“There are times when I am so unlike myself that I might be taken for someone else of an entirely opposite character.” ― Jean-Jacques Rousseau. Every personality has different parts; some of these parts are completely contrasting. For example, my personality has many parts;; a few of these parts complement each other, but many contradict. These different traits can be identified in choices I make every day. Although these traits can be opposing, they work together to keep my life running smoothly.
10/15/2001
I was standing on the pool table, trying to gauge the distance from the edge of the table, where I was standing, to the recliner across the room. All I had to do was get a running start, and I knew that I would be able to make it to this plush, inviting chair. I took off. All of a sudden I was laying unconscious in the sound system in the basement. In this moment, the situation seemed bad, but two minutes later, I woke up. My whole family was asking me questions; looking back I realize they just wanted to make sure I wasn’t concussed. At the time I thought they just wanted to know all about it. I described the cozy, fleecy chair, the running start, and finally, the leap from the edge of the pool table. No matter who I was telling or how many times I had told the story, every time I got to the final part I would end the story with “And suddenly I jumped!” This describes my slightly impulsive nature. I “suddenly jump” into many of the activities I’m involved in and the decisions I make. Who would have thought at the age of three I would think of my life motto.
06/10/2004
The 2004 Father Daughter Canoe Trip in Little Rock, Arkansas, I was with my dad, my sister Hannah, and various other dads with their daughters. We were camping on the bank of the Mississippi River and while every other father and daughter was getting out of their tents to make breakfast, I had gotten in a canoe and began paddling myself upstream. Approximately three minutes later my dad noticed I was missing. He immediately checked the water and saw his five year-old, navigating a canoe, completely alone. In a panic he yelled from shore “EMMA GET BACK HERE!” I looked up and calmly replied, “Dad, I got this.” This speaks volumes to my personality, a little reckless, but with enough confidence to be able to manage the situation. Even at the age of five, I knew no matter what the circumstances, “I got this.”
05/18/2010-08/15/ 2010
I’m sure my parents wish there was only one date that I embarked on this adventure, but that is simply not the case. My sister Hannah and I had been warned time and time again to stay out of the barn on our property. The barn had foundation that was crumbling, shingles falling off daily, and sides that swayed with the gentlest breeze. To my parents this was a structural nightmare that had safety hazards all over it; to me, the barn was beautiful, a mystery just begging to be explored. I took countless visits to the barn. The hayloft was my favorite part; getting up to the hayloft required climbing a feeble ladder, haphazardly nailed to one of the inside walls. This is where a little bit of disregard for my personal safety had to come into play. Climbing into a one hundred year-old hayloft is extremely dangerous, ignorant even. Not to me though, I was sure that I would be fine, confident that I would come out unscathed. Yet another major part of my personality; the confidence mixed with a little recklessness, somehow resulting in things ending well for me
Impulsiveness, recklessness, and disregard for my own safety; confidence, common sense, and a little bit of luck- although a couple of these qualities may seem like opposites, these are all vital components of my personality. I may seem to rush into decisions, but I know what I want. I might seem a little reckless, but I’m confident that I am in control. Finally, I may seem to have zero regard for my personal safety, but I’m just lucky enough to make it out okay. Contrasting pieces of my personality help balance out my decisions and keep my life interesting. I’m impulsive and, I’m reckless, but I also have the confidence and common sense to keep my life stable.
10/15/2001
I was standing on the pool table, trying to gauge the distance from the edge of the table, where I was standing, to the recliner across the room. All I had to do was get a running start, and I knew that I would be able to make it to this plush, inviting chair. I took off. All of a sudden I was laying unconscious in the sound system in the basement. In this moment, the situation seemed bad, but two minutes later, I woke up. My whole family was asking me questions; looking back I realize they just wanted to make sure I wasn’t concussed. At the time I thought they just wanted to know all about it. I described the cozy, fleecy chair, the running start, and finally, the leap from the edge of the pool table. No matter who I was telling or how many times I had told the story, every time I got to the final part I would end the story with “And suddenly I jumped!” This describes my slightly impulsive nature. I “suddenly jump” into many of the activities I’m involved in and the decisions I make. Who would have thought at the age of three I would think of my life motto.
06/10/2004
The 2004 Father Daughter Canoe Trip in Little Rock, Arkansas, I was with my dad, my sister Hannah, and various other dads with their daughters. We were camping on the bank of the Mississippi River and while every other father and daughter was getting out of their tents to make breakfast, I had gotten in a canoe and began paddling myself upstream. Approximately three minutes later my dad noticed I was missing. He immediately checked the water and saw his five year-old, navigating a canoe, completely alone. In a panic he yelled from shore “EMMA GET BACK HERE!” I looked up and calmly replied, “Dad, I got this.” This speaks volumes to my personality, a little reckless, but with enough confidence to be able to manage the situation. Even at the age of five, I knew no matter what the circumstances, “I got this.”
05/18/2010-08/15/ 2010
I’m sure my parents wish there was only one date that I embarked on this adventure, but that is simply not the case. My sister Hannah and I had been warned time and time again to stay out of the barn on our property. The barn had foundation that was crumbling, shingles falling off daily, and sides that swayed with the gentlest breeze. To my parents this was a structural nightmare that had safety hazards all over it; to me, the barn was beautiful, a mystery just begging to be explored. I took countless visits to the barn. The hayloft was my favorite part; getting up to the hayloft required climbing a feeble ladder, haphazardly nailed to one of the inside walls. This is where a little bit of disregard for my personal safety had to come into play. Climbing into a one hundred year-old hayloft is extremely dangerous, ignorant even. Not to me though, I was sure that I would be fine, confident that I would come out unscathed. Yet another major part of my personality; the confidence mixed with a little recklessness, somehow resulting in things ending well for me
Impulsiveness, recklessness, and disregard for my own safety; confidence, common sense, and a little bit of luck- although a couple of these qualities may seem like opposites, these are all vital components of my personality. I may seem to rush into decisions, but I know what I want. I might seem a little reckless, but I’m confident that I am in control. Finally, I may seem to have zero regard for my personal safety, but I’m just lucky enough to make it out okay. Contrasting pieces of my personality help balance out my decisions and keep my life interesting. I’m impulsive and, I’m reckless, but I also have the confidence and common sense to keep my life stable.