Throughout a person’s life they may encounter many hardships ranging from a drug addiction, the loss of a family member, or even something as simple as making a decision between a soup or salad before dinner. No matter the severity of the struggle or how it affects us, we all have the same choice as to how we are going to handle it and what we are going to take from it to help guide us in the future.

My struggle, started with the death of my grandfather in the 5th grade. My dad woke me up at 6 in the morning, the snow still fresh on my windowpane from the storm that passed in the night. He gently told me the news of my grandpa’s passing. Flashes of riding down old Pennsylvania roads in my grandfather’s lap consumed me. Not only was my grandfather dead, but also a friend had passed. Being a 10-year-old boy there are so many thoughts and ideas that stay jammed up inside your head that you can’t find a logical answer to. But what I knew for sure was that he was gone, and not another word would be spoken to each other again, at least in a physical form. As a young kid the loss of someone close can severely damage a child’s state of mind. I didn’t know how to go about my life during that period of time. Being older and more aware I am able to see the sense and beauty in the passing of someone who was suffering, but back then I would describe the passing of my grandpa as an unfair punishment. I went to school that morning in tears, getting attention from the teachers and students. Sadly, I took advantage of that. I got out of doing work, I started to slack off and not pay attention in class. As a result I got my first C, and still the only C that found its way onto my report card. It hit me hard. People had stopped caring, and teachers had stopped sympathizing… life had moved on, yet I was standing still.

If I had never woken up from that slumber I don’t know where I would be right now.  But I did wake up, and ever since then I have promised myself to never get back to that place. Ever since then I have worked my hardest to achieve every goal I have set for myself and perform to the best of my abilities. My grandpa was never a man to sit around and feel sorry for himself so he sure wasn’t expecting me to do the same. Instead of feeling sorry for my grandpa I became at peace with his passing, using his achievements and morals as a guide for me. Once I moved to Texas I realized what a blessing I had, a new start. I am halfway through high school with some amazing friends, a ranking that places me in the top 5% of my class, and a chance to display my soccer talents on a division 1-college level.

Though my life is great, there are still some times when I get down and am unhappy with my current situation as any other person does. But I am always confident that things will get better in those situations because life moves on, and because of my grandfathers life, I will never be caught standing still again.