When I walked into the room, I couldn’t believe my eyes. No movement. No chatter. Did anyone even realize I was there? I was in the Memory Room, full of dementia and Alzheimer’s residents. I came, violin in hand, ready to play “In Christ Alone”. As I moved my bow along the strings, I felt as if no one even heard me. I finished, but no one clapped. I felt hopeless. Could anyone reach them? As I walked towards the door, the nursing home director caught my arm.
“You may have thought they didn’t notice you, but one lady who has been nonresponsive moved her arm and verbalized a few words as you played. That was great.”
This is a story I would share to encourage my audience to be involved in programs they are passionate about so that they can not …show more content…
Be Healthy: I was humiliated. Was this really the way I was going to represent my school? Each jump was the same. I jumped, and the bar fell. I should have stuck with running.
“I hope you’ll come back next year,” said my pole vault coach.
I did. I came back for the next three years. When all my teammates left practice at 6:00 PM to eat dinner, I stayed an extra hour to practice pole vaulting. Was it worth it? Absolutely. Three years later, I was healthier, stronger, and made it all the way to state meet and broke the school record.
Be Studious: “Don’t freak out, but you made a 58.”
Perfect. My first F in a math class. I walked out of AP Statistics with puffy, red eyes contemplating how in the world those eight hours of hard work deserved a 58. Looking back on my teacher’s red ink, I realized that my work wasn’t wrong – it was my attention to detail. I disregarded the required format and did it my own way. I gradually learned to pay attention and work with other people, leading to a 5 on the national exam. I learned that it doesn’t take natural intelligence to be studious – it takes
“You may have thought they didn’t notice you, but one lady who has been nonresponsive moved her arm and verbalized a few words as you played. That was great.”
This is a story I would share to encourage my audience to be involved in programs they are passionate about so that they can not …show more content…
Be Healthy: I was humiliated. Was this really the way I was going to represent my school? Each jump was the same. I jumped, and the bar fell. I should have stuck with running.
“I hope you’ll come back next year,” said my pole vault coach.
I did. I came back for the next three years. When all my teammates left practice at 6:00 PM to eat dinner, I stayed an extra hour to practice pole vaulting. Was it worth it? Absolutely. Three years later, I was healthier, stronger, and made it all the way to state meet and broke the school record.
Be Studious: “Don’t freak out, but you made a 58.”
Perfect. My first F in a math class. I walked out of AP Statistics with puffy, red eyes contemplating how in the world those eight hours of hard work deserved a 58. Looking back on my teacher’s red ink, I realized that my work wasn’t wrong – it was my attention to detail. I disregarded the required format and did it my own way. I gradually learned to pay attention and work with other people, leading to a 5 on the national exam. I learned that it doesn’t take natural intelligence to be studious – it takes