Being Grateful
English 100-13
January 29, 2014
Personal Essay - Being descriptive about being grateful for something
As I sat looking out my window I saw the beauty of Vancouver, this city that I now felt was a part of me. I didn’t feel as much joy as I thought I would have, though I desperately wanted to. I felt no different about this place then I did all the other countless places that we had moved to throughout my life growing up. Perhaps the only difference was I now had expectations of myself. Not in a million gazillion years had I ever really actually considered the crazy insane ideas that now ran through my head. For about 4 years now, I’d worked harder and at times been lonelier than I thought possible, never had I been hungrier for change. I knew I would work harder still, I craved hard work and the reward that came with it. A sense of accomplishment and growth is the best feeling. Grandma used to say “don’t be attached to the outcome”, she said that when I attach too much expectation on myself to be great and never fail, then If I did fail (which was very likely) I would be crushed and give up on the dreams I was working hard to pursue. Grandma was always so wise and gentle, I don’t remember her ever being impatient, judgemental or angry with anyone or anything. Little Ukrainian woman that she was, she gave birth to 20 children, thus had many opportunities to practice love and patience. She always wore her black hair up in braids, two on top and two on bottom, and since her hair was so long she would pin the braids up at the back of her head in an interesting European fashion. I will always be grateful to have had her as my grandma, she taught me so much about being a good person and doing the right thing. I believe she always did the “right” thing even though often she would get hurt by the people in her life. I used to be that way as well, however my boundaries frequently got bulldozed, so I decided to always put myself first in every way, and if
January 29, 2014
Personal Essay - Being descriptive about being grateful for something
As I sat looking out my window I saw the beauty of Vancouver, this city that I now felt was a part of me. I didn’t feel as much joy as I thought I would have, though I desperately wanted to. I felt no different about this place then I did all the other countless places that we had moved to throughout my life growing up. Perhaps the only difference was I now had expectations of myself. Not in a million gazillion years had I ever really actually considered the crazy insane ideas that now ran through my head. For about 4 years now, I’d worked harder and at times been lonelier than I thought possible, never had I been hungrier for change. I knew I would work harder still, I craved hard work and the reward that came with it. A sense of accomplishment and growth is the best feeling. Grandma used to say “don’t be attached to the outcome”, she said that when I attach too much expectation on myself to be great and never fail, then If I did fail (which was very likely) I would be crushed and give up on the dreams I was working hard to pursue. Grandma was always so wise and gentle, I don’t remember her ever being impatient, judgemental or angry with anyone or anything. Little Ukrainian woman that she was, she gave birth to 20 children, thus had many opportunities to practice love and patience. She always wore her black hair up in braids, two on top and two on bottom, and since her hair was so long she would pin the braids up at the back of her head in an interesting European fashion. I will always be grateful to have had her as my grandma, she taught me so much about being a good person and doing the right thing. I believe she always did the “right” thing even though often she would get hurt by the people in her life. I used to be that way as well, however my boundaries frequently got bulldozed, so I decided to always put myself first in every way, and if