Some say life has a purpose. They say you need to plant your mark on the world and leave it knowing that your children will follow your good deeds, knowing that you did something positive. Some say life is an experience. Just a small section of the vast cycle of life that happens even after we die. And some others say that life is a game. It’s just to have fun. To enjoy, to laugh, and to smile.
When I was a young boy, I had no ambition. I was a carefree, active child. I bounced on the walls, ran outside, biked around the neighborhood, and never thought at all that life wouldn’t be the same. I played the piano because I liked making songs, started ice hockey for the fun of it, and mindlessly followed my parent’s urges to excel in math. I wanted to be a policeman, or a superhero, or a firefighter: the “hero” of my town.
Then years and years washed by, like a thundering tempest leaving a city. As time went on, I became mature very fast. Less playing time with friends, less wasted hours watching TV or playing video games. There was more work, more scoldings, more mistakes. More complication with school, grades, GPA, piano competition, hockey tryouts, math olympiad, science olympiad, physics, my future, application to private boarding school, SSAT, SAT. So much that my brain is going to explode. At only 13 years old, I feel that my childhood is already gone–wasted away, and forever buried. If only I savored my little childhood. If only I knew how short it was. If only…
Sometimes, I go to bed and look into the quiet darkness. The crickets are chirping, the flies are buzzing. The air conditioner is dead silent. I think about the day ahead of me, and I grimace. I remember all the things I’m behind on (including this EWJ) and all of the work that needs to be completed. Unwanted tears come rolling slowly down my cheeks. I’m embarrassed, but then I think about the times when I was young. When I could sleep thinking about superheroes, sports, and monsters. Not having to think about work and applications. Is life like this–is life just work?
But in the end I always know that my escape is hockey, piano, and my brother. With that, it doesn’t matter what happens in life. This is what life truly is to me. Not a game, not a test, not work. Life is the thing you make it; life is enjoyable if you care about the things you love. Life is hard and unfair, but it also contains happiness.
When I was a young boy, I had no ambition. I was a carefree, active child. I bounced on the walls, ran outside, biked around the neighborhood, and never thought at all that life wouldn’t be the same. I played the piano because I liked making songs, started ice hockey for the fun of it, and mindlessly followed my parent’s urges to excel in math. I wanted to be a policeman, or a superhero, or a firefighter: the “hero” of my town.
Then years and years washed by, like a thundering tempest leaving a city. As time went on, I became mature very fast. Less playing time with friends, less wasted hours watching TV or playing video games. There was more work, more scoldings, more mistakes. More complication with school, grades, GPA, piano competition, hockey tryouts, math olympiad, science olympiad, physics, my future, application to private boarding school, SSAT, SAT. So much that my brain is going to explode. At only 13 years old, I feel that my childhood is already gone–wasted away, and forever buried. If only I savored my little childhood. If only I knew how short it was. If only…
Sometimes, I go to bed and look into the quiet darkness. The crickets are chirping, the flies are buzzing. The air conditioner is dead silent. I think about the day ahead of me, and I grimace. I remember all the things I’m behind on (including this EWJ) and all of the work that needs to be completed. Unwanted tears come rolling slowly down my cheeks. I’m embarrassed, but then I think about the times when I was young. When I could sleep thinking about superheroes, sports, and monsters. Not having to think about work and applications. Is life like this–is life just work?
But in the end I always know that my escape is hockey, piano, and my brother. With that, it doesn’t matter what happens in life. This is what life truly is to me. Not a game, not a test, not work. Life is the thing you make it; life is enjoyable if you care about the things you love. Life is hard and unfair, but it also contains happiness.
