ok folks. this is the first paper i had to turn in for my comp II english class and i have to brag about it, because, well i got a 100% on it so enjoy and save all of your adoring prais for when you see me in person, a bow or curtsey shold do just fine.

Kale Orban
Jay Barbre
ENGL 1213
1/22/08
“This I Believe”
In my short lifetime I have learned many extremely valuable lessons. This essay is going to cover one of the beliefs I have adopted due to such lessons learned. When I was a freshman in high school I had an overly positive outlook on life. I took all niceties in life for granted and never thought twice about them. Well all of that was about to change. My sister Jaime, who was a senior at the same high school as me, was involved in terrible automobile accident, she was killed instantly. This was the first truly traumatic experience in my life. It took a long time to recover from this, but it taught me how to deal with any sort of trial in my everyday life.
After my sister was killed I had a hard time coping with it. My family is the most important thing in my life. I would sacrifice my own life to bring back my sister. Seeing as how this is obviously impossible, have come to realize that all I have to do is keep her memory alive to keep her “alive”. As long as she is not forgotten she will always be alive. At first I was afraid that when I started to get over the loss that I was forgetting about her. I soon realized that it was inevitable to carry on with my own life, and those who really cared about her would keep her spirit alive and loved.
I have gained the belief that I can not change the things that sometimes happen in life. This is not to say that I believe in predestination, I simply believe that certain things will just happen if they are going to. Kind of a “Murphy’s Law” sort of philosophy. After I made this realization, it really helped me learn to enjoy the love that is in front of me. I can really appreciate the things I have for two reasons. The first is because I think of how other people have it and realize that it could always be much worse for me. The second is that each day is like another treat for me. I get to do whatever I want for that time and place; it is all mine for the taking.
If you were to ask any of my friends, they would tell you that I am one of the most jovial people you will ever meet. I am a very hard person to make angry. This is because my personal philosophy is to just be happy with what you have. When people are angry all the time the cannot truly enjoy life. That is why I am glad that I have the ability to just roll with the punches.
There is a classic rock song that you may have heard of by the band Kansas it is entitled “Dust in The Wind”. This song is a perfect description of the way I like to live my life. A lot of people may interpret this song depressingly, which is understandable. However, I like to think that the lyrics are sending me a message to take hold of the small amount of time that I have here on earth and use it my fullest to capture what is mine. It’s kind of a cliché statement but it is very important for me to live my life to the fullest.
I live my life as if the glass were half full and it is up to me to fill the empty half Up with my experiences and learning’s. I have had many hardships in my life, but who doesn’t? Along the same lines, I have learned to appreciate even the bad times because the things I am able to endure make me who I am. If something bad happens I can’t help it, I just have to dredge whatever positive thing there is out of it and learn from it. This philosophy helps me stay a happy person and keep a positive outlook on my life.