Three Pieces Combined: Amulet, Mentor, Friend Group

One of the most important pieces of knowledge someone could have is knowing who one is and what one wants out of life. Even at my youthful age, I have felt pressure to have answers to these questions. However, most, I assume, don’t have this sorted out until later in life, if ever. Despite that, I have found that through moments of personal growth and realization, one can get a stronger understanding of themselves. This new knowledge can come in all shapes and sizes, whether it is through an object, experience, people, places, family, and so on. Some of the things that have enabled me to evolve and gain a better perception of who I am and what I want, have been my amulets, my mentors, and my friends. 

If someone were to scavenge through my bedroom at home, they would find fairly typical belongings and decorations of a person my age. My walls are filled with pictures of friends, family, places, and other memories. I have sports trophies on shelves, diplomas hung on walls, and souvenirs pinned to my bulletin board. I have a bookcase scattered with my favorite childhood books, chapter books, and required school texts. I have a desk full of school supplies and a wardrobe full of clothes. One could gather that I value the people in my life and the memories I’ve been able to share with them. However, none of this feels unique to me. I like to think of myself as a minimalist. Unlike my parents who pack the world with them whenever they move, I am eased by the idea that I could get up, leave, and not feel attached to my things. I feel more drawn to objects because of the memories they hold. When objects are lost, destroyed, or stolen the meaning they have will always outlive the physical thing. At this point in my life, I don’t see any object as something I could not live without, however, there are a few things I would be disappointed to lose. 

The first would be my mom’s old school camera. I acquired this pretty recently but in writing this I have realized my admiration for its existence. It is a Canon 35-millimeter film camera purchased over forty years ago. Through its lens, it has likely seen many beaches, friends, relatives, pets, homes, etc. It has experienced a world which pre-dates my existence. One where my parents were not even married let alone had two kids. My mom purchased the camera as a gift for herself after finishing graduate school. Coincidently, I came across it after just graduating from high school. When I started using it, I found it had an old roll of partially used film and batteries still in it. Years ago, my mom had put it down when digital photography became popular only for me to pick it up later on. The half-used roll of film was meant for someone to finish. We both had begun using the camera at major periods of change in our lives, mine being starting college and my mom’s is entering the workforce. The lens has seen a different side of both our lives’ that the other potentially may never see. However, I feel a connection to my mom through the use of the camera. Every time I take a picture or get the film back, I can just imagine my mom in the 80s or 90s using the camera in the exact fashion I do now. It is crazy to me that it is the same device my mom used when she was my age. Through photography my mom helped me discover how much I value capturing memories and moments with family and friends.

The second object is a bracelet. It is one of those cheap rubber ones that they often give out to promote a cause or a function. It is a baby blue color and etched into the side of, in a rather serious looking font, it says ‘Turn the Tide’ in all capitals. About five years ago, before swim practice, my coach had it sitting on his desk. I asked what it was from and he asked if I wanted it. Of course, I said yes. At first, I wore it on my wrist though it was too big and bothersome. I then moved it to my ankle though it was too tight. Finally, it found its home around my green and orange Gatorade water bottle. The same water bottle I have been bringing with me to practice and meets for the past five or so years. The bracelet lives there and is only removed when the bottle needs to be washed. It has observed many laughs, tough sets, and heavy breathers from the side of the pool deck; though, it has become a reminder of my time as a club swimmer. I am instantly brought back to the memory of seven practices a week, the same teammates crammed into lane five, and the seemingly impossible sets we never failed to complain about. I remember the common expressions my coaches made, the small talk during rest intervals, and the smell of the air after a two-hour practice. During practices, seeing the phrase ‘Turn the Tide’ always kept me centered and reminded me that I was in control of my own choices. Now when I see the bracelet, I am reminded of a time in my life when I have never been more dedicated to something. It has become a motivator for me to seek out an interest which I can again be that committed. I want to be able to reflect, as I am now, and wonder how I ever kept up with the world around me while remaining so passionate about one thing. 

Secondly, I have begun to discover my true self with help of my mentor. Finding a mentor is no easy conquest. Some actively pursue guidance for reasons such as work, to explore an interest, or even to fill a missing role in their life, but others stumble across it by accident. When I was ten, perhaps eleven, I met my mentor through swimming. He was a coach at my club team who had just graduated from high school and was attending a local community college. He had been coaching part-time throughout high school but hadn’t coached me until a few years after I started swimming. He also swam on my team his whole life and grew up a couple of towns away. I met him at a time when there was a lot of transition on the team. I can remember a time when I would have a different coach for each practice of the week which made it extremely difficult to build a relationship with any of them. 

           In the beginning, I did not know my coach well and he did not know me. He knew I was rather quiet and shy, so he made a point of asking me every practice “How was your day?” And every day I would shrug and reply “good.” It was a brief but consistent exchange that went on for months. However, as practices went on my coach and I were better able to get an understanding of each other. My coach has seen me grow up as a swimmer, student, and person just as I have seen his life change in all the same ways. Through years of five to seven practices a week and long meets on weekends I have gotten to know almost all of him. 

           After eight years of having him on and off as my coach and sometimes I think he knows me better than myself. He is one of those people who could talk to anyone about almost anything. In some ways, talking to him was almost therapy. I grew comfortable talking to him about any good or bad thing that was happening in my life. He was always able to share advice or crack a joke about what was happening. Growing up on the same team, in similar towns, and at similar schools, we shared many of the same experiences. Through that, he was able to guide me through my years of middle and high school. 

           One summer day at practice a few years ago we were working on dives. I was learning how to make use of my arms off the starting blocks, rather than just using my legs. By using both one can get a further distance off the block and better angle into the water. To aid my practice, my coach held out a noodle about two feet away and about a foot high from the block. I had made many attempts to dive without grazing the noodle but failed several times, as I was still learning. After about my fourth attempt, I began to question if I would ever get this down but was determined to stay until I did. It was just me and two of my closest friends in one lane, and a few others in another lane that practice. We were having fun making this into a friendly competition of who could get over the noodle first. Throughout the practice, my friends and I were constantly making jokes about how we would never get it or how the noodle would be our demise. When it was my turn to go again, I took a step onto the block and look at my coach, and said, “Maybe this one,” jokingly. To my surprise, he replied, with a sarcastic and lighthearted tone saying, “Can you just believe in yourself for five seconds?” This short sentence is one that I will never forget, though he likely doesn’t even remember he said it to me. 

           Though I was never the fastest swimmer, nor the slowest, my mentor always believed in me even before I could believe in myself. This was something I have recently come to realize as the time on my club team was winding and I was getting ready for college. Being able to have faith and confidence in yourself and your abilities is no easy feat, one that I am still indefinitely trying to master. Through my mentor, I have come to realize that, whether you’re faking it or not, sometimes all you have to do is just believe in yourself for five seconds.  

Lastly, through my friends, I am starting to understand who I want to be as a person. At the beginning of my junior year, I started at a new high school. It was a small public school with about five hundred new faces, many of which had known each other since pre-k. Despite me being an outsider, one of my best friends who I met through swimming had attended this school her entire life. So, she immediately took me under her wing and introduced me to her friend group. It is always a little awkward meeting new people especially on their home turf, but after a few weeks, I began to get the hang of it. Turns out the six of us took similar classes, had overlapping teachers, played the same sports, and shared many interests. By December of that year, I felt as if I had known my friends since elementary school.

Our group consists of me, Camille, Kate, Abby, Erica, and Jordan. Each of us plays a role in contributing to the group dynamic, though our positions constantly change. For instance, I have been labeled the jokester. I am, typically, the first to crack a witty remark, sarcastic comment, or suggest a non-sensical idea in any situation. Secondly, there is Camille who is the loyal best friend. She knows everyone inside and out and is the one who keeps us grounded. Next, there is Kate who is a combination of the jokester and the ‘bro’ friend. She provides the glue for our group. Abby is the loud and opinionated friend, though not in an obnoxious way. She can always make a dad joke and is remarkably honest. Then, there is Erica who is the brains of the operation, also our valedictorian. She is by far the most responsible and well-reasoned of the six of us. Lastly, there is Jordan who is the fragile pessimist. She keeps us on our toes with her rollercoaster of emotions. What one person lacks, the other five make up for which allows us to have a harmonious friend group. 

           This past summer the six of us took a trip to the Adirondacks to stay at Kate’s family’s lake house for a few days. We piled all our food for the week, our overpacked suitcases, eight people, and one dog into two cars and made the four-hour trek from Massachusetts to New York. On the way into the mountains, Kate’s mom told us about all the memories Kate and her family had made at the house over the years. She mentioned that some of her cousins liked to canoe, kayak, or even swim across the lake to a small beach on the other side. Of course, three of five people in the car happened to be swimmers and took this as a challenge. 

The next day the six of us were trying to figure out what to do with our time. It was overcast, there was a jumbled mix of white and grey clouds in the sky. Despite that, Camille, Erica, and I dared to mention the idea of swimming across the lake. With some convincing, we managed to rally everyone to get on their suits and head down towards the water. We each grabbed a lifejacket, headed down the rocks to the lukewarm water, and began our journey. It was about a half-mile each way. 

We got off to a slow start, the swimmers, Camille, Erica, Jordan, and I, were leading the pack. Kate and Abby, who were former high school swimmers, trailed closely behind. The choppy waves and oversized lifejackets made the swim even more difficult. We found ourselves drifting and taking many breaks along the way. However, someone suggested we sing songs to pass the time. Perhaps corny, but it worked its magic. The six of us belted everything from High School Musical to Mamma Mia to Hamilton. Our combined knowledge of songs served us well until the end. 

By the time we were able to touch the bottom of the lake again, it had begun raining. The forecast had predicted thunderstorms so we had made it just in time (despite knowing it may have been a poor choice to be in the water in the first place). When we managed to scramble to use our land legs, it felt like we had been adrift for months. However, we all managed to survive the mile-long swim that took us about an hour and a half to complete. Afterward, we made the collective decision to go inside change, warm-up, and eat double what we had burned during our swim. Following our feast, it was only right to take a long nap that felt well-deserved. As the proclaimed ‘jokester’ of the group, I have understood the impact of telling a joke or lightening the mood. I want to continue to strive to be the friend who can see the good in situations and make people smile. 

While I often find it tempting to drift away or drop off the face of the Earth and move to the other side of the world, it is the connections I have made with people, places, and things that keep me balanced. I have found that the more connections I make, the more I can answer the questions of who I am and what I want out of life. However, it is not without the networks and relationships around me that I have and will be able to move forward on my path of self-discovery. 

Quest I Reflection

After writing separate pieces about an amulet, a mentor, and a friend group, the challenge was to find a connecting thread between the three. Initially, I sought out a common theme from within the events of the stories, though found that my connection was, instead, in how my writing was structured. In all of the assignments, I concluded the my writing by reflecting upon a relevant life lesson. The identification each of those lessons lead me to recognize a broader picture and unifying theme about self understanding and autonomy.

The opening sentence that states, “One of the most important pieces of knowledge someone could have is knowing who one is and what one wants out of life,” is an idea I fully believe in. Once I was able to step back from the minute details of composing a paper, I realized that examples aligned with my long held belief. Moving forward, I copy and pasted my work from the amulet, mentor, and friend group writings together. The addition of a introduction and conclusion was essential, though before adding more I read the welded piece to gauge an understanding of what work needed to be done.

After constructing the introduction about the underlying theme of self discovery, I transitioned into editing the assignment about a amulets in my life. While I tweaked minor grammatical and syntax errors, the primary goal was to pinpoint the lessons I learned. In this particular writing I had two separate realizations. Firstly, in the paragraph about my mom’s film camera, I realized how much I value capturing memories. At first, this conclusion was one I struggled to fit into the mold of my theme since I had not solidified a satisfying ending in first round of editing. Despite being cheesy, I was able to reflect in a way aligned with my growing understanding myself. Secondly, from the bracelet paragraph, I came to a realization about being passionate and how I want to strive to the same level of dedication as I once was. I was unsure about wanting to even use this amulet as an example, the conclusion came more easily than in any other story. It is something I have felt for a while now, though I was never able to put my finger on it. As I continued to write my reflections became more meaningful and I ended up surprising myself with my own feelings. This was one of my favorite portions to write out of the whole assignment.

Next in the piece about my mentor, I was given a small but powerful words of advice. Out of all three of the writings assigned this one was most difficult for me to complete. My swim coach is someone I have known for over a decade and see quite often. As a result, I have never really had the time or need to sit down and reflect about how he has impacted my life despite knowing he has. While coming up with a story to pair with the life lesson, there were dozens of instances I could have chosen from. It was difficult trying to rack my brain around which one would best capture what my coach means to me in a way an outsider would also find meaningful. Even after settling on an story the words did not come easily, though with more trial and error the piece became progressively smoother. The lesson of believing in yourself whether one is convinced or not ended up being one of the more powerful and genuine connections to the major theme.

Lastly, in the paragraph about a friend group, I explained what kind of friend I want to be to others. This piece was another challenge to write. Despite knowing my friends inside and out, I found that I was almost too close to the subject to comfortably draw accurate conclusions. To provide the reader with a complete picture I had to consult my friends to acquire meaningful descriptions of each person. This section in particular featured more storytelling than the rest. I found it to be a refreshing break from the configuration of the previous stories. The realization of wanting to be a positive and uplifting friend continued to help me and the audience answer the question of what I want out of life.

This concept of combining three seemingly unrelated pieces of writing together was new territory for me. Finding a relevant and impactful message while maintaining concise and coherent was no easy feat. At points it was frustrating having to be so thorough and spend so much time with the paper but by the end it was highly rewarding. To begin with, all of the parts to the puzzle are there. I knew what the complete image was supposed to look like, though fitting it together in a way others could see the same picture became the most difficult part of this unique assignment.

Quest II Reflection

The Memorial Project was assigned to explore the effects of public memory and opinion, the Hero and New Heroine’s Journeys, and the use of networks. I chose to demonstrate my understanding of these themes by researching the United States Marine Corps War Memorial and displaying it in the form of a website.

To begin this process, I had to determine a medium in which I wanted to present my knowledge. Initially, I had settled on writing a paper since it was in my comfort zone and fairly straightforward. However, after some thought, I reasoned visuals were equally as important as the information be presented. In this case, memorials are physical objects that cannot translated or completely understood by means of words. Additionally, with one of the major concepts of the assignment being networks, I wanted to enable interaction and engagement from the community at large. Though this is my personal project, a conversation is always more powerful than a single voice and a website allowed for that to be understood.

Knowing where to begin when crafting a website was the first challenge. Though, after some trial and error of testing different website creators I settled on using Wix. I played around with the program for about an hour before becoming frustrated with it. I considered reverting back to a traditional paper, though as I spent more time with Wix the setup become more apparent.

Going into the process I researched other websites for inspiration. I sorted through my likes and dislikes and started gaining an idea of what makes certain sites more user friendly. Having a clean and simplistic design became a high priority for my website. As for content, I had a rough idea of what I wanted to include though a majority of my ideas were dictated by what options Wix provided. For instance, the photo gallery portion was not something I sought out though it became a crucial section for the visual aesthetic. Additionally, the format and break down of sections allowed me to clearly develop and flush out thoughts in a way in a way an audience could easily follow.

By the end of two drafts and numerous edits, I have come to realize how time consuming and detail oriented the website design processes can be. Despite being a rather simplistic to the user, the technicalities and minor adjustments that make the site uniform are what took up most of my labor. Writing was another major portion of it, however that is a skill that has become more routine and comfortable for me. I had to develop and understand an unfamiliar skill set to complete this assignment which is one of the reasons I think creating a website deterred other people.

The Memorial Project gave me a new understanding and appreciation for the editing process. By the end I felt more versed in content creating and hope to continue to expand on my skills.