Dallin Vonstrahl

Period 1

Life Essay
It feels as if it was a dream. One second you are on the top of your game,

and the next you are in the hospital wondering “How the hell did I get here”?

Football went all summer long. I worked my ass off to get in the best condition

my mind and body could be in. Day after day, rep after rep, play after play, I gave

100%. From all two-a-day practices 8am-11am and then again from 3pm-6pm,

to the Crucible where I wrestled with men trained to kill people, who yelled at you

to work harder, and taught the true meaning of grit. This readied us for the war

played on 100 yard fields.

It was a Friday night, the first Friday night. With lights shining and a

racing heart, the time had finally come. Work and tears prepared us for this

moment. We snuck around back, walking down through the crowd. The crowd

cheering, fans fired up for the Falcons to bring this victory to the Ed Burke

stadium.

It was better than I dreamed. I was on top of the world. So why, then,

with the game clock counting down, minutes before the celebration, was I on my

back looking up at the halo-like sky in silence? This wasn’t what I had practiced.

Coach and Rich helped me up and our trio walked off the field. “Doesn’t look

good”, said the sideline surgeon, clearly a man of few words. Taking the 1-5 to

Scripps, I never knew the back seat was so bumpy. When they cut off my
 uniform, I knew it was serious. Afterall, not everyone gets pants like these. Torn

ACL, my season was done. Wait, it gets worse. My year was done. No football,

no soccer, no skating, no surfing, no skiing, hell... no walking and now a chair in

the shower! I thought my life was over. What happened to senior year and being

on top of the world?

Now, I know I probably don’t have to say it. Maybe you figured it out a

paragraph back. Regardless, I’ll spell it out for you: my life lesson started that

Friday night last August. Simply, the greatest year of my life was ripped in two

along with my ligament.

If what I learned was a grocery list, it would look like this:

1. Pain gets better, or you get used to it

2. Walking should never be taken for granted

3. R.I.C.E isn’t just for orange chicken

4. Patience pays us back when we indulge in it – with patience comes

results and rewards

5. Always look for something to be grateful about

My life lesson is this is the special occasion. Right now, right here. No need to wait for

things to be perfect or when you have the right job, enough money, etc. I’ve learned

that each day I’m alive is the special occasion and gratitude is key to understanding

that.