I really wanted that i-pod.
My sister and I were carelessly leaning up against a fencepost, anticipating the drawing for an i-pod nano at the 2007 Lifest Christian Music Festival. I stared up at kids swinging through air on the “Air Glory”, a giant crane that harnessed in two riders at a time to free fall from high up, set up in the middle of a dusty horse arena. We listened to the screams of the fallers and the nervous giggles of those getting harnessed. It was an odd looking contraption that towered 100 feet above us, designed to give riders the thrill of a lifetime. As its metal beams reflected the glimmer of the setting sun onto my face, I had not a care in the world. But then a sudden scream filled the air, so potent that it grabbed the attention of everyone in the area. I waited for the harness to catch, for the girl to be swung back up into safety.
But the rope never caught her.
The terrifying thud left the entire arena silent. One second… two seconds… No one was moved. No one made a noise. I stood there in complete horror, my mouth gaping in disbelief. As the dust settled the crowd suddenly began to panic. Doctors quickly identified themselves and ran in to help, security ordered ambulances, and all I could do was stand there, numb.
On that day, sixteen year old Elizabeth Mohl died, and I had to watch. I cried about it for days, not able to make sense of it. Why did this happen? How could someone so seemingly invincible be gone in an instant? That fall changed the way I view my life. It is not a burden, an obligation, or a responsibility, but rather it is a gift. I have been gifted with so many talents and opportunities. Every day I embrace what it means to be alive, and on those days where everything seems to be a chore, I remind myself how very fortunate I am to be living in this beautiful country, healthy and young. This experience has taught me to set goals and reach for my highest expectations, because I never know if today is going to be my last.
Suddenly that i-pod didn’t seem all that important.
Even though I've read this before, Lilly, it still moves me. I am impressed with how you create suspense and with your imagery that puts the scene vividly in my head. The iPod is not just your hook to draw readers in, it becomes also, a symbol, one that many of us can take as our own or relate to a like thing in our lives, a symbol for your conclusion, that we must never take our lives for granted.
ReplyDeleteHi, Lilly. I think Ms. Hogue told you that we would like to include this blog post as student model in the revised edition of Expository Composition: Discovering Your Voice. I'm one of the authors of the textbook that would like to use this piece. We need to communicate with about the permission process though. Would you mind contacting me at glanderson@d211.org so we can get this process moving. Thanks, Gary
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