Essays that worked!

Carina L. Schnieders '11,
Shawnee Mission East High School, Prairie Village, KS

"Pull over!" I exclaimed, motioning frantically to the side of the road. Libby, confused, nonetheless complied. "I'm going to pet a cow," I declared firmly as I climbed out of the car.

The sun was setting behind the hills while Libby and I were enjoying the scenic drive. Then I saw the cows. Little did I know that this detour of ours would become an influential lesson in life about perseverance.

I proceeded to lie down, suck in my stomach and roll under the rusty barbed wire fence. Swiftly, I was on the other side of the fence and on my feet again. I crept toward the herd of cattle, ignorantly chomping their grass and emitting occasional "moos." I glanced back to see if Libby had any intention of joining me on my quest. That was my first mistake. Immediately I could feel the warmth of the dung encompassing my shoe. Unable to control myself, I let out a yelp of disgust. The ground shook as the startled cattle scampered away.

Naturally, I ran after them, thinking that those three years of cross country training would kick in. But I was wrong. A half mile later with the gap between me and my goal tripled, I resigned, my pride wounded.

When the cattle finally settled, I began my second advance, breathless yet determined. Fifteen feet within the nearest beast, I took a step, a wrong step. Snapping a twig, the sound again sent the cows running.

So they ran. At this point I began to ponder. "Would I ever be able to pet a cow?" I was discouraged and reconsidered the whole situation, seeing that I had already "failed" twice. But being a character of tenacity and determination, I pressed on.

Again, I'm crouching, creeping, within seven feet of the massive, brown, meat-packed beauty, with high hopes of one pet, or even a poke at this point. Five feet and my palms and pits are pouring out sweat. I could hear my heart beating as loudly as the drum in an Indian pow wow. I considered letting out an ululation as I shuffled forward, but thought better of it.

And then I did it! Just like that, I tapped the babe right on the leg. The muscular, beastly, hairy and coarse, extremely intimidating, right hind leg. She's running and I'm running. I am victorious!

A minor achievement, some may say, but that was a turning point in my life. I learned that with perseverance, I can do anything. This experience taught me to have confidence in myself, without getting discouraged when encountering difficulties, but to try and try again. I have benefited from this crucial lesson, whether it was learning a new song on the guitar, practicing navigation under water, or memorizing the elements on the periodic table. Life brings great challenges, but with perseverance, I will overcome.

Last Modified: Thursday, July 12, 2007 15:58