Running Through the Trials of Life
The hot air surrounds me as I advance with each pounding step. My lungs fill with hot winds that burn the coolness inside me. As I struggle to extend each leg, inching closer to unbearable anguish, my throat fills with the molten taste of burning blood. My body screams with pain as I push through the elements of the wind and earth, yet my mind tells me to continue to run, for the finish line is near. Reaching the last steps of the torturous mile, I feel empowerment, grace, and resilience as my legs stretch further with purpose. A new sense of connection welcomes me as I faintly see the trails of graceful prints paint the dry earth with graceful strokes. Welcoming the end with a burst of pain and relief, I look past the finish to see my companion, my guide, my sister, and my connection greet me with eyes of survival. I see the gazelle, an animal of limitless speed, agility, and grace, welcome me with respect. I have finished yet another race, escaped another danger, and survived yet another day of life.
Grazing the sparse grasses that dot the vast savannahs sprawling the diverse plains of Africa and the barren deserts of the Middle East, the gazelle leaps with grace and speed as a method of subsistence and way of life. She faces numerous predators that seek to engulf her as prey and thus must be able to escape the claws of cheetahs, lions, and other predatory animals[1]. In addition to the agility and speed of the gazelle, adaptations to the sparse and dry environment allow her to Ògo for long periods of time without drinking water,Ó sometimes as long as her Òentire lifeÓ in the absence of water[2]. Such mechanisms of existence, strength, and determination emblazon the gazelle with qualities of power, fortitude, and perseverance. I seek to discover and maintain these qualities as my foundation for living in a world dominated by technological, economic, and materialistic pursuits that cloud my sight of the natural world.
Hoping to acquire these qualities, I begin to meditate to draw myself closer to
the gazelle. I transform into the agile runner and relinquish my blinded sight
of the natural world. Speed, sight, and endurance, the very aspects of my being,
allow me to live another day in the dawn of the predators that beleaguer me.
Yet, despite the hunters that besiege me with every waking moment, I calmly and
gracefully bask in the hot sun and relish the sight of the beauty of the limitless
landscape. Miles and miles of unlimited desert hide the nourishing waters of an
oasis; however, in this desert I see hope as I run through the brush that dots
the land. I see fine grains of sand covering the very type green grasses that I
eat, beckoning me to a meal for which I must be grateful, as there may be no
other grazing vegetation close by. Such opportunity that ensues in the wake
of an eternal drought garners an instinct of that I cherish as a gift and
inevitably as a gift that I must possess. It is this rudimentary aspect of
resilience that permits me to visualize the barren desert as decorated with
vegetation, provisions of the earth that
Every day in the savannah is marked by the earthÕs bounty of life and its method of renewal. I cannot hold claim to any specific part of the land for the land remains a collective belonging to both my fellow beings and me. The very possessions that I cherish, my speed, sight, and endurance, remain grounded in the earthÕs offerings of land, water, and life. I hold no materialistic aims in life but to endure every day in the plains. With such foresight of the possessions of the earth, I travel nomadically through the heart of the desert knowing and accepting that the land as a whole belongs not only to me but also to other creatures roaming the land[3].
Daily, my continuity depends on my stamina, agility, and the legs that carry
me. Each of these plays a role in sustaining my way of life and determining my
fate of escaping my predators. The speed the earth gives me quickly launches me
to limits up to Òsixty miles per hour, Ó thus allowing me to run with graceful
ease in hopes of evading the many predators who seek to attack me.[4] Spotting the blurred image of
brown tangled fur, deep-set hungry eyes, and sharp teeth glistening ready to
kill, I quickly burst into a leap of sprints artfully bouncing me to high
heights of nearly Òeleven feetÓ along the dry earth[5].
Confusion strikes my stalker who cannot train his focus on me as I zigzag my way
under the blazing red heat of the relentless sun. Though the lactic acid
flooding my sinews quickly augments the agony I feel, I lithely push farther
into the distance as I catch the sight of a lion storming closer. My thirst for water does not surface as I
continue to run past monuments of the arid desert, for only life and endurance
dominate my mind during such moments of brazen determination and perseverance.
The heat feels like cool zephyrs beckoning me to continue to lengthen my stride
despite the evident static heat drowning me in an unending feeling of pain and
exhaustion. Yet, albeit these temporary feelings of physical doubt, I know I
must allow the temporary pain to escape my mind or I shall be in eternal sleep.
Such thoughts of utter willpower spring me into a new burst of speed that conjures
a deep sense of strength and preservation. As I continue to graciously run, I
slightly turn my head to see the fierce gaze of the lion has disappeared
against the bright lustrous backdrop of the plain. The pain and exhaustion immediately
simmer as I quickly gauge my surroundings and halt to a slow walk calmly enjoying
the dull pain of endurance; I withstood yet another day.
Arising from my
meditation with newborn wisdom, I open my eyes to truly see the splendor of
nature. My admiration for the gazelle now spans a broad range of aspects that
encapsulate the gazelle as an animal of the earth and an animal of purpose. The
environment in which the gazelle lives does not reap the flourishing vegetation
of the tropical forest nor houses the friendly animals of the beach. Rather, her
environment shelters the hard beating sun that scorches the sandy earth and houses
the fierce and starving stomachs of lions, cheetahs, and hyenas. However, the
gazelle does not lament her surroundings nor envy the homes of other animals.
She simply lives in her nomadic domain, cherishing each and everyday as a
reward of survival. Merely living to greet the sun strengthens me because I
realize that the hurdles I may face are only temporary inhibitions in my life.
Drowning in schoolwork and club meetings during my senior year in high school,
I often wanted to quit volunteering every Saturday at Texas ChildrenÕs
Hospital. During those times, I could not see the importance of setting aside
my discomfort to alleviate the emotional and physical pain of children in the
hospital. I now look back and see that I learned more about myself as a compassionate
leader volunteering in the hospital than I did reading about the Krebs cycle. Without
the positive foresight of the gazelle, I do not think I would have discovered
my passion for international medicine nor do I think I would persevere in all that
I do.
In addition to a foresight of positivity, the gazelle also empowers me through her defiant endurance. The gazelle may seem to constantly run from danger rather than facing it, but I view her constant running as a means to achieve lifelong tenacity. During my races in cross-country, the desire to stop and walk the rest of the way flooded my mind; I did not think I had the stamina to continue. Regardless, I pushed forth and finished. In college, I sometimes feel overwhelmed by the amount of courses needed to fulfill pre-med requirements; I doubt my diligence. However, my guide will help me remember that the initial leap ignites a marathon of continual endurance, persistence that every leader must face: the thick, hot air of the day, the vicious claws of the lion, and all that emerges with each new day.
Nonetheless,
the grace of the gazelle amidst the danger in her life inspires me to journey further
into college life and work with optimism and fortitude. I often remember the
words that graced my cross-country shirt and the very words my own mother would
tell me to guide me:
ÒEvery morning in Africa, a
gazelle wakes up. It knows it must run faster than the fastest lion or it will
be killed. Every morning a lion wakes up. It knows it must outrun the slowest
gazelle or it will starve to death. It doesnÕt matter whether you are a lion or
a gazelle: when the sun comes up, youÕd better be running.Ó[6]
These words resound in mind
as I continue to run, to live, and to survive everyday. I feel the strength of
the gazelle push me through each step and I slowly forget the trials I face.
For as long as the sun shines and the day breaks, both the gazelle and I will
be running.
Total Word Count: 1696
Word Count Without Quotes: 1605
List of illustrations
1.
The gazelleÕs immense fortitude inspires me to embrace endurance and look
to the future ahead without constant worry of the dangers in the present[7].
2. According to Richard Estes, gazelles eat Òat night or early morning when vegetation has highest water content.Ó[8] [9]
3. The great speed of the gazelle allows
her to travel quickly through her environment.[10]
4. Even though the gazelle faces the
varying speeds of cheetahs, lions, and other predators in the savannah and
desert, her determination characterizes her as an animal with true perseverance
and grace[11]
5. The gazelle is a symbol of foresight
and strength, both of which guide me through life.[12]
