Personal Narrative: Ms. Lena Parks

"We admire people to the extent that we cannot explain what they do, and the word admire then means marvel at." This quote by B. F. Skinner shows exactly how I idolize certain people. I admire those who can make me realize who I am, who understand where I stand on and who is not afraid to say what is on their minds. One incredible individual, who I have met recently, changed the way I looked at the world. Ms. Lena Parks has a different air around her that I do not find most in others. I applaud her for the discipline she imposed on herself to reach her goal, for her sense of humor, and for her individuality.

I had the privilege to meet Ms. Parks at the recent Fourth of July Lawn party next house over to my parents house. This lady was twenty years older than my mother, yet she acted like a hipster woman of thirty. She wore the most mismatched clothes I have
Parks is, as I spent more time talking to her, witty. She creates an an atmosphere where it is easy to be comfortable around her. Creating a joke in my case is hard to do, but she allows me to find my sense of humor. She is not a know-it-all. She shows her intelligence by showing her comedy side. Thus Ms. Parks reveals a idea, that life can be much simpler when having a sense of humor.

The most important thing that Ms. Parks ever told me was that "What we want is on the other side of fear." To someone like me, who is starting off in a wide and new world, it does not seem frightening. But Ms. Parks has been in a certain place and time where she could not be herself. How she had to let go some dreams and continue forwards. Her endeavor created a spark inside, to live for the now and to know what the true desire is.

Ms. Lena Parks will always be the person I admire the most. Not my parents, not a historical figure. Just a human being who has lived a long time in this world. Her comic side, her singularity, and her knowledge all come with good will. Her teachings about life will be with me for years to