Personal Narrative Analysis

The sun shone on the lake, reflecting across the calm waters. Families were enjoying their afternoon as gentle winds passed by. Children stumbled on the sand and shallow waters as they tried to catch tadpoles with their buckets. My dad, little sister, and I were all set to take on our first wilderness adventure; canoeing across a lake. I began to imagine myself steering the boat. Left side. Push, push, push. Right side; push, push, push. Repeating this in my mind and moving the paddle through the air, I felt confident. We climbed in canoe, and with a slight push from the back, we were off.

Similar to the motions of the paddle in the water, I continue to push through various obstacles life has thrown at me. Incorporating two cultures in a community that is predominantly one race always proved to be a challenge. As a child, I would struggle to find activities and friends that were the “right fit” for me. I would find myself in a constant battle having my traditions and atmosphere around me clashing with the ones of my friends. Trying to harmonize with my friends at school made it difficult to appreciate the wonderful culture I was born into.

Turning my head, I see boulders encompassing the entire lake, creating a barrier between the lake and shore.

The algae-covered boulders grabbed our canoe. We were stuck. My hands began to sweat and an intense weight dropped on my chest. My heart sped up. Hikers looked down and began to shout instructions at us. My sister began to cry and my dad and I panicked. My frustration started to build as my mind was in a constant battle of what to handle first: my sister, the hikers, or the situation. Mustering all the strength that I had, I pushed against the rocks with my legs almost turning the canoe over and getting my legs drenched in the

process.
Constantly battling between pleasing others and doing things for myself, I consider myself to be a unique individual, one who always strives to find the “right” thing to do. I always find myself trying to bring a smile or a laugh to a person’s day regardless of my own emotions. Trying to manage the many requests of others creates a barricade between my own feelings and actions. I start to neglect my own conscience and diminish the emotions that have the power to ruin my day. This is yet another obstacle life has thrown on me. Like the boulders creating a barrier between the lake and shore, I always find myself silencing my own emotions in the hope of pleasing others.
I could hear my heart rapidly undulate as the thought that we may never get out creeped into my mind. I had no control. It was in this moment that I realized that I must maintain a level mind and a sense of determination. Remembering the instructor’s words, I push the paddle on both sides and count. I push through the water. I push all the hurdles and setbacks behind me.
As I reflect on this experience, I realize how it changed my perspective on my past obstacles. Through this experience, I realized that I do not have to “fit into” anything. I appreciate the culture that I have built for myself, harmonizing the traditions of my family and creating a balanced environment. While I constantly strive to please others and find the “right” thing to do, I remove the barrier of silencing my own emotions and instead, do what is good for myself. The things that qualify as a challenge or setback in life is if I learned from the experience and something new about myself. I pushed myself to learn from this canoeing experience because it allowed me to find an inner strength of resilience and determination that I never knew I had before.