What I Am My Life

The narrator shares this story from his youth in the words of an educated man. His actions as a teen are in stark contrast to his phraseology as an adult. Early in the story, he viewed “nature” as sex, drugs and rock and roll (Boyle 112-113). However, as the story ends and the turmoil subsides, the narrator sees nature for the first time, through the eyes of a person matured by this traumatic experience. The “sun firing buds and opening blossoms” replaced the once revered beer and

Vibrant hues of orange and yellow were smeared together and they played with violent shades of red. The rising sun rested in a bed of golden rose, cotton clouds. Its rays of light spilling over the hills like pale orange paint. At least, that's what I imagined this sunrise would look like in a world without skyscrapers and other assorted buildings suffocating the horizon, sucking the life out of the beauty that nature gives us, and replacing it with smoke, oil, and the stench of our ever growing need to expand. Our need, humanity's need to leave no blade of grass behind, to cover every inch of the earth with pollution and man made roads and structures, is what is destroying the beauty that nature provides.

It is said that every human is an eye that can see but one ray of the unified truth, but often we become blind even to that particular ray. A remedial text to open our eyes, Nature is designed to bring man back to a “medicinal” nature so that we can once again awaken to see the world and experience it in its true form (Emerson, 11). Arguing that there are two parts to the universe, the soul and nature, Emerson elucidates how “the whole of nature is a metaphor of the human mind,” although conventionally these facets are viewed as two distinct and disjointed entities (Emerson, 19). Isolated from nature, man does not understand that they are the manifestation of nature, and instead they become enslaved by convention. The standard which projects meaning and significance to the world, the quintessential man only becomes human through the interaction and unity with his surrounding world as he seeks to discover nature and himself through beauty.

Mindfulness is another way of meditation. Meditation was used to seek to improve one’s psychological or physical health, or spiritual growth. (Brantley, 2007). The history of Mindfulness comes from Buddhism and his search for enlightenment and a foundation of the four noble truths. The Buddha teaching focus on the four noble truths which consist of knowing suffering exists, there is a cause of suffering, there is cessation of suffering and there is a path that leads to the cessation of suffering. (Van Gordon, 2015). The four noble truths were not only there to represent the Buddha’s experiential understanding of suffering, but also to express the truth (Van Gordon, 2015). Studies of Buddhism and the Four Noble Truths teach us that there is always going to be suffering in our life but to find ways to overcome suffering (Tsering, 2005).

Nature’s way of taking and giving back to earth. It symbolizes the universe being sacred and divine. It epitomized the infinite nature of energy, the understanding if something dies it gives new life to another. As the circle of life was inflicted in my mind, we, the 8th graders were at the top of the food chain and in a couple months from now we will “die” and go into a different life - High School. Meanwhile “nature” will give back new generations - the incoming 6th graders as the old ones “die” and move on. We, I will be exactly the same as them, lost, worried and eager, overtaken by the new atmosphere that will fill my mind and surround my body. I will be at the bottom of the food chain replacing the old generation of freshman at highschool. At the bottom of the food chain once again, ready to start climbing my way to the top, one chain at the time, I will be faced with the same and different worries as before. I am alike from the incoming 6th

In this paper, I will describe my initial thoughts about the practice of mindfulness and my development regarding practicing it. Furthermore, I will explore the idea of being a mindful therapist and how I am hoping to apply this with patients in the future.

For my group observation assignment I attended a meditation group. The focus was on mindfulness as defined by Vietnamese Tibetan monk and author Thich Nhat Hanh. According to Hanh (1998), “Mindfulness is the energy of being aware and awake to the present moment. It is the continuous practice of touching life deeply in every moment of daily life” (p. 64).

After they spoke their marriage vows, there was not a dry eye in the church. When the priest said, "I now pronounce you husband and wife," John grabbed my hand and lifted it to his lips for a kiss. The gesture made me anxious.

What I have leaned form my life so far is never losing hope and giving up even though the life may seem a little tough sometimes. Unlike others, my childhood is not quite amazing, but it’s still memorable. Since two months after I was bored, I began being suffered from a skin disease called eczema for the next 13 years, of course it’s not contagious. I have tried almost every single treatment, but it did not work to me. I was thinking that ‘why me, why I am the one who have been suffered from this evil disease for such a long time when it’s on set in the winter. But when I was 13, my parents found a quite special method from a doctor and somehow I got cured. From that, I started to believe there is always hope for people, we should never give up.

Twelve years in school have taught me a lot and taken me down a lot of paths. Paths that have been traveled by many before me. I’ve crossed paths with many faces, some who I became friends with, some whose faces just became one of the many in a crowd. Twelve years can also, be called a decade which is a substantial amount of time. Therefore, I think I’ll start at the beginning. Looking back on my elementary years, I don’t recall much other than recess and lunchtime. I do remember my middle school and high school days. I made close friends during those years friends that I still speak to till this very day. Friends that I share bonds and memories with.

My grandfather's death made me realize that living life every day to fullest as if it were the last is something that everyone should do. I used to be irresponsible, moody and hated going with friends; I was more of an isolated person.

Life is about decisions and choices. Some we regret, some we’re proud of, some will haunt us forever. However they all impact our lives in some way or another. I found myself one day debating on if I should ask my father to move with him. I had been thinking about this for almost two years now, but I was just afraid of the consequences that might come from this decision. Since I have been thinking about it so long I finally decided to go for it.

Everybody you come into contact with has a completely different story, a completely different home life. My life has definitely been far from perfect but it’s what makes me who I am today.

Almost three years ago my mom was diagnosed with Bacterial Meningitis. Bacterial Meningitis is very life threatening if not treated immediately. It was a very scary experience for everyone. With this experience I have learned a very important lesson, don’t ever take your parents for granted because you could easily lose them and maybe sooner then you thought.

A long time ago when I was probably about five years-old my family and I were living in Fullerton, California. At the time, my mom and dad were both working and it must had been summer vacation because my older brother and I weren't in school. Also around this time is when my little brother Nethaniel was in a wheelchair with two cast on his feet. See Nethnaiel was born with Club feet, which for the people who don't know what it is, it is when basically you're born with your feet bent. It’s really hard to describe and explain but that's how i've always been told. He had seven surgeries at such a very very young age. It wasn't fair. I remember it was really hard for my parents financially and emotionally. I was really young to understand i just knew his casts were always blue because that's his favorite color; except this one time he got white because they were all out of blue.He was so upset he wouldn't talk to any of us at all so my dad had a great idea and got a whole bunch of sharpies and drew all over it and if you know my dad you would know he is a perfectionist and an amazing artist. My little brother has the american flag little notes from my dad saying he rock with a rocket drawing right next to it, it was so cool looking I actually jealous.