The Little Things free essay sample

â€Å"Brenda wears Buddies! Brenda wears Buddies!† When 11-year-old Brenda arrived at school with her wishful imitations of the three-striped Adidas tennis shoes, this was the chant that the other children met her with. Three words; one lasting impact. Mocking chants such as these, coupled with the muffled remarks and pitying eyes of educators, were the only constants in the life of a young girl dependent on government vouchers and food stamps. Instability wrecked havoc on every aspect of her childhood: parents with an on-again-off-again relationship, home addresses that never lasted for more than 6 months, poor budgeting which led to a monthly feast-or-famine cycle, and school reassignments so frequent that it is a miracle she learned to read and write. She knew early on that she wanted more for her future family: to live and thrive, not to survive. This young girl was Brenda Beecher, my mother. As I grew up listening to my mother’s stories, I was able to put together the pieces of her childhood and gradually form a picture of the past: I always knew that the vision I saw before me was the makings a hero, my hero, who raised me in the loving normalcy that she herself once craved. We will write a custom essay sample on The Little Things or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Both of my parents instilled in me the importance of hard work and having more passion in my heart than money in the bank; as I climbed the ranks of education from middle to high schools, I never once stopped working to achieve my personal best or competing with myself to constantly set and surpass my goals. My future is paved and sealed with the â€Å"little things:† raising my hand in Macroeconomics to question an accepted theory, brainstorming the environmental impact of solar panels, staying up until O’Dark Thirty to finish a research paper on government policy, taking a critical stab at Metaphysical poets, or simply smiling when I understand a mathematical concept. I invest in my future by taking no opportunity for granted, finding a lesson to be learned in unconventional moments, and wandering down every given avenue in pursuit of wisdom and truth. I have found that viewing life as a challenge to be overcome makes it all the more fascinating and endlessly fulfilling. As I inch ever closer to the consummation of my high school career at graduation, I prepare for the biggest challenge I have yet to face and sink my teeth into: college. This experience will be the ultimate investment, and every friendship that I forge and class that I attend will add to the foundation of my independent life. I plan to prevail against adversity and make the seemingly â€Å"impossible† say â€Å"I’m possible!† – ultimately, I owe it all to the values crafted from my mother’s tragic childhood and the blissful stability of my own. Brenda wore Buddies, but she taught me that I never have to.