Perserverance-Reflective Essay

English
Reflective Essay
Name: Jean Faulkner
    Ever thought about giving up?   Ever felt life wasn’t worth living?   Ever have events happen in your life that make you want to throw up your hands and say “I can’t go on”?   I know I have, many times.   I had to learn that one of life’s most valuable lessons was about success through perseverance.
    One event that happened caused me to lose my eyesight.   In the late 70s a strike had shut down the majority of the truckers in the U.S.   Many rigs were not moving either in support, or fear, of the strikers.   The strike had finally been settled with everyone but the Teamsters Union outside Pittsburgh and that’s the area where we found ourselves.
    There was a huge full moon that night as our rig roared up and down mountain roads.   We crested the hill and saw a roadside tavern where a group of Teamsters had set up a bonfire in the middle of the road.   BANG!   Before we knew what happened, the windshield of our truck had been shot.   Fragments of flying glass covered me.   It cut my face and went into my eyes.
    The doctors removed as much glass as they could, but I couldn’t see.   I was sent home, wondering “will I be blind for life.”   Over the next few weeks my emotions ranged from self pity, to anger, to determination.   In my mind I kept hearing a blind friend say, “A blind person can do anything a sighted person can if they just stop feeling sorry for themselves and learn how.”   I remembered her explanation of how the visualization of a clock in her mind helped her locate things, and other little tips she had shared with me in the past.   It was a combination of her guidance and my inner strength that got me through that difficult period.   Over time I regained my eyesight, for which I am thankful, but I realized that I did have the will to continue to lead my life productively even with a handicap.   I learned the perseverance it took to overcome this trauma from a previous experience in my life, oddly enough,...