More Motivated Than Ever Anonymous

I sometimes daydream about how my life would have been if I led the carefree life of the average teenager. Then I snap back into reality, realizing that life is never average. There are always obstacles to overcome. My transition into high school, however, was particularly rocky. I clearly remember my first day of school: the alarm ringing, the numbness that overpowered my unwilling legs as I walked through my monotonous morning. At that time, I lacked motivation. I also lacked the slightest inclination to succeed in high school. I had lost my hunger for life.

The summer before my freshman year had been filled with challenges. As a result, I had begun to isolate myself from my friends and question everything that I did. Was anything really worth the effort? In the summer of 2007, my mother began to have flare-ups of her rheumatoid arthritis, and she suffered from painful swelling in her joints. For five years, she had been able to control the disease’s progression by taking medication. That summer, however, my mother found that she was unable to complete even the simplest of tasks, things like turning doorknobs and opening jars. I was forced to run the house and essentially be the mother to my own mother. I was constantly...