* its super long, but I am pretty happy of how it turned out..
On Top of My Own World
The whole second grade was going on a
field trip to some new park in Pleasant Grove. As we pulled up to our
destination, I couldn't believe my eyes. It was the best thing a second grader
ever saw. The huge park amazed me. I couldn't get off the bus fast enough; I
needed to play on that park. I ran through the wooden tunnels, dangled on the
endless monkey bars, and found my way to the rocket ship. At the top of the
rocket ship, my eyes found the never ending series of swings. Every corner I
turned, I discovered a new contraption. I never wanted to leave because there
was always something new around each corner. When I returned to my house in
Spanish Fork, I couldn't stop talking about the park. I begged my mom to take
me back.
---
I chased my brother through the empty
fields, trying to tag him. I felt so free—I could run forever. I found myself
on top of the huge dirt mounds scattered across the fields. I felt as if I were
on top of the world.
---
I ran around my house panicked. I
pulled open drawers frantically picking up its contents and tossing it back
down hoping to come across a flashlight. After running through my house several
times in about two minutes, it was nowhere to be found. I grabbed a rag and ran
back down my driveway with Ave.
---
“We’re
thinking about moving,” my parents told us one night at dinner. “It won’t be
for a while, but we just wanted to let you guys know.” How long
is a while? I thought. I liked where I lived, my friends, my school, and my
big back yard. I wanted that little while to last an eternity.
---
I knew the view was going to be amazing
before I even started the hike because I had hiked it several times before, but
this time was different. I was on a date. Once at the bottom of a waterfall, we
sat and watched the water fall off the cliff into the stream leading down the
slope. We leaned in closer to feel the mist on our burning faces. We ate cherries and peas from the farmers
market and studied the other hikers admiring the waterfall. I was calm. I was relaxed. I was happy.
---
My family took quick rides up to our
house lot to see the progress on the new house. While my parents walked around our property,
my siblings and I ran to the fields. We loved the endless possibilities of our
imagination. We were Indians, we were cowboys, we were pirates, and we were
robbers. We would run, feeling the soft dirt break underneath our feet. We were
unrestricted, we could do anything, and no one could stop us.
---
I ran down my driveway screaming,
“Spencer, Spencer, are you ok?” With no
reply from the motionless body on the driveway, I got scared. The nighttime
made it hard to see how bad the damage was. I lifted his head, and a puddle of
blood had spread across the cement.
---
I came home from school one day and saw
the for sale sign in my yard. I cried. I still wasn’t sold on moving. I wanted
to live in Spanish Fork forever. My parents piled my family in our car and
drove us once again to the new house. But this time, I saw it. The park, I
begged my mom to take me 2 years back. The park that brought so much joy to me,
I saw it, and there it was right in my soon to be neighborhood.
---
Shortly after my move to Pleasant Grove,
the fields I loved so much, where horses once roamed and deer once fed, turned
into pavement. As unwelcoming as changing my old play ground into a new
neighborhood seemed, some of my best friends ended up moving into those houses.
---
As we were taking in the beauty of the
mountains around us, people were descending down the waterfall. My date went
over and talked to the man who had just finished his ascent. The man said we
could try it if we wanted to. My date jumped at the opportunity, but I was slow
to take up the man’s offer.
---
I was nervous, terrified and strangely
excited. “This is Kimberly, She is going to be the new student in our class,”
my new teacher announced. I stood there trying to avoid eye contact with all 27
students staring at me. I was shown where my desk was and told to sit down. All
day, my short, old teacher was ordering students to show me this and to tell me
how to do that. It was too much.
---
Spencer had bleeding in his brain. He
was to be life flighted. I couldn’t handle it. I broke. I was trying to stay
strong for the rest of my friends, but I just couldn’t do it. I had never felt
so weak; my body couldn’t hold itself up. I collapsed in a cold hard chair. I
felt responsible for his injury.
---
I put on the harness and tightened it as
much as I could. I watched my date start his repel. Shortly, he was out of my
sight, but I heard his yell of pure joy when he reached the bottom. Now, it was
my turn. I was shaking. The guide showed me how to maneuver the rope to make it
down the cliff safely. My mind was racing. I was terrified. Heights and I are
not friends. I wanted to throw up. What was I doing? I really didn’t have
too, but I had too. I had to push myself. I stared at the guide as I took my
first step off the cliff. I was shaking. I couldn’t keep the rope steady. Just
as I was about to take my next step, the guide said “You know, you really don’t
have to do this.” I replied, “Yes! Yes I do!” as I took my second step off the
cliff. Soon, I was totally off the top of the cliff. I used the cliff as a
crutch to continue my descent. Soon, I made it to the bottom. My eyes filled up
with tears. I did it! I conquered a fear. In that moment I was proud.
---
It took a few weeks and many unsatisfied
recesses to find some real friends. Part of the problem was me. I was trying to
fit in with friends that weren’t like me. I wanted to be their friend because
they were the cool kids. I found my niche. I found friends with whom I could
totally be me and who liked me who I was. I found my place in my new school.
---
Spencer’s condition grew worse. He lost
all functions of his body. I had to rely on so many people to keep me going. I
still felt responsible for what happened. Everyone around could sense my
discouragement. I received many letters, hugs and pep talks to keep me going.
After many prayers and pleas, Spencer made a full recovery. He was back to
himself. If it wasn’t for his short-lived change, my views in the place I lived
wouldn’t have. My place was full of people with compassion, strength and
support.
---
I consider Pleasant Grove my place
because it changed who I was. It made me better. Many joyful and hard experiences have happened
there. It is a place I go to all the time. I go there in my mind when I reminisce
on my experiences and I go there in person, to visit my family and friends.
Pleasant grove is my place and I wouldn’t have it any other way.
A HUGE shout out to Micaille for staying up till Midnight last night helping me edit!
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