Adam Bush

English 1101

Casey Flores

10-29-19

Bad Situation Works Out for the Better

I was in the third grade when my dad and grandpa started to periodically ask me what I

wanted to do with my life after I graduated high school. My family emphasizes the importance

of planning. They had engraved in my mind that “planning is the key to success”. I did not

think about being a professional athlete, astronaut, firefighter, or anything a normal third grader

would want to be. I had not a single clue what I wanted to do, but I figured I would end up being

an engineer, businessman, or maybe something in the medical field. Years went on and I still

had zero clue of what to do for my life career. The few things that moderately interested me

would get monotonous and boring. The pressure my family placed on me drove me to find an

occupation I would love until retirement.

It was freshman year of high school when I started to lose sleep some nights for the fear

of being a failure. I had no plan for my life. Grades started to really count this year, and I had no

motivation to learn. I did my homework and completed my assignments on time, however, I was

just going through the motions. I didn’t push myself one bit to become academically smarter. I

felt as if academics were not applicable to me and my life.

Sophomore year came next. Still, I did not know what I wanted to with my life. I felt like

a chicken with its head cut off. I knew a few things I was sure I did not want to do such as
manual labor, or even worse to me, sitting behind a computer all day pecking at a keyboard. I

was above average academically even though I did not apply myself, but I started to believe I

could do anything I wanted if I put my mind to it.

My summer in between my sophomore and junior years of secondary school started

horrifically. I was trying to make some extra money by pressure washing an old historic home

that had collected dirt and grime over its long life. The old wooden porch with its peeling red

paint was slick. I was not being cautious because this was a task I had completed over fifty times

before. As I stepped toward the edge of the porch near the stairs, a worn plank started to flake

apart causing me to lose my footing. I reached for the top step with one of my legs so hopefully

to regain my balance. The wet steps were like ice. At this point, I knew I was going to fall with

nothing but a wooden porch to stop my decent. I am an athletic individual so mid fall I turned to

my left side with hopes I could catch myself with my hands for fear of breaking my tail bone. I

to feel emotional pain. I am a three-time All-American trap shooter and the world tournament

was in less than a week. I was heart-broken. I needed my thumb for shooting success. I had

worked extremely hard to reach the level I was shooting at, and in my prime I would be severely

handicapped. I was furious at myself for being careless.

I left the job incomplete and drove to an urgent care. My hands where on the steering

wheel of my truck, but my thumb pointed back at me since it was bent in the opposite direction it

should be. I felt as if my wrecked thumb was mocking me for being so hasty and irresponsible.

Upon my arrival at the urgent care, doctors and nurses treated me with great concern My day was

starting to get a bit better.

They took x-rays of my thumb, and I was intrigued. I had an immediate interest for

bones. The treatment methods to fix damaged bones pulled me in. I was fitted with multiple
casts, including one molded to my hand and gun so I could shoot in the approaching tournament.

After leaving the doctor’s office I knew I wanted a career in orthopedics.

This experience helped me to grow and learn in tremendous ways. I began to research

routes I could take involving orthopedics. In just the past few months, I have learned I want to

be an orthopedic surgeon. I love going to my anatomy class at school. I am enthralled by the

content in this class and excel at it as well. My desire to become a surgeon motivates me in a

way I have never felt. I am a diligent student now due to having a set goal in mind. My grades

went from above average to excellent, and I give all the credit to my love for orthopedics and my

‘not so good experience’ which led me to this finding. I have an orthopedic surgeon observation

opportunity at the Ohio State University scheduled and I could not be more excited. The skilled

doctors allowed me to shoot very effectively in the world championship trap shooting

competition by designing me a custom cast. I took the third-place prize in the doubles event

there. I am so thankful that a tragic event worked out for the better. Although breaking my

thumb was unfortunate, it led me to something that I can use as motivation through my

adolescent life and hopefully to a fulfilling lifetime career. This significant event taught me that

unfortunate circumstances can certainly be used to better ourselves when we use them to grow

and learn.