There is that one time when you come to realize that, your whole perception of life has been an illusion, and that discernment changes forever. That time when you stop being a child and grow up. The shift comes in bits and pieces and impacts heavily on the perception of life as a whole. To me, the transition to adulthood came as a total surprise and changed my life completely.
Initially, my family was very stable financially. My parents could afford all the basic needs and also most of the luxuries. My siblings and I were enrolled in the best schools in the state, and our school fee was always paid in advance. My shopping basket was always the heaviest, and I had the privilege of getting more pocket money than I needed. I was in high school then.
As we all know, most children from the well-to-do families are quite arrogant even though unknowingly. That’s how I used to be. So I remember this particular time when we had to attend an impromptu academic event in the neighboring state. Most of my classmates had no pocket money. They, therefore, could not afford lunch and those that had a little to buy themselves a meal could not afford any snacks. I, on the other hand, had enough money to buy everyone in the class a snack and buy myself all the stuff that I needed for the trip. Instead, I decided to revert to my egocentric, arrogant self and decided not to share my snacks with anyone.
Days went by, and my classmates never forgot the incident, they always reminded me of that day, and I never felt sorry for my behavior. Then my worst nightmare came true. It all started when my father lost his job. My mother still had her job and dad’s savings kept us going. His efforts at finding another job proved futile and a whole year elapsed without a job. By then, my family had started struggling because of the huge amount paid as school fees. Dad’s savings were depleted within the year and his investments which he had just started begun to crumble. My mother decided to transfer us to lower class schools that required a less amount of fees than our school.
Then the worst happened, my mom started becoming sickly and had to visit the hospitals almost on a daily basis. Her performance at work began to suffer, and with time, the inevitable happened. The company that had employed her was hell-bent on maintaining a high level of performance from their employees. They, therefore, decided to relieve my mom off her duties and immediately replaced her coveted position in the management. You can now imagine the position we were in at that moment, with my parents not working, three children at school and an ailing mother. It was not easy.
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Our grades started suffering, and our friends at home started ridiculing us. Sometimes we could not afford a meal and resorted to borrowing from our friends. Every time I asked a friend for help, they would remind me of the trip and how cruel I was to them. That was the turning point in my life. I learned that money or other possessions might not last, and the treatment you accord to your colleagues may be reciprocated in future. Furthermore, I learned that life is a mystery; you never know what tomorrow brings. I also learned how to be kind and sympathetic to people in need. These lessons have made me the person I am today.
Works Cited
- Grove, & Grove, (2016). Learn About Common Application Essay Option #5: Transition to Adulthood. About.com Education. Retrieved 17 November 2016, from http://collegeapps.about.com/od/essays/a/common-application-essay-option-five-significant-event.htm
- Prompt #5: Transition from Childhood to Adulthood - Common App Essay. (2016) Apstudynotes.org. Retrieved 17 November 2016, from https://www.apstudynotes.org/common-app/prompt-5-transition-from-childhood-to/
