Undergraduate / 'this wisdom and lesson' - Discuss a personal crucial relationship you have had [3]

As I entered the auditorium for freshman orientation on the first day of high school, I marveled at my four hundred other classmates. I struggled to find a seat in the crowded room and finally found a seat in the back row, next to a very nervous and scared girl who had never been to public school because she was in a private school for all of her nine years of education. She introduced herself as Sophie. I awkwardly shook her hand as I presented myself to her. She giggled and we instantly clicked and started to talk about high school, then family, and ultimately about ourselves. Two hours into high school and I was already talking to a girl, I was thrilled.

Sophie and I instantly became friends, hanging out frequently throughout the week. We would talk most nights on Facebook, and our friendship began to flourish into something more. I began to have feelings for her, and she felt the same about me. We started to talk seriously about what each of us wanted from this relationship, and we realized that it was not the same thing. So as freshman year wound down, we came to the conclusion that remaining friends was the best option. Little did I know, Sophie would be transferring to a private high school and would not be coming back to Cambridge Rindge and Latin next fall.

Sophie was ostracized by her friends for leaving but I remained loyal to her, keeping our tradition of talking every night. I helped her cope with the stresses of being at a new school and meeting new people while she helped me with the transition from freshman to sophomore year. As our friendship strengthened, I realized again that I still had feelings for her. I was frustrated because I didn't want to force her into a relationship that I wanted and she did not. However, it did not change the composition of our friendship. Then tragedy struck. I broke my neck after a diving accident at the beach on Memorial Day weekend. My numb body was air lifted from the beach and brought directly to the hospital where surgery to repair the broken bone segments in my neck was imminent. After surgery, I was brought into the intensive care unit the next day where I was greeted by Sophie and the rest of my family. Sophie was the only person I wanted to see at that time. After my family had left that night, Sophie stayed with me until I fell asleep. I was released four days later and Sophie came to visit me every other day, keeping me company until my physical therapist came to work on restoring me to my once fit self. After Sophie would leave, I was always in a better mood and grateful that I had such a loving friend who cared about my well-being.

Meeting and knowing Sophie made me appreciate the small victories in life. While I never had a serious relationship with her, I realized that being her friend was all I needed. She helped me see that there were always other more positive attributes which I could pride myself on and be proud of. For example in sports, I was sad that I could not play soccer in the fall because I could not take the contact from playing and would end up paralyzed if I got hit, but I realized that I still had swimming I could look forward to and succeed in. In each endeavor I do throughout life I am often faced with results that do not please me but I still recognize that I have achieved something and that accomplishment should not go unnoticed. It is with this wisdom and lesson that I have learned from my relationship with Sophie that I am able to see the silver lining in every situation.