Undergraduate /
essay about experience [6]
I see what you are saying, for the same prompt I wrote this:
It was a cloudy winter day in lower Manhattan. As I walked the streets of the Lower East Side to get to the train, I saw an elderly woman of over sixty years of age with a child around eight years of age. The old woman was selling some small plants and white nuts at a reasonable price. I could not help but wonder with many questions and thoughts running through my mind.
I wondered why she would be selling these items. Was it her choice or was she forced to do so? She could have chosen to sell the plant and nuts in order to make a living rather than doing something else. While it is a way of income, it was not very promising. Sitting on the streets of New York City, hoping a stranger will purchase one was not my idea of earning an income. The woman may have had to sell the stuff as a desperate way to make money to support a family.
Regardless of the possible reasons, she was still selling the plant and nuts on a chilly day. I imagined her to have sat there on the floor the whole morning waiting for a sale. Could the two dollars really have mattered that much? Was it really worth sitting the whole day outside when it was cold? It shows the severity of the woman's situation and the extent the old woman was willing to go in order to feed the child. What if it were her last few days? I doubt she would like to spend those last days sitting there selling the items because I certainly would not have. Regardless whether it was her last days or not, the elderly woman had the responsibility of taking care of herself and the child sitting with her.
The child must have gone to school, and when not in school she must be sitting with the woman outside. The reason for two people to watch the small setup could be in case one had to use the bathroom. The child must sit there alone in the event the woman must go to the bathroom, and face possible humiliation from her classmates that may happen to see her. How could they understand? Some of her classmates may have never had to face such hardships. The absolute mortification of having to sit on that floor to have a chance at some sort of a meal for dinner and to be looked down upon as inferior to the rest.
I had nothing but respect for the elderly woman, as she demonstrated the strength to endure the conditions winter had to offer so that she could continue to support whomever she had to. I have admiration for the child, as she is able to do what she had to, and matured to meet the demands of life. While I do not know the whole story of their situation, I do know that I was fortunate enough to have never experienced anything as close to what she and the child were experiencing. I always had what I needed, and never had to worry about going to sleep hungry or wonder if someone would buy something.
I was lucky. But what if something happened that forced the woman to have to sell things? Anyone could have ended up in a similar situation. I would not be excluded in the possibility of suffering a major downfall and have to sell items to survive. I cannot predict what will happen to me in the future. It then becomes even more important to earn a college education. By investing in a college education, I provide myself more opportunities to hopefully help me support my future family and myself.
There is no telling what lies before any of us. The only thing we can do is to be grateful for what we have and move forth with what we can. I have become more focused on my education and set towards having options. Without options, I depend on everything to go right for my life. The woman did not have much option, but to sell those items to give the child a chance at life.
I could always set my mind towards success, but I cannot be blinded by it. The reality is things do happen that we do not plan. The only thing we can do is to be prepared with a plan in case the event should occur. The experience has given me a new look on life and how I plan to live it. I cannot be focused so much on success and must be aware of the possibilities. I will never forget that day, as it was the first time I realized what life really was.
This is grossly over the limit, (nearly 800 here) so cutting away is okay here. What I am trying to shoot for in this essay is that my encounter with the person provoked thought and from that learned about the possibilities of failure while others don't realize it. Hopefully this better answers the prompt? Be honest again please thanks.