Writing Assignment POG

The day of surgery was one of the hardest days of my life the surgery took 8 hours to perform, after removing 70% of the tumor that was sitting on the stem of her brain which controlled motor skills, movement and balance she was sent to recovery. The doctor came out to say the surgery was a success but she had a long road ahead of her to return back to how she used to be, the next four to six month were as if I was living in the twilight zone. I wasn’t sure how I was making it caring for my mother, working full time and attending school full time and also caring for my brother who is develop mentally disabled but all I can say is if I did not have God on my side I could have lost my mind but he kept me strong, sound minded and focused to be there for her during her long recovery, but now she is doing well she just had her MRI last month and everything fine. The tumor has not grown and she is doing well by the Grace of God and to think two years ago my mother could not walk, could not cook, could not go up and down stairs, she could not dress or bathe herself and she could not write but now she can do all of the things that at times we all take for granted.

Narrative B

A stressful life event or problem was being a single parent and shift worker in the military. As a shift worker working on the flight line, I needed to always be available, and I needed to be able to work one of three shifts and weekends. When I initially joined, stationed in Germany working the night shift, it was no problem. 3 years and a new duty station later I became a parent. Being far away from home I didn’t really have the help and support from my family. My co-workers hated me, as I usually worked the day shift and had weekends off. My partner, being in the same career field, couldn’t really help as much it was rough but we made it work. 2 years later I moved to another base, it was the same story, but I was single and the other parent was now 4 hours away. After a while, of course, I had to pull my weight and work night shift and weekends and be available on call, because that was my duty. For a while I was kept on day shift and but I did have to work weekends. That was no biggie; there were daytime sitters available on weekend. But when I was put on nightshift, it was very stressful. I tried a nanny and that didn’t work out. I then posted on a women’s military support group on Facebook and met a lady who was willing to help. A lot of people may look at me like I’m crazy but I trusted this woman, I had to. Her husband was away for duty in Korea, she had one daughter the same age as my daughter and a ten year old. She was really friendly and actually became a life-long friend. But she had to move of course, that’s the military for you. I decided that when my enlistment was up, I was going to move on. Being a shift worker in the military and away from your support system is not ideal. I felt like a burden, while some fellow airmen were supportive, others didn’t care and wanted me to pull my weight, as they had lives too. That’s fair; they definitely made my time in the military hell though. Glad that’s all over.

Narrative C

Growing up in a household with three older brothers and myself being the only girl I would always be in competition with my siblings. I learned very young that the best thing I could do is to go along with their antics and not fight with them. Since I was not only the only girl but also the youngest I had little to no say in anything that occurred. My brothers would always take the lead on the events and activities that we would do and I just learned to go along with it, as it was not worth the aggravation as I was always outnumbered anyway. When I was around thirteen however I found myself facing my brothers completely outnumbered and without a foot to stand on as they fought with me over the plans for the weekend that my father was off of work. Given that my brothers always got the choice in what we did every time I had had enough. I wanted to pick and even more I wanted to make myself known. I did not know what to do that day and while I wanted my family’s approval I knew that in that moment I had to step out of the shadows and into the light. I was scared not only of my brothers but of my idea for something to do. I saw it as being inferior to my brothers as it was not something that was ever discussed or mentioned by anyone in my family prior to this day. However, I new I had to give it a chance and try to make my piece. I was scared and I still remember how small this day made me feel. I could barely speak and while I tried to hard to speak up over my brothers it was to no avail as my voice was but a whisper. I had tears streaming down my face and it was t this time that I could understand that if I wanted something it was up to me to fight for it and not give up on the desires and goals that I had put into place. Instead I learned to use this fear to overcome the struggle and face the issue head-on. I let the fear and stress of this day lead me forward and it was at this time that I spoke up finding my voice and facing the fire of my brothers. I spoke with confidence and understanding. I controlled the room at that moment but it was at the moment that I finished when the greatest stress then came forward. I can still recall the silence of that day as it was the first time I had broken through and now it was a waiting game of anticipation making the seconds seem like hours as I sat before my family waiting for their response. The waiting was the worst as it brought with it a feeling of dread and worry as I continued to generate scenarios regarding their reactions at such a fast rate and volume that before I knew it I felt as though I was drowning in my own darkness. As the seconds ticked by I could feel myself sinking into darkness, the first of many throughout my life, and it was at this time that began to feel lost. I did not see the good idea that I had suggested but rather the potential wrath of reticule that I perceived to come forth very shortly. I waited with the anticipation, anxiety and dread building until my mom broke the silence. Her response, though it was simple was the most reassuring part up until this point as it told me that I was recognized and that I could be accepted in relations to my ideas and suggestions. But the torment and fear of this exchange was far from over as I still had to face my brothers. Slowly their responses started to come forth and that was when I knew I had a good idea but my brothers did not want to accept it as such. This was clear to me upon the first response from my brothers as they began to downplay the idea and make it appear to be simplistic and boring in comparison to their ideas but even with all of their negative feedback I found them slipping in their arguments. As a result, I found the courage to stand up to my brothers and for what I want in life even if a form of adversity stands in your way. While this event was stressful for me in the moment I find that it was a great lesson for me and I am happy that it occurred in the presence of family rather than coworkers or strangers as I feel that I would not have had the courage to approach this issue given the circumstances at that time.

Narrative D

When deciding on which college to go out of high school baseball was a big deciding factor. I did not care where I moved as long as I was able to go to college and play baseball. Eventually I decided to attend a small Christian college in Illinois, just outside of Chicago. I got there and experienced freezing cold weather but I finally became adjusted to it. I attended this college for two years and earned a starting spot on the baseball team. Everything was going well until the school decided to build a new field. During my junior year we were forced to practice everywhere around the school until the field was playable. Finally, about 2 months into the fall semester we were able to practice there. Everything was still going well until one day when I arrived at practice I saw, spray painted near the dugout, “brown kids” with a Nazi symbol under it. I being the only “brown kid” on the team, was honestly very upset.

This event led to a lot of change in my life. I left the school after the semester and took the next semester off from school. It bothered me for a long time and I declined a few immediate baseball offers to play at other schools. Finally, I decided to get back to school and play at a local college. I didn’t like the college I chose and now I’m finishing up my degree at Saint Leo University. I feel like if this event never happened I would have finished my degree about 1 year and a half ago and would have been working full time somewhere. I see the positives and negatives that it brought on. The negatives are obvious but there are a lot of positives that came out of this event. It allowed me to really think about what I want to do with my life because honestly I was never going to be a pro baseball player.

Narrative E

The most stressful event I ever had in my life has been finding a job. I have been trying to find a job with an associate degree and no experience. I have only one job in my life which I’m still young. I used to work a long time ago before I became pregnant with my child. When my fiancé and I found out I was pregnant, we agreed that I would stop working. The job and the location wasn’t a safe place for a pregnant woman. Even though I know how to handle myself, it just wasn’t ideal.

Once I had our child my fiancé wanted me to be a stay home mom. I agreed because we both have a hard time trusting others especially with a life that’s so precious. I decided to start attending Saint Leo University at one of the Education centers. This was perfect the education centers allow for you to attend night classes or online classes which is great for a stay at home mom. I could take care of my child and get an education. When I had night classes, my fiancé could watch our child for me.

I obtain my Associate's degree in Criminal Justice, and I was proud of myself. I decided to work on my Bachelor’s degree while I was still a stay at home mom. Then my son reached the age to start preschool. Once we found a school that we love for our child. I started applying for jobs that were with the government. Some of the jobs I only need a high school diploma and to type a certain speed. These requirements I met also had an Associate degree in Criminal Justice. So, I figured the degree might help me out. One job was a Deputy Court Clerk position I met the requirements. That was seven months ago and no call or email.

No call backs or emails made me feel like I went to school for nothing. My main reason for going to college in Criminal Justice is to help others. Now I’m almost done with my Bachelor’s degree, and I wonder if I will find a career with my degree. It’s upsetting, but I can’t let the millions of applications that I put in with no response make me quit school. I can let the stress of having a degree with no job security dictate whether I get my degree or not. I must keep pushing and think positive.