Ben's Story

Every event in our lives contributes to who we are as individuals. Because of this, we are new and different every day. That being said, it is the large events in our lives that have the greatest impact on how we interact with the world. For me, the three objects that represent the most important things in my life are my snowboarding goggles, my drumsticks, and a rock from my father’s grave. The goggles represent my connection to nature. The drumsticks represent my love for music and creativity. Lastly, the rock is an object that is from the single most influential moment of my life.

I have always loved the winter. It is by far my favorite season. The feeling you get when you enter a warm house when it is cold outside is, in my opinion, the greatest feeling ever. You just can’t get that kind of comfort in the summer. I also love the outdoors, and for me, snowboarding is the best way to be outdoors in the winter. It gets me off the couch and out the door on otherwise uneventful days. When on the slopes, I enjoy speeding down the steeper runs. When doing so, I feel a sense of freedom. During this time, I forget all of my troubles. Snowboarding has also been a way to meet new people. Because of it, I have made many friends inside and outside of my high school. Also, snowboarding represents my connection to nature. Through it, I see what I believe to be nature at its best. Quiet, calm, and serene are how I envision the perfect day and the perfect run. Also, snowboarding, for me at least, is a way to connect to my inner child. The joy that it brings me is the closest thing to that feeling of sheer happiness that you only experience as a child. You could say that snowboarding is one of the best things to happen to me.

Music has been a major part of my life for as long as I can remember. The first instrument I picked up was the trumpet. This was dropped soon after I got my braces. The next thing I started to play was the drums. This was a welcome change because no more would I have to deal with the pain of bleeding lips every day. In addition to that, I had always wanted to play the drums. Even on the first day I was in band, I thought that the drums looked so cool and so fun. This change proved to be wonderful. I fell in love with the drum set in particular. The beats that I bang out on my beautiful, shiny, sexy, red drum set are sometimes the only thing that keeps me sane. When I get into a groove, I let my inner animal out. This is a great way for me to release anger and frustration. Sometimes, my rhythms can go on for hours at a time. I space out and let the world go, completely consumed by the vibrations coming out of my drums. Even though my drum set is an outlet for anger, it also has more meaning than that. For me, it is a way to keep my mind active. Through it, I experience the world in a whole new way. Now that I have been playing the drums for four years, I have a better understanding of who I am. Because of this newly found understanding of the person that I am, I have become a better human being.

My last object is a rock from my father’s grave. My dad died on August 21, 2006. His death was a complete shock to everyone who knew him. Needless to say, my dad’s death made me take a look at life in a whole new way. Because of this experience, I have matured quite a bit in a short amount of time. I now have a greater understanding of the fragility of life. Because of this, I have learned that you need to let the people whom you care about know what they mean to you. I also have learned that there is no point in being depressed when some little thing happens to you. Life goes on, and there is no point in being left behind. This does not mean that you can’t feel sorrow, but rather that you can’t let the sad things consume you. This tragic time in my life also created strong bonds between my otherwise distant families. Through this experience, we learned that we are too weak to stand alone. The rock represents a time in my life that I will never forget. It represents all the hard things that I have been through and how I have overcome every single one of them. It represents all the times that I have learned and adapted to a new way of life. It represents family and the comfort that it can bring. But most important, it represents how important it is to treasure life and every day that you have on this planet.

Our lives are ever changing. Every day when you wake up, you are different from the person you were when you went to bed. Both the little and the large events in our lives shape our personalities. Every moment we grow, adapt, and learn. Though this may not be noticeable in the short term, it is easy to see after just a matter of weeks. The exceptions to this being the larger events in our lives. These can change and tear the fabric of our lives in just moments. All of these things can be represented by some object. As previously stated, the objects that represent the big events and things in my life are my snowboarding goggles, my drumsticks, and a rock from my father’s grave. The goggles represent my connection to nature and my inner child. The drumsticks are my animalistic side and my creative capacity. The rock is all the hard things that have happened in my life, how I have learned and have become stronger from them, and how important it is to see the value in life. These objects represent things that I will never forget. They represent things that I will always keep with me. They represent the things that have changed me the most. So in the end, we are the product of everything that life has thrown at us.

—Ben