Smooth Seas: A Short Story

Sports has always been a huge part of my life. I would be the one team player who took the sports season a little bit too seriously. I was the number 1 doubles player on my school's JV tennis team. Unfortunately, I fractured my ankle during my junior year and wasn't able to play with my team. I was devastated, but I didn’t allow myself to become disconnected from my team. I became the team manager to allow myself to still play a role in my team, despite my injury. I would record scores to my division leaders and take pictures to post on the website I created for my team. After the season was over, my doctor told me my ankles required surgery to become fully healed. I knew that meant I couldn’t continue to play tennis, but I didn’t want to give

My parent’s struggles taught me to never accept defeat because there are endless possibilities for those who don’t give up. Their perseverance for a better life sparked a sense of determination in me that ignited a fuel for prosperity, and an optimism for bigger and better opportunities not only for me, but for my

I received the news, that my mother had no chance to live and one doctor, placed his hand on my shoulder and sighed loudly with discomfort. He said,” she is not a candidate for any treatment.” I stormed into the ICU room, and held my mother’s hand; she glared at me, unconsciously. I couldn't help but hold back my emotions, so I could be strong for our family. As my eyes were helplessly filling up with tears, I couldn't help but to look around at the doctors and nurses working diligently, and doing the best they could for my mother. At the moment, I remembered the sacrifices that were made to help my mother and how saving lives was my calling from God. Thankfully, my mother survives but only at a twenty percent ejection

I couldn't help but to start crying because that is my hero. My father is the best man on this planet and by far the best father so I kept thinking why my daddy? He's completely healthy he takes care of himself it just doesn't make any sense. A day after being in the hospital he had a stroke and almost died. I went to see him and he had forgotten who I was on that day, but thankfully he regained his memory. I also remember feeling worthless, because out of everything he has done for me, I couldn't help him get better or figure out why this happened so unexpectedly and unplanned. For me, seeing my hero, my father almost die in a hospital inspired me to take my hobbies of helping people to another level. I want to use my heart and skills in the medical field and one day travel around the world to help kids who do not have medicine, surgeons or good healthcare. I want to enroll in the BSN program to actually be able to help people medically, have absolute knowledge about the human body and to try to prevent certain situations from happening. My fathers accident made my drive and dedication to helping people so strong to the point that now, I know I belong in the medical

The time had finally come. When the tyrannical kingdom known as the Pacific Alliance invaded the last line of defence, a massive barrier spanning the former Missouri river. Everyone and their geckos knew this was going to eventually happen, Including MUS-CITIZEN-482C. He knew his bland land-fisherman job would start losing customers, and eventually he would be erased somehow. He couldn’t work overtime, because the tide determined his fate. A high neglect for global warming resulted in crazy weather, surface temperatures on the equator upwards of 526℃, and 27ft. Tides in Boston and the surrounding coastline. As 482C walked down the narrow, flooded streets of Boston with a bucket of asian carp, he heard an explosion. An under-the-radar bomb factory in the basement of a crumbling apartment building had gone off. 482C ran over, only to find a lot of twisted corrugated metal and a collapsed apartment building. Then he heard a strained voice.

Sometimes I sit here waiting for the tide to bring you home again. The warm breezes caressing my face, the water methodically pulling itself back after kissing the shore. I watch the people passing in their boats, living their own lives, so unaware of the tragedy that surrounds this gaping hole in the universe. I wonder if they’ve ever lost a piece of themselves. I wonder how it’s possible for us to all have our stories to tell, all eight billion of us. I sit here thinking about your story, ours. I reflect on the fragmented sentences and laugh at the occasional necessary parenthetical explanation. I sigh when I get to the ending, nothing there anymore but a cavernous period where there could have been a semicolon.

Late middle school my grandfather suffered from a minor shortly followed by a major stroke that left him unable to use the left half of his body. From March 25, 2008 to May 25, 2011 my grandfather constantly needed the attention of another. Witnessing my grandfather’s health slowly deteriorate has caused me to be more sympathetic towards other. Seeing how my grandfather’s passing others showed me that regardless of how strong physically and mentally an individual may be, losing a loved one is a dreadful experience. While volunteering at Sutter Memorial I always remembered how my family was affected and this helped me help them through frightful feelings of seeing a loved one in a grim

I remember when my grandma and I went outside to play when I was about 4 years old. The sky was the most beautiful shade of blue you had ever laid your eyes on, like a crystal clear majestic ocean in the most exotic and breathtaking countries imaginable. We started with just a simple game of catch, however, throwing a blue and yellow Winnie the Pooh ball back and forth can get pretty old really fast. So we stopped playing catch and I skipped my way over, like most 4 year old girls did, to the slide. Now I had been down this slide no problem about a million times and so to think that something would go wrong this time, was just plain inconceivable to my four year old mind. How wrong I was. I started my descent up the red, thin, and metal ladder,

The Bermuda Triangle is a legendary mythological section of the Atlantic Ocean, made up of triangle formed by Miami, Florida; San Juan Puerto Rico; and the islands of the Bahamas. The triangle cover about five-hundred thousand (500,000) square miles of the ocean. The phrase “Bermuda Triangle” was first coined by Vincent H. Gaddis. He was writing an article for Argosy magazine back in 1964. The article was received exceptionally well by audiences and, due to its success, was later expanded to be published into his book entitled “Invisible Horizon: True Mysteries of the Sea”. The book was published in 1965, and included nine (9) accounts if this phenomenon in extensive detail. In December of 1967, Gaddis’ book was in the lime light because of a National Geographic Society news release. Numerous newspapers headlined stories about the Bermuda Triangle also in that December. La ter, in 1968, The Triangle was a cover story for Argosy, as well as in the book “Limbo of the Lost” (1969) written by John Wallace Spencer, and in a documentary motion picture called “The Devil’s Triangle”. Charles Berliz wrote a book titled “The Bermuda Triangle”, it was an instant hit! Later it was discovered that some of the assertions were fabricated, and proved to be incorrect.

In the TED Talk by Dave Eggers, Eggers shares his story about opening a pirate-themed tutoring organization for young students. He had a rough time in the beginning, but he never gave up, and eventually the tutoring organization at 826 Valencia became a well-known and resource for young kids. Through Eggers’ individuality and innovation of this themed tutoring center, students have improved their writing and editing skills. Even though Eggers had a rough time in the beginning, he never gave up on his idea to help students find their passion in their school work. Similarly, Jobs gives meaningful advice about how his life was shaped and that how his “dots” fell into place, like going to college and finding his passion for calligraphy, and putting his passion to work on a new, innovative company. Jobs said it best when he explained the concept of “connecting the dots,” and that you must trust your gut when those dots begin to connect. Both Jobs and Eggers had a pretty rough time in their companies and they actually failed, but instead of dwelling on failure, they made something great out of it, and they have become even more successful. By not looking back on failure and letting it defeat them, they put it in the past and pushed forward. Another great point that Jobs added in his speech was to stay hungry; what he meant by this is that you must look for new things to do and try to go outside of your comfort zone – this relates to Leon Stokesbury’s poem, “Unsent Message to My Brother in His Pain,” in that Stoskebury’s advice was to not give up and find a better purpose of life. Eggers, Jobs, and Stokesbury had similar ideas of not giving up just because life is getting hard – fight through those hard times and come out on top. Pushing through the rough patches will only make you stronger, and in the long run, make you

Carl dangled his feet off of the dock and looked out over the water eagerly watching for the return of the shrimp boats. Carl had a reputation as a hard worker and some of the private boat owners would pay him to carry the heavy totes of shrimp from the dock to the shops that stood between the dock and the main road. The shops were well known for selling fresh shrimp right off that boats. The big boats used conveyors they didn't have any use for a 14 year old kid. The few private owners in the small boats were kind and paid well. In a good week Carl could make $115 dollars. The good days were when the boats returned during high tide. The docks floated and when the tide was out it was a 15' walk up hill which was hard work and he couldn't carry as many totes. He glanced at his watch, it was 3:30, low tide. He looked over his shoulder he barely see the tops of the shops and the statue of the fisherman that lined the boardwalk separating the docks and main road. When the tide was in, you could see the back of the shops and the old statue of the fishermen that the locals believed was good luck. The dock rose and fell with the tide and would be almost level at high tide. Carl could almost run with totes on those days. Carl's hopes seemed to drop in time with the tide, just before the lowest point the first of the private boats rounded the channel heading toward the docks.

Recently, a family in the area lost a son of theirs and the whole community came together and gave all the love and support they needed. This is a memory that I will always hold close to my heart; I’ll always remember him and how hard it must’ve been for the family. It made me step back and realize that I needed to prize the moments with my loved ones because they could be gone tomorrow. It is the devastating facts, it is the sad truth.

At my young age my life has been full of risks, most of which took place in high school. Starting my Freshman year, I took a chance and joined my schools wrestling team. This sport taught me determination. The urge to be the best I could and to continue to better myself every day. I enjoyed this feeling to the extent that it encouraged me to also join the track team. Little did I know that would be the start to my sports career. This gave me the opportunity to create friends that will last a lifetime. Playing sports allowed me to become a better person overall. I grew up and learned to take responsibility, learned how to manage time more efficiently, and acquired the skill to learn in creative ways. My Sophomore year I took these skills and applied them to baseball, which paid off my Junior year. I became the Co-Captain and won the Coaches award for my team. Sports played a major role in my growing up stage of life, the

I clinch my bedsheets as the shots sound one, then another, then another. Strangely, I am still alarmed at the gunshots after thirteen years of living here. Walter, my cat, jumps into my lap, slightly twitching as he walks over and across the trash surrounding my mattress. I shove him out of the way and lift my body forward, the streaks of sore pulsing pain into every nerve in my body. I kick my way through an Elmo toy, pieces of paper, and my only pair of shoes. Nearing to the bathroom, I lift my only real possession, my Bible, from underneath my mattress. I swing open the door and start my daily hygienic process: a washing and drying with paper towels and small bar of soap I stole from the convenience store down the street. I look into the mirror. If only I had lighter skin, someone one would care for me as their own. The alarm of my phone triggers a sense of anxiety as I now realize it’s three minutes before the bus arrives. I quickly slide on my shirt,

he was gone. As the doctors came to tell us that he had passed away, I could see the hurt and tears in his eyes. To have the nurses hug and cry with us after my son passed let me know in my heart this is what I want to do with my life, to not only do a job, but to do something that would make a difference in someone else life. Losing my son made me know life is a gift treasure everyday of it and never take it or each other for granted. Always tell your family you love them because you never know when it maybe the last