UC Prompt #1: Describe the world you come from (family, community, or school) and tell us how your world has shaped your dreams and aspirations.
Each bead of sweat nurtured the soil. Each hole dug in the ground was a step in the right direction. Each meticulously planted seed was cared for until fully grown. I was simply watching the hard work.
It was Thursday evening, and like every Thursday after school, I was at my grandfather's house my grandfather as he tended to the beans in his garden. As an elementary school student, I did not comprehend the significance of the garden. I did not understand why, instead of going to the park, we would work in the garden. I could not yet grasp the lesson I was being taught. However what happened in that little backyard garden, a small 25 square foot patch of soil, I have eventually appreciated as one of my greatest inspirations. As a boy, I watched my grandfather plant each seed, water each planting and with time, I observed his vegetables grow. Each stalk of beans grew from a seed into towering ten-foot vines that yielded oversized green beans. I ran through the rows of plants. Come Sundown, my grandfather and I left the garden and returned to the house, ending the work for the week. As I returned to the garden week and each year, I slowly increased my contribution, and as a result, I was given more responsibility. The garden became my source of pride too. I enjoyed watching the vegetables grow with my hard work.
When I look back now, I comprehend the significance of the garden. The yearly cycle of growth is a microcosm of our lives. Although finally eaten, my grandfather's beans are not grown first and foremost for consumption, but for the lesson they teach. My grandfather taught me to appreciate each moment, the importance of each opportunity and the value of diligence. With the motivation of my grandfather and my family, I grasp each occasion and make the best of each situation.
Almost an adult, I still benefit from the lessons I was taught as a child. The simplicity of my grandfather's dirt stained hands wordlessly give me inspiration. At the request of his Italian parents, my grandfather dropped out of high school to pick tomatoes on their Central California farm. He moved to the Bay Area, started his own electric contracting company and had a family. The youngest daughter, my mother, was the only one out of her four siblings to graduate from a major university. My mother, an engineer, brings a blue-collar attitude to my family. A unique blend of shovels and wrenches, with paper and pens, family has bestowed upon me an appreciation for the balance between work and result, dedication and accountability. My family provides me with the tools necessary to develop my life into one that helps, facilitates, teaches and eventually gives back to the world.
My Grandfather and I still grow beans on the same patch of dirt, with the same tools that have been used since I was young. My grandfather is now 92 years old.
Each bead of sweat nurtures the soil. Each hole dug in the ground is a step in the right direction. Each meticulously planted seed cared for until fully grown. This time my Grandfather was simply watching.
TEAR ME APART PLEASE!!!
Thanks so much
I'll add a comma here:
As a boy, I watched my grandfather plant each seed, water each plant, and with time observe his vegetables grow.
Oh, wow! I love the thing you did at the end, tying it back to the beginning! Cool, maybe I should be asking you for writing advice instead of you asking us for advice.
Use hyphens whenever you stick two words together: dirt-stained hands
Use a semi-colon when two sentences sort of go together: Although finally eaten, my grandfathers beans are not created for consumption; they are grown for the lesson they teach.
the world that gave me a chance to sprout and grow .
This is great stuff! Much respect to you...
