Life Goes On free essay sample

After 120 minutes of playing our hearts out against the best team that the state had to offer, the score was tied and the only thing left to decide the winner was the heartbreaking lottery of penalties. Both teams had scored four penalties each, but they had missed the last one. Now, it was my turn to own up to the challenge and to decide the fate of my team. Keeping away from the piercing gaze of the goalie, I took a deep breath, ran up, and struck the ball. As a former professional soccer player, my grandfather had a lot of expectations for me. Ever since I could walk, he would take me to teach me how to play the beautiful game. When we were in Albania, the street would be my stadium, with him guiding my every step. At the age of six, my family moved to America. Now that I was older, he took the training to a whole new level. We will write a custom essay sample on Life Goes On or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Because he had work during the day, he would wake me up at eight every morning to practice. At the time, I hated it. I wanted to be like all the other kids, relaxing without a care in the world. Instead, I would be doing drills under my grandfather’s command, no matter what the weather. Ten years later, I had joined my third club team in two years. Unlike other teams though, these kids had not played together for seven years. Their parents could not pay thousands of dollars for their development. They were all strangers taken from different corners of the city with one thing in common, a love for the game. In our first full season together, we failed miserably. We came out playing as individuals, ignoring what was best for the team and trying to change the game single-handedly. We took eighth place in a ten-team league. That next summer, my dad became the assistant coach of the team. With the help of my grandfather, he began to mold us into what we had the potential to become. My grandfather truly valued hard work, so we practiced five days a week, working ourselves to the ground in the blistering heat while the competition was resting. There was only one acceptable goal for the next season, to become champions. Halfway into our undefeated season, I received news that my grandfather was diagnosed with cancer. I couldn’t believe it. I found myself not being able to focus on anything. Soccer, schoolwork, and everything in between was left on the side while I tried to comprehend what had happened. It was something that you see happening only in movies and books; you don’t expect it to hit you so suddenly. A month later, after I came to terms with everything, my team had found itself making a deep run in the state cup, eventually reaching the final. After two hours of playing, it was my turn to determine the outcome of our season. As I was getting ready to take the penalty shot, I looked over to the sideline, expecting to see my dad mouthing some words of wisdom to me. What I saw left me flabbergasted. My grandfather was sitting right next to my dad, with the most genuine smile plastered across his face. Apparently, I had been so focused on the game that I hadn’t looked around to notice him. A small fire started to burn inside of me. I knew that this is what my grandfather had been waiting for, ever since I was a kid, playing in the streets of Albania. I knew what I had to do for him. I ran up to the ball and struck it as hard as I could. The swoosh of a net echoed through the field. Everything else seemed to cloud out for a moment. I had done it for my grandfather. Life Goes On free essay sample â€Å"In three words I can sum up everything Ive learned about life: it goes on.† Robert Frost After not making the varsity volleyball team, moving to a different state, and dealing with cancer in the family, I have come to realize that life goes on no matter what situations are thrown my way. There is no use in wasting time crying about the past when you should really only be focusing on the future. It was my turn. I walked through the double doors, down what seemed to be a never ending hallway and entered the volleyball coach’s office. My armpits were sweating and my stomach was turning. â€Å"You are a great player, but we need you more on JV. I’m sorry.† My heart sank. I walked out of her office and tried my best to avoid all possible contact with the world. I sat in my bed that night wondering what the other girls had that I didn’t. We will write a custom essay sample on Life Goes On or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page After an hour of moping, I began to laugh. I got up, played the theme song to â€Å"The Fresh Prince of Bellaire† and danced around my room with abandon. Life goes on. How did I get here? Will people like me? What should I wear on my first day of school? These were all thoughts running through my mind as I unpacked my last box of knick-knacks that two days ago resided in North Carolina. I was now in the flat, landlocked state of Ohio. My questions were soon answered. I was here in order to be closer to my relatives, people did like me, and I found an awesome new outfit from Limited Two to wear on the first day of school. Life goes on. The worst thing you can hear as a child is that your mom has cancer. I was twelve when I heard it myself. My parents somehow presented this horrible news in an optimistic way. After her first chemo treatment, it was hard to ignore reality, but my mom would not let it bring us down. Instead, my mother suggested that she and I go shopping for the coolest and cutest hats in town. Life goes on. â€Å"In three words [and three paragraphs] I can sum up everything I’ve learned about life: it goes on.† – Robert Frost