Student Example 1
Memory 1:
When my hands collide with the resined, grainy texture of tanned hide, my mind wanders and memories come flowing back from my ever-fading childhood. As the worn leather flexes in my soft hand, I remember when my hands were calloused, hardened from gripping reins of tough leather. I remember the magnificent equines I rode and wonder if life could have been different. Where would I be now if there was no change?
My body shudders, reliving the thrill of a horse below me, contracting to launch us over seemingly giant jumps. Oh, to be young and careless again, with horses encompassing my naïve and ignorant mind. To be free of clinging worries, to ride for hours in absolute bliss, never dreaming of the impeding change.
But change was inevitable. The rolling storm clouds of change threatened to submerge me as my dreams were washed away. Change brings fear, but it also brings growth and new opportunities. The rain must fall on fertile ground for the seeds of life to unfurl and flourish. I can fondly reminisce on my childhood, but I no longer shrink from the storms of change. Change is compulsory; our response determines our future.
Memory 2:
To run is to be free. It is an ecstasy to lace up a pair of running shoes and just run. The wind whips your hair, you suck in the fresh air of dawn and your muscles ripple with energy. Birds rise and shriek a fanfare as you stride through hills and valleys, leaving your problems trailing far behind.
One morning before dawn a strange thought occurred to me. However far I run, I always arrive back home. Whatever my distance, my displacement is always zero. Enticed by this thought, I began thinking deeply as my steps slowly moved towards home, towards zero. Life is just like running, you can go fast or slow and many different paths stand before you. At some points, you struggle at every step, at others, you fly over the ground in liberty. But at the end of the day, your displacement is zero. From ashes to ashes, dust to dust.
However, the time recorded is the time between the start and finish lines. So I have decided to run as far as I can in life and share the path with many other runners. I will lace up my running shoes and run, run until I cannot run anymore. Sometimes I will run with them, sometimes they will run with me. We will take each other on long journeys, taking new directions and turning many corners. The stopwatch will stop ticking and we will return home, to our family, to our friends and remember the miles of life we ran together.