Physical Fitness?

Author's Note: This is the essay I wrote for gym on the question "What does Physical Fitness/Activity mean to you?"

Some people work out because they find it fun; others work out because they find it as a new challenge. Some people just chose not to do anything at all. I am one of those people who end up falling in between fun and a challenge. I started playing sports at a young age, and never stopped. At first it was a challenge because I knew nothing about the different sports I played. Now, it’s still a challenge, but it’s also fun.

That’s all it should be, as long as you find something you like to do, all it should be is fun but also at times a challenge. I never really wanted to play sports when I was younger, but my dad said it was one of those things that I was actually going to enjoy.

I tried soccer.

I tried basketball.

I tried gymnastics.

I tried it all.

Soccer and gymnastics were just too princess like for me, they never provided me with enough of a challenge, and most importantly they just weren’t fun. I did like basketball, it was something my cousins and I would play together on a summer afternoon at my cousins’ house. But, then one of my cousins got good, really good—I wouldn’t say great, but good enough. So, I didn’t want to be in her shadow – forever. But, that shouldn’t have mattered, and if I could go back and change it I probably would; it gave me confidence and a challenge.  But then, when I was three I started tee-ball, and bowling. It stuck ever since.

They were the things that gave me challenge. They were the things that were exciting. They were the things I actually looked forward to going to everyday, and still do. My skills got better in bowling I starting throwing hooks, my ball got heavier, and the heavier my ball got the more of a challenge it provided. Tee-ball turned into slow pitch softball by the age of 7; slow pitch turned into fast pitch by the age of 10. I got faster, had more agility, and it was exciting. I made new friends, and they also pushed me to do better.

That to me is all that matters. I just want to have fun; I don’t have to be the best in the world. I just have to be the best to myself. As long as things keep getting harder – providing more of a challenge, and as long as I keep having fun, and getting pushed to do my best, I will keep doing physical activities.

Afraid

I'm afraid.

Of everything. Of everyone.

I don't know which ways up, I don't know which ways down.

All I know is that right now

I'm standing in the middle of a dark tunnel.  

Which way I am going to turn...

I don't know 

But, I know I'm not turning there with you. 

You left me alone, because you met someone new. 

That's cool with me, I guess, if it's cool with you.

I will figure it all out...on my own -- like I always do. 

"A Clean Well-Lighted Place"

One thing that was different between the movie adaptation, and the actually story; was that the old man wasn't by the window where he was supposed to be. It bothered me a lot that he wasn't sitting by the window, because in the story it was this whole big thing that he was in the shadow of the leaves on the trees. When they were filming, yes, it may have been difficult to either sit him down outside or actually by the window. But, it shouldn't matter, if you are going to make a movie off of a story line that is already written you should have made it the way the story goes.

Not having the old man sitting by a window wasn't the only thing that bothered me. But, out of the couple of things that I did like about the adaptation, my favorite was probably when the younger waiter was serving the old man and was stomping his feet on the floor. I found this to be one of the best parts of the film because you wouldn't have really thought that he was doing that from reading the actually story. I felt like it stood for that he was really angry at the elderly man because he wasn't going home; so he just stomped across the cafe. Both of these things where very important parts to this story, and it was done and written quite well.