“Dreadful”

During my childhood years I used to go to a place called Kumon for lessons in math and language arts. Initially, everything appeared to be simple. As I progressed to further levels, the problems became tougher. Soon enough I felt frustrated. I started seeking assistance from the teachers for almost every question. I relied on them so heavily that I didn’t really comprehend the topics; instead, I just went through the content without understanding it. This situation continued for quite some time. I kept seeking help but never grasped it entirely myself until the final test of the level arrived. My heart was pounding with anxiety. I felt completely unprepared for it. Upon receiving my results I felt discouraged; however as I went through the questions I had answered incorrectly, I started to understand what had confused me before. It occurred to me that to genuinely learn, I had to accept the fact that facing difficulties and even experiencing setbacks were parts of the learning journey. Facing the challenge directly was the way I could make progress. 

“Regret”

There comes a moment when the ones you love the most need to go. My grandfather was an incredible man. I visited him once every week, sharing dinner and stories, holding those moments very closely. But then he got Parkinson’s disease and dementia, and watching him slowly pass away was incredibly hard. It was painful to acknowledge this fact because inside of me, my heart knew it was true. When he passed away, my family and I were saddened by his death and mourned him for a week.

Unfortunately, the day of his funeral conflicted with my volleyball tryouts. I loved volleyball so much, and I had always wanted to be on the high school team. At the same time, I really wanted to be there with my family and also pay my respects to my grandpa. One of the toughest decisions I ever had to make was whether to attend his funeral or go try out for the team. Could I be missing the funeral for something it wasn’t worth missing it for?.

After discussing it with my parents, I finally decided to attend the tryouts. I knew I had to give it my all because I needed to get into the team. So, I played with every ounce of energy, trying to impress the coach. And I eventually made it into the team, but deep down inside, I still regret not going to grandpa’s funeral. I even wonder now: was it worth it?