Harvard Admissions Essay: My Inspiration and Sanctuary

My Inspiration and Sanctuary

We all have a sanctuary, be it a favorite book or song, or a special, private spot by the river. My sanctuary is somewhat unique, given that so few people are fortunate enough to have it. It is 5'2" with warm hazel eyes, a gentle smile, and the most beautiful soul I have encountered in my eighteen years of life. I call her Nona.

My grandmother is one of the perpetually young at heart and it shows in everything she does. At family gatherings, she flits from table to table, laughing, talking (excessively, a family trait that seems to have skipped my generation) and bestowing kisses upon old and young alike. I can honestly say that I have never known her to back down from doing anything that it wouldn't kill her to try. Sweeping down the rapids on the Jordan River, she taught me how to handle our tipsy canoe, and how many children can claim to have a grandmother willing to go paint balling? Friends and family may laugh at her seeming inability to sit still, they may make the occasional quip about decaffeinated coffee or the Energizer bunny, but they respect her, just as we all respect and admire anyone who can take such obvious pleasure in merely being alive. Many individuals waste their early years pining to be "grown up," squander away their latter years in a fruitless quest to remain young, and as a result, never experience a single moment of contentment. Watching Nona has taught me the value of time. She has been instrumental in helping me to understand that these are the years that will shape me into an adult, and that I must give myself the time I need to establish my own identity. While I look forward to my future, I feel no desire to sprint forward to meet it; a walking pace is enough. Perhaps it's a skill inherent in all actors, perhaps it's one of the benefits of her many years of life, but Nona possesses an intuition the likes of which I have never seen elsewhere. She can sense when something is amiss, and more often than not she can determine what that something is with a few shrewd questions. She will never pry on the rare occasions when I wish to remain silent, and confidences given to her are always, always safe.