#1

Fall is supposed to be a joyful season, spent with crisp apple cider and auburn leaves. Last year, I spent most of my autumnal days locked inside my room, concentrating on what would make the thesis of my honors English essay enticing. Rifling through stacks of papers, choosing the best of the best, was the way I spent my “down time”. Writing lengthy essays in front of the TV with a bag of chips, the room only lit by its screen, was as much fun as I could have. Being with my friends wasn’t much of an option, considering I had to finish my applications for the honors classes that I was trying to get into. For those few months, I spent my time in educational purgatory, though I knew the outcome would hold greater benefits in the end. No pain, no gain, was basically the statement that became my mantra. Intro, thesis, body, conclusion. Intro, thesis, body, conclusion. Like a cheesy song on repeat, I had to endure the seemingly never-ending torture.

Looking at everything from a far perspective helped make things easier. Realizing that though it was hurting me at the moment, doing all of this work will eventually help me. Progressing through the workload was plainly difficult. Beside the fact that it was time consuming, every sentence, paragraph, and paper did not feel good enough. The words felt forced, rather than fluid and the sentences ran on for days. Revise, edit, finish. Revise, edit, finish. Repeat, repeat, repeat and so on.

By the time portfolios were due, I was glad to be rid of the sickening papers. Finally could I dump my memory of advanced vocabulary and varied sentence structures. Relief ran course through my head and I remained on autopilot for practically the rest of the year. Spring flowers carried over April and our results were unveiled. Thankfully, the strenuous hours paid off and I made it into the classes I had wanted to be in. My 3 months of misery became another success story of how hard work pays off.