His two little hands and feet dug into the frigid, wooden floor while his tiny butt swayed rhythmically in the air. His body wobbled unsteadily as he tried to balance himself without falling down. Quite some time ago, I was babysitting my neighbor's one year old son. This little ball of energy spent the day clambering to a standing position and then collapsing to the ground. He made one try after the other and each try ended with an unfortunate failure. As I sat there and wondered, why he doesn't just give up, this invincible toddler sprung out on his two feet and stared me straight in the eye. Those piercing blue eyes screamed "In your face, I did it."
Everyday, a person encounters problems which they need to overcome. It was the beginning of junior year when my mother was diagnosed with Cirrhosis after battling hepatitis C for 10 years. This woman, who I had known my whole life, became someone I couldn't recognize. The yellow shade in her eyes and pale appearance showed how much the sickness was devouring her. She became as white as the walls in her hospital room and gradually, her hair became faint, almost ghostly. Her face showed fear and pain and soon enough, so did mine.
Witnessing my mom lay in a hospital room that was as silent as a deaf mans ears, made my heart drop to the bottom of my shoes. From that moment, I knew I had to take matters into my own hands. The roles were reversed except I was still a teenager. Balancing cooking, cleaning, school and taking care of my mom became a very difficult daily routine. My first dinner dish started a small fire that resulted in a foul smelling, burnt chicken. An inch of too much water while mopping the floor and the living room looked like a tsunami rolled in. Dance felt like a waste of time and school became a tornado of disaster while grades took a dive into a deep black hole. Emotionally, physically, and mentally, I was numb. I was ready to surrender until I got that one phone call that would bring me face to face with the unbeatable toddler.
As I correlated his goal of standing up to my hardships, I realized that if you have the fire burning inside of you to never give up, you will see success before you. After that pivotal moment, I found myself staring down at a test which I got a 95 on. Similarly, I found myself slowly pulling up my black Alvin Ailey leotard for dance. Arabesque, Battement, and Pirouette all made their way back into my vocabulary. In addition, I
found myself discovering my talents in the kitchen, for now I am proudly my mother's personal chef. The look of happiness in her eyes whenever I bring her favorite dish to the table, smoked salmon with green bean casserole fills me with success.
Looking back from who I was to who I am now, I realize I've grown from a naive little girl to a strong independent individual. I've overcome hills, not just speed bumps. No matter how many times I fell down along the way, I still continued to ascend to the top. To illustrate my struggle, there's a saying, "Fall down six times, get up seven," and that is exactly what I did. Now I'm up on my two feet saying "In your face, I did it!"
This woman, who I had known my whole life, became someone I couldn't recognize.
I like if you add more attachment and emotions to this;My mom, the person I'd known all my life, became someone I couldn't recognize.Her face showed fear and pain and soon enough, so did mine.
.... very impressive : )Balancing cooking, cleaning, school and taking care of my mom became a very difficult daily routine.
Achieving a balance between cooking, cleaning, school and taking care of my mom became extremely challenging.Emotionally, physically, and mentally, I was numb.
Very strong sentence!
You've done a good job! .... Also you really deserve this admission.... Good Luck!