Hard Times Form Your Character

“You're going to go through tough times - that's life. But I say, 'Nothing happens to you, it happens for you.' See the positive in negative events.”
- Joel Osteen

Tough times define what kind of person you are. In the sixth grade I was faced with hardship, but I know that I came out of the situation better than I did before. I had just received news from my dad that he would no longer be working at my old school, Pike. For me this meant that I would be leaving to and starting new at Fenn. It also meant that I would have to leave my friends behind. I first learned that he would leaving in the spring, about two months before the end of the school year. My parents sat my brother and I down at the dinner table and told us the news. I didn’t know what this meant for me, I thought I would be able to stay at Pike with all my friends, but this wasn’t the case. I was going to be leaving, and this meant I needed to tell all my friends. My best friend was who I told first. We were walking down the hallway when I asked him if he could talk for a second. He seemed surprised because I typically don’t ask him to talk in private but he went along with it. We made our way to the back of the library and we sat down. I told that I would be leaving, I told I wanted to stay but I had no choice, and I told him that this meant that we wouldn’t be seeing each other as much as before. I told a few others in private, but word got out that I would be leaving and it was soon public information. Going through these times were tough and I didn’t want to leave my best friends behind. When I first realized that I may never see some of these people again, it made me realize how much I loved them and how much they mattered to me. Leaving my friends behind was tough but it also meant new friends and a new start. 

More Than a House

  “Blessed are they who see beautiful things in humble places where other people see nothing”

-Camille Pissarro

On the Shores of Sebec lake in the woods of Maine lies a house. My families house that comes with endless opportunities and consist of thousands of memories. When we are up there, their is no technology, no distractions, just the lake, the boat, the woods, and the endless possibilities that come along with them. Water skiing, wake-boarding, and mountain biking are just a few examples of the endless possibilities presented to me up there. Water skiing is one of my favorite activities, cutting back in forth through the water and being able to skim across the water is why I love it. I was able to water ski when I was eight and I first tried to one ski when I was ten. I floated in the cool water with my skis falling back and forth, with the rope in between my legs, and with my life jacket rubbing against my neck. The roar of the motor and the jolt of the rope made me focus back onto my task at hand. The boat roared and quickly moved forward ripping me up and out of the water. I was up, but I wasn’t on one ski yet. I slipped my foot out of the boot leaving the ski behind, I swayed back and forth almost falling before I got my foot in the back boot. I had done it, I had dropped a ski and I was cutting through the water, in and out of the wake. My house isn’t just another house, it’s location and remoteness provide opportunities and freedom for my family and me.

 Buck was able to persevere and become a leader

                         In a flash Buck knew it. The time had come. It was to the death.

                                         (Chapter 3, The Call of the Wild, Jack London)

Buck was on top of Spitz in less than a second, ripping, tearing, and crunching his legs and stomach with his teeth. Spitz ripped himself away and circled Buck. Buck ran at him leaping should first, he missed and within a split second Spitz was on top of him ripping and tearing at his shoulders and legs. Buck pushed him back and made another run at Spitz, this time connecting with his should and knocking back and finishing him off once and for all. In the novella, Call of the Wild by Jack London, Buck fought for his respect and was able to persevere and become an amazing leader. Reading this book wasn’t easy, but it was worth it. 

                             Hockey isn’t just a game

  “Hockey is a tough, physical game, and it always should be” -Mario Lemieux

For me, hockey is a passion, not a hobby. Hockey is more than a sport for me, it isn’t all about winning or losing. Playing hockey has given me opportunities and has taught me important life lesson. It has taught me to work my hardest each time I touch the ice and it has given me the opportunities to make new friends and bonds that will last a lifetime. When I was young hockey was just a hobby, I wasn’t there to play the game, I was there because of my friends and I was just looking forward to seeing them. When I became older though, things started to change. I had just switched teams and my new coach was sitting down with each player for a one on one meeting. My coach told me I had potential to play at a high level of hockey but if I wanted to I would have to work my hardest each and every day. He then told me that if I wanted to play at a high level, which I did, hockey would have to become a passion. I would have to commit to hockey on and off the ice. It didn’t matter to my coach that I hadn’t worked my hardest in the past or that hockey used to be just a hobby for me. What mattered to him was that I was willing to put in the extra work and that I wanted hockey to become my passion. Hockey isn’t a hobby, for me it is a passion. 

          Family Always Does What Is Best For You

                                      Family is not an important thing. It’s everything. 

                                                             -Michael J. Fox

Family always does what is best for you. Even when they make you do something you don’t like, they do it for your benefit and good. When I really wanted to give up and stop trying, my family where the ones who continued to push me. I didn’t like what they did then but now I cant thank them enough. At no other time in my life was my parents advice and wisdom more helpful for me. I didn’t want to continue to play hockey even though it was just my first game. After my first ever game I was disappointed, sad, and angry with myself. Nothing went my way during the game, no goals, no assists, and no opportunities. I was young and new to hockey so I quickly jumped to the conclusion that every game would go like this and I’d never score and have fun. I wanted to quit, and I told my parents this. They said that I had to continue to play and that things will change and I will score. I wasn’t happy with there answer at the times but now I know it was one of the best things my family has ever done for me. As a young kid I was pretty quick to jump to a conclusion. I had played one game and made up my mind but it was my family that pushed me and challenged me to keep playing. If it wasn’t for my family, I wouldn’t have the friendships or opportunities I have today. Your family does things for you that you might not like, but will help you out in the end. 

                      How Buck earned his Respect and roll as a leader

                   “A leader is one who knows the way, goes the way, and shows the way.”

                                                                   - John C. Maxwell

A leader isn’t just given a title, they earn it. While reading the Novel, The Call of the Wild by Jack London, I was effected in many different ways. The main character, Buck proved to me that even when someone or something is thrown into a new environment and has know idea what to do, can adapt and they can be successful. Buck also taught me that a leader needs to earn his position and actually work for it. In this piece, it was clear the author was trying to show us how hard it is to be a sled dog during this time period in Alaska. He also showed us that without a good leader there will be little success, for example with Perrault and Francois the team covered more ground and was better off that with Hal. 

Daniel Haines, Oscar Patton, Andrew Heinze story.

“Back in my day when I was 15 years of age i was the man of the house. I had to hunt and work for my food each and every day. We couldn’t just send some text message to somebody and expect food in ten minutes!”

”so grandpa the world has changed that how we live now.”

”or so you thought...”

”what do you mean grandpa?”

”as of right now, sonny all of your “tech” is broken.”

”hahaha yeah right”

go try your device if you don’t believe me, plus all the super markets and other “new” things are gone, you are now actually going to work for you food.”

”is this a joke?”

”dead serious, you to want eat tonight or not?!?”

”of course”

”lets go hunting then, becuase that’s the only source of food now”. 

“What are we eating then”.

”I don’t know when I was your age when we got hungry we’d eat the closed hunk of meat we could find, even each other I bet you’d be a good hardy meat!”

”NOOOOO....”

      A Summer of Pain and No Success 

“A lot of people don’t know how much hard work, sweat, and anger Lobstering                actually takes.” -Anonymous 

The grinding gears of the winch and the hum of the boat’s motor caught my attention and made me focus on the trap. The boat was almost flipping, the trap was caught on the bottom but we knew we needed to get it up. The line jerked and our small and crowded little boat tipped back the other way almost tossing us back into the water. The trap was loose and the winch started to pull it up. I saw the yellow metal of the trap glowing in the dark murky water. My brother and I were peering over the side of the boat waiting for the trap to surface. When it did come up out of the water my brother and I both screamed, “Oh my God.” In the trap was the biggest lobster my brother and I have ever seen. It was a summer culminated with hard work, perseverance, and a little bit of luck. 

When Big Beats Small

“Football is a game of mistakes. Whoever makes the fewest mistakes wins.”

~Johan Cruyff

The sharp piercing sound of the whistle meant the start of the the Fenn-Fay annual homecoming football game. It was a perfect Saturday for the big event, 70° and sunny. They were the bigger team and we all looked small compared to the Fay team. Although we were smaller we had a ton of fight in us and we were all fired up for the big game. 

                                       Teamwork leads to Success  

                     "Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much." – Helen Keller

The clear water of Lake Winnipesaukee was ice cold and was making our boat driver, Peter go numb. A simple fifteen yard cardboard boat race seemed like a marathon to all of us. Our team sat on the sandy beach cheering Peter on, nobody expected our boat to float because of how poorly it was put together. Right away the boat went under and that was when we realized our boat was terrible. He rounded the buoy and was on the home stretch, we stood with our toes in the water and as the other team crossed the finish line we all knew we didn’t deserve to win because of our poor teamwork.