team to varsity. However, after the first week of practice, my coach extinguished my hopes of being

Isaac, a student from Elk County Catholic in Saint Mary's, currently working hard to be a good practicing Catholic. I beg that you do not fall into the deep, dark sin of suicide, the price of your life is not worth all of the problems you are struggling through, suicide is the act or instance of taking one's own life voluntarily and intentionally, the Lord gave us our life as a gift, do not waste it. Remember, Christ died on the cross so that we may live. If you are considering this horrible action, imagine all of the pain and stress your family will endure, you will not just be hurting yourself, but others around you. I feel confused and angered by anyone who is even thinking about ending their life. If you are one of the struggling people

Certainly the past several months hasn't been easy on you either and surely has to have taken its toll on you mentally as well as your health. And for that I sincerely apologize for any and all undo stress you've experienced.

Living with the knowledge that you will die can become an incredibly powerful motivation to achieve the right things in your life. Everything has to come to an end but no one wants to understand the ugly truth of life, and death comes all of a sudden. And that’s me as an individual have come to estate where life has revealed itself to me and have chosen me as a sacrifice for another soul to be born and that before I leave I’ll leave a mark. It is a scary thing to know that I will die soon but I know that I’ll enjoy every single moment in my life, I’ll enjoy the little things and I’ll notice everything around me. Each moment will be important to me, so I’ll do my best to make every second matters. I’m young and I am a dreamer, I know that I didn’t have the chance to do everything that I wanted to do or even reach my goals. But now it’s different that I knew I’ll die in a year that would change my decisions. Realizing that I didn’t enjoy my life made me regret that I was wasting my time by thinking of tomorrow.

Think about your life, as to how you want to live the rest of your life. If you decide to continue living the same life, no one can stop you nor help you. But if you are sincere to start a new life; you are willing to give all your effort to change into a different person, help is always available. Believe me, you are not beyond help.

It was cold, so dreadfully cold in the cozily furnished main room of a cabin once safe from danger. Now, safety was no longer an option and neither was surviving at this point in time.

The job training location was a great opportunity to interact and learn about being productive in the workforce. It also was good opportunity to meet girls and guys from all over the city. We got paid biweekly for attending 4-6 hours’ classes in the afternoon 4 or 5 days a week.