"Indicate a person who has had a significant influence on you, and describe that influence. (250 words minimum)
November 10, 1997
12:30 pm: My mom enters the hospital.
5 pm: My dad and I head off to Burger King. We bring my mom a set of chicken fingers.
7:29 pm: Jessica Wang enters the world
Jessica taught me to be patient.
Jessica taught me to kind.
She taught me not to be jealous of others.
She taught me not to be proud.
She taught me to be responsible.
She taught me that I don’t need to be perfect, and that she will always be proud of me the way I am.
She taught me to cherish.
She taught me to love.
Love: one syllable, multiple meanings. It is love that gets us through life. It is applicable to everyone, not only family and friends. Love your enemy, and you won’t have any. Though easily stated, the implementation is not so. Although my parents have set an example for me and they love me dearly, it was Jessica that widened my range of love.
The first step was patience. At that age patience was the farthest entity from me. My parents attempted to correct this flaw through piano practice, and though piano lessons lasted, my patience still needs training and Jessica started to train me when she was only six months old and she did so with only a pair of socks. Struggling to put her socks on was the most difficult task encountered by me at the age of seven. When they were finally set in place after hours of battle, it only took her a second to shove one in her mouth and thus the process begun again. It was a microcosm of the Circle of Life; it was the Circle of Patience.
The second step was kindness. Jessica was born with hemangioma on her left eye and stomach. Though the tumor is benign, she can not be provoked to cry. Through her medical condition, I’ve learned to be kind, I’ve learned to share and it’s become a habit ever since.
Her training progresses on with jealousy. Through her achievements I’ve never regretted nor have I been jealous of other people and their siblings. She always scores 100% and is number one amongst her peers. My friends deem her as an angel. Her outstanding behavior and achievements have simultaneously taught me to not be proud or boastful, especially when it comes to Chinese. Though I am fluent, I am often shadowed under her Chinese skills.
Responsibility was what she continued with. Though there was not set of duties that I needed to fulfill, I needed to be her example and the constant pressure making sure she goes on the right path, I always warned her and scolded her whenever she made a mistake. I felt I had the obligation to, and it was because I cherished her. I didn’t want anything to happen to her.
She accepts my flaws, and she reminds me to correct them. She does not deny me because of my flaws, but she attempts to correct them. I too accept her flaws, and rather than insulting her, attempt to correct them.
These are the elements of love. She taught me to apply them because I had obligations towards her, and with her instruction, getting through life will be a lot easier."
