Remember that time I said I couldn't figure out how to write my autobiography for my Emory PT school application? I finally wrote it. And love it.
So I figured I'd share:
It seems as if I have a cloud that follows me around and often pours out tough trials on my sunny days. By age nine, I was a two-time cancer survivor. Throughout my childhood I dealt with my parent’s fights and divorce. For my young age, I have experienced more deaths of close friends than most adults can attest to. My father unexpectedly passed away recently and financial struggles continue to hinder the functioning of my family. How does a child rise out of such turmoil into a woman of strength, compassion, and prosperity? My secret is not a complex mixture of techniques, but a simple desire to live a life dedicated to the ingestion, recycling, and distribution of love and hope.
It has been through my intense experiences that I have learned to travel without my umbrella of fear and cast off the worry of when the next downpour of tragedy would occur. The process to stop avoiding the rain was not quick or easy, but I now acknowledge that life is a lot more beautiful when you view the storm for its majesty and the provisions it can give. I can look back and see the good that has come out of each hardship, from new opportunities to complete shifts of my mentality on life. My most recent lesson learned is the realization that my life, with all its complexities, can be used to show others love and hope. I have been cajoled forward by these virtues to overcome my personal battles, but I now desire to actively live out love and hope, which includes my daily activities and convincing others of the power love and hope can give. Conveying their restorative properties though my actions and words has become my motivation for every thing I now pursue in life.
Becoming a physical therapist, my dream job since seventh grade, is an extension of my desire to live a life as an instrument of love and hope. I have chosen the lifestyle of love, which is often hard to obtain, impossible to control, yet beautiful when seen. I am passionate about showing love in language and tangible, meaningful actions that will better the hearts and lives around me. In physical therapy, this love will exhibit itself as compassion and care for each patient that walks through the doors. I desire to give hope, just as I have been reminded time and time again in my own life. To restore the hope of a better future within someone is to spark a fire within their present self to keep persevering. In many cases, this spark is needed in the midst of struggles and it is my belief that it is necessary to reach the blessings that will arise out of the burdens. Hope is an essential component of physical therapy and a huge motivation as to why I yearn to enter the field. My simple life desire is to implement love and hope into every tiny aspect of my life and physical therapy is a perfect source to accomplish this.
Life is not perfect because the world and others are unpredictable and harsh. Trials will continue to take place, but my interaction with the trials, how I react and what I strive to learn, is an essential component to prevail in the end. Life is a refinement process through which the fire and grinding of those trials will create a beautiful gem, filled with love and hope, which becomes a precious asset to society. Becoming that gem to help friends, family, and patients is a deep desire that grows everyday. Although life may be challenging at times, I am happy to forgo my umbrella and endure the refining process to become a woman known for her love and hope.
