Introduction

 


  My name is Elena and this is my blog on Life lessons. Although I am only a sophomore in high school  I believe I have learned quite a few lessons through the years and would like to share it through this blog for my English class. The inspiration for this project came from a book titled Tuesday’s With Morrie  written by Mitch Albom. The story revolves around Mitch’s life and how his mentor, Morrie changed his life by taking the time to share his wisdom while on his death bed.  

Teacher 1: The Day I Accepted Forgetfulness

   

    Teachers can be any person who teaches you important life lessons, whether it is directly or not. In this case my grandma has taught me many things without really saying anything. She has Alzheimer's and it has not only effected her life, but also mine.  This summer, instead of doing all the fun things that people do over the break I decided to take care of my grandma while my parents were at work. I was told by numerous people that I  didn’t have to do it if I didn’t want to, but I knew that I had to, not only because I love my grandma, but also because I knew that my mom needed help. I could see it in her eyes how it was tearing her apart and knew at once that this is what I needed to be doing. It’s like taking care of a two year old though, you have to watch them like a hawk.For a while there she knew who I was and could pull my name out of her head every now and then with much stumbling. Now, her disease has gotten progressively worse and even though she still can recognize me she either calls me girl or Laura. I have a theory as to why she calls me Laura. One of her favorite t.v shows was Little House on the Prairie and it’s the main characters name . It was a show that annoyed me to death, but I watched it with her anyways when I could. However, right before school started we were forced to put her in a nursing home. It was one of the hardest things in my life to do up to this point, so I can only imagine what it was like for my mom. At first she didn’t want to except the fact of being in a home, but after a while she got used to it. 

   Although, over the summer my grandma was unable to communicate clearly, she still taught me many things. For one I have realized that once elderly people reach a certain age they get forgotten because their folks find something better to do with their time rather then sit down for just a few minutes and visit with them. I have learned that this should not be the case and that elderly people deserve as much care and attention as anyone. They still are people and have feelings even if they are unable to be shown on the outside.When it comes to this point in their life you have to think about all of the good memories you have had with them in order to keep you from crying every time you see them.

Teacher 2: An Undercover Hero

     My mom has definitely been one of my role models for all my life. She is a kind and strong person and I see  quite a bit of her in me. She has shown me this on numerous occasions, one being with my grandma as I mentioned before and the other being with her accident that took place about eleven years ago that to this day still gives her a fit. She broke her ankle a while back when was coming down some steps and stepping wrong when she got to the bottom. She says the only thing that she remembers is her coming down that last step and when she did it rolled. It was an inward break which is far worse than an outer break. Since then she has had two surgeries and still has the pins from where it never fused back together properly. 

      However, even though this injury is still effecting her she continues to move on with her life no matter how hard it is.She gets up out of the bed every morning to go to work no matter how bad it hurts and it is possible to tell when she is having a bad day with it.Still, having the will-power and courageousness to get up and keep going is phenomenal and one of the main reasons that I look highly towards her.

Teacher 3: The One Who Never Stops Fighting

    Ms. Teresa is a really good friend of my mother.She is having issues with a mold infection throughout all of her sinus. This is not the most pleasant experience as I can tell. She has just recently had another surgery so that the Dr.s could attempt to clean it up. Even with all of these surgeries though, the infection continues to grow and is not looking good either.Even with her own problems though she continues to fight through them and help others get through their issues. She has been a really good friend to my mom, which means a lot to me because my family seems to be the kind of people that continually gets walked over by people we consider to be our “friends”.She also asks about how I’m doing since lately the only thing that I have really been able to do is injury myself. I really appreciate everything she has done for my family and me. 

   She has taught me many things about life, kind of the way Morrie does for Mitch in Tuesdays with Morrie.She believes that no matter how badly off you are you have to take one day each step at a time and care for others before you dwell on your own problems.She is also like my mom in the aspect that no matter how bad she feels she still gets up and carriers on. She is a true role model to me and I wish to be as caring as she is if I ever get put into a  similar situation. 

Lesson 1:Life is meant to Be Lived To the Fullest

It is not as important to live life, but to live life to the fullest.  

   

   Dying is one of the hardest things to understand, so not many people think about it until it’s to late. Take for instance my Great Aunt who just died yesterday. She was perfectly fine until about one late afternoon when she got sick. Little did she know she had only about two weeks left.

  

   This is why life should be lived to the fullest.  If your just letting each day go by and not even caring about what you are doing, then stop. Don’t put yourself in a situation where you know you will be unhappy. There is of course those  situations in which we can’t help being put in such as work or school, but if we try to make the best out of them, then they might not actually be so bad. This is what I learned from my third teacher Ms. Teresa. Even though her days are numbered she still continues to enjoy life and not think about all the negative things. She takes the time to care about others even when she doesn’t feel well herself. She is not only an inspiration to me, but everyone she is around. You never really find anyone anymore who is as strong as she is

Lesson 2: Being Unhappy Never Got Anyone Anywhere

Even when your feeling awful, the world continues to spin around and you have to take everything in small doses. 
    Those days when I have to pull an all nighter to finish a project is only one example of this. I am always tired and grumpy, but I can’ dwell on it because the only way you can make it better is to  laugh and try to force a smile.   

     There will always be those people who hate you for no reason, those “friends” who seem to “forget” you, and events in life that just don’t seem fair. Dwelling on them won’t make any difference, so the best thing we can do is to just let it go and move on no matter how much it hurts. This is just one of the lessons that my mom has taught me. Just because bad things happen to good people doesn’t mean that the world will stop spinning. We have to make the best of what we have, live with our mistakes, and move on with the wisdom it has instilled in us. Otherwise your life won’t be happy and there is nothing sadder, then seeing someone throws a perfectly good life away. 

Lesson 3:Love Others

Be kind to those who are kind to you.  

     One time way back when I was in 4th grade I saw this kid being bullied and had to intervene. By the time I had gotten over to them they had thrown his jacket up on a low ceiling. I being much taller the he was at the time, grabbed it and handed it back to him. For the rest of the day and the next I was teased about liking this guy.It got annoying real fast, but I did what I thought was right and gained a new friend out of it.  

    Just because one doesn't like someone for some reason, doesn’t mean they have to be a jerk to them. My philosophy is if your nice to me I’ll be nice to you, it’s just that simple. One doesn't have to be best friends with them, just saying hey can turn someone’s day around.I know it does for me. If more people thought like this I’m sure that it would cut out at least a tiny bit of drama in each of our lives. This is a lesson that both my grandmother and my mom have taught me. Even before my grandmother is in the shape she is now, she was always kind to everyone around her. I remember this mostly in church. She would always try to talk to or at least say hello to as many people as she could. Even now she tries to do the same thing even with her not being in her right mind. My mom is the same way. If someone is nice to her she will always be nice to them, no matter their age.