Life Lessons Learned

I casually walked through the park on a crisp summer day with morning dew smell still lingering in the air. Nobody is out during this time as usual. Only people awake during this hour are morning joggers and dog walkers. Of course, there was also a mother who was playing with her toddler. She catches her chocolate-brown son and tickles him, and they laugh and trip and fall together onto the floor and laugh harder. I walked by just to say hello to them as they waved back to me. I had set myself to wake up every day at this time and start running laps around the neighborhood to help lose weight. I recall running to every single spot in town on the blocks from Lang to Richland Lane were buildings in wild assortment: two drugstores, Henry Clay Frick's mansion with

When I was in 5th grade at the age of 10 I was fortunate enough to go on a vacation out of the country. This was a pivotal moment in my life because my family had never really had enough money to go on a trip with all of us, but we did this time because my dad saved up; we were going to the Philippines. Even though it was just supposed to be a vacation, it ended up being something completely different. During our time there, we stayed with my uncle who lived in an underprivileged neighborhood.Spending time with my relatives in that place made me realize that I took things for granted. My thoughts recollected at the church, where I really saw a different view of my dad. He was teaching in a huge, crowded church and what he said and did seemed

Sometimes life lessons are learned the hard way. Unfortunately for me, this is how I learned mine. I do not mean to make this sad and depressing, but this is the truth.

Life seems to take many twists and turns that somehow mesh into each other to form a chaotic knot of happenings. All of these occurrences are supposed to shape you into a wiser more experienced person. Many people can even pin point the exact moment in their life which was forever changed by a single event. When that event happens it becomes an unforgettable memory for you and teaches you a lesson that becomes one of the basic guidelines in your life. The event that forever changed me and was most significant to me was when I decided what I planned on doing for the rest of my life; choosing my major. I knew exactly what I would plan on doing my

It was a casual sunny mall day on a Tuesday afternoon. It was the kind of day where you get front row parking and never stand in line to check-out. It was just my toddler son and I needlessly getting out of the house to enjoy a bit of cool mall air. Our first stop is always the playground but I had to grab a few Auntie Ann’s soft pretzels to munch on while I watched him at play. Being pregnant, I simply could not resist the buttery-baked aroma circulating the air. After contemplating cinnamon sugar, I ordered the biggest cup of salted pretzel bites and a refreshing strawberry-lemonade to drink. Although I have had Auntie Anne’s pretzels numerous of times, I was not prepared for what was about to happen next.

I enjoyed reading Life Lessons from the Bakery by Laura Bowles. The best part about it was the first paragraph with the detailed description of the bakery. I felt as if I were there by the way she used the senses to depict it. I also really liked the message translated through the story. It gave me inspiration for my essay that is based on a specific location, but has a deeper meaning. If I could change anything it would be to carry the detail through more parts of the essay, such as the end. I thought the writing started out very strong but then died down. It was clear that Bowles' chose the bakery as her pivotal place, not only because she enjoyed working there, but because it changed her personality. Before she was hesitant to make any moves

When I was 10, my parents wanted me to get a glimpse of their old life. Jordan, a place my mom was born and raised, grew up in the middle of the once-was main town of Jordan, now known locally as the "old city". Palestine is home to my father. Before he met my mom, he traveled the world with his job maintaining the engine of a cargo ship. Despite my parents grew up very poor, they made it work. While my childhood was full of getting in trouble for not following very cultural guidelines, It was just as full of lectures that felt like Sunday paper. Neither my parents speak perfect English, so when talking, very often they switch back and forth between Arabic and English, (which fascinated my white American friends.) Nevertheless, you didn't have to be fluent in Arabic to tell when they were angry with me, or any of my 5 siblings. If I had a dollar for every time I've been embarrassed by my parents in public, whether it's in parent-teacher conferences, at stores when we mess around, or worst of all, when I have friends over.

There have been very few events throughout my lifetime that I feel have impacted or inspired me with such noteworthiness and that I know will change my outlook on the world and affect me forever. One of those events occurred when I traveled to Portugal, my parent’s homeland. From this excursion in 2007, I learned the importance of family, most importantly the distant kind. It provided me with a totally different perspective on the world and how large and extended one’s family can really be; even across cultures and continents. I felt so fortunate learning this lesson at a young age and growing to appreciate the ideals I was brought up with as a child. The family I have in Portugal has always been there; however, their faces have aged and

My life has been a crazy roller coaster with many events that have affected my life all in different ways. There have been times where my life has been at its highest peak in the world then it falls down, right into a deep valley. From the time my lovable younger sister came into my life to when my grandpa had a near death experience, I have learned many valuable lessons through the rough times as well as the more happy times. When I was a young girl, my mom had always told me the same thing over and over again. I never really thought about how a few words would have a deep effect on me in a short amount of time.

I remember it like it was yesterday, the day that changed my life forever. On March 9th of 2011, my mom was diagnosed with skin cancer in her lung. The doctor gave her about six months to live and this is how it went.

gorgeous and from the moment I set my eyes on her I fell in love with

The end of school came eventually, and I abandoned dreams of the sixth grade. Luckily, I was transferring to another elementary school, but this offered me little consolation. Only dummies have to repeat a grade.

This explains the beginning of my life all the way to the end of my life. My life from the beginning was very fun as I grew up living with my mom’s friend and my friend. But there were a lot of fights and I was very hyper back then. I have ADHD so back then when I was little; I was very hyper and wouldn't stop moving around the place. I always was annoying back then and never seemed to get my homework done at school.

Sitting in a car as it hurtled through the freezing night, my heart pounded in my chest. Breaking the silence, the stranger beside me barked. ‘Be good, be quiet!’ He told me the boot had been cleaned out for me, so I was terrified. I faced the real possibility I was going to die. Up until this point I’d been a typically shy, quiet 13-year-old girl. It wasn’t until I started using online chat rooms with friends that I found a confidence I didn’t have before. Tapping away in my living room, my mum nearby, I felt incredibly safe. I had no reason to believe it would lead to the most traumatic experience of my life. Chatting to friends and then friends of friends is how I met ‘him’. Now I refuse to use his name, he is a monster to me. Back then, of course, as far as I was concerned he was just this boy into the Spice Girls and Titanic, like me. I didn’t know I was being groomed. He always listened and said what I wanted to hear: ‘Your teacher is stupid,’ or, ‘Why tidy your room when it’s your mum’s job?’ Soon I was spending hours online oblivious to the danger ahead. t was New Year’s Day 2002 that I’d secretly arranged to meet him. After dinner, I said I had a stomach ache and left the table. At 7pm, I nipped outside in the cold without a coat. I didn’t plan to be out for long. Walking up my street, a voice kicked in. My intuition told me to go home, but it was eight months too late. As I turned, I heard my name being called. There was no boy there, it was a man. The next part is

Have you ever encountered a tragic moment and saved someone’s life? All of a sudden I was the only one that could help because everyone else was in shock. The bravest moment of my life that surprised me was giving CPR to a man in a restaurant.