Dancing In the Rain

This is an essay I wrote for a scholarship. I'm not sure if the punctuation or grammar is all correct.

Dancing In the Rain

 

Are we only able to better ourselves through living a difficult life?  In a world that has so much to offer, it is inevitable that we amble though unpleasant times.  Sometimes it is through the pain that we actually learn to live and breathe happiness for the first time in our lives.  We learn to dance in the rain; we learn to find peace through the storm.  I myself am living proof.

            I never started a normal life.  It has always been painful.  Family life hurled me into an unforgettable depression.  No friend was truly a friend.  I went years depending on imaginary guides to wake me up every morning and remind me to be strong and to keep going.  In a sense I was shown on a spiritual level that I had a purpose and a destiny to reach.  And now that fate has opened my eyes, I can see what it is I’m meant to be doing.

About a year and a half ago I was diagnosed with chronic sinusitis.  Along with it creates constant pain in the sinuses due to inflammation, chronic migraines and congestion.   It is very hard to concentrate on anything, making going to school an extra challenge.  On July 13th 2009 I entered the hospital for a severe migraine.  After an abnormal cat scan, an MRI, and a spinal tap, it was concluded that I had multiple sclerosis and I was under an attack. I felt like someone wrapped a noose around my neck and I was struggling to find a breath.  The weight kept on building until I thought I was going to break into little pieces.   

After weeks of anger, denial and sleepless nights, I realized just how insignificant my other problems really were.  Things like what people thought of me, or how I’m going to pay the bills were no longer a concern.  Suddenly it occurred to me that everything I’m doing in my life right now is not how I really want to be living my life.

            I have awakened.  My dreams, ambitions, and goals amplified.  My hope and faith were scarce, but I still saw a burning flame deep within the darkness.  I am grateful for everything I still have left.  My heart has bloomed like flower in an overwhelming sense of compassion for those who suffer, because now I can understand.  Along with others like me, together we can provide stable grounds to battle the disease.

            Therefore I refuse to allow it to control me.  I have the disease, but the disease does not have me.  I am determined to live my life to the absolute fullest, write my stories, travel to Ireland, dance in Italy, have children, and live in a little cottage in a meadow of wild flowers that over looks the ocean.  I’m going to experience the whole world until the day I can no longer go on.  Life is too short and too precious to waste.

It is an honor to write this essay and reflect upon Dr. Parker’s Quote, “People are not often changed for the better by having life easy.”  I truly believe that it is through struggling we achieve greatness.  We find serenity. Hope and love are reflected through the world into the deepest caves of our hearts.  Through the most unbearable times we become humbled, patient, and ultimately better people.

 

Author's Note

Let me know what you think. Any editing will be greatly appreciated. I get confused with commas and such. Thanks.

Reviews

[An owl on the moon]

This is so profoundly powerful, filled with a beautiful depth in life and true joy. Your strength and courage, and your feelings of happy richness bring us words that nurture and nourish us all. So wonderfully written. What a lifting, inspirational write!