This is probably the best grade Ive recieved on any english paper Ive ever written in high school (that doesnt say much) so I thought I might share it with you guys in case you get bored. I took a lot of inspiration from Ecclesiastes on this, which in case you were wondering is one of my favorite books in the bible for some reason. It was a unique challenge to share a piece of my christian worldview and values without mentioning anything inherently religious because of it being a paper for school. Hope you enjoy!
At the end of the day, when the sun concludes its long journey across the skyscape, and his golden light dissipates into a smear of red, the day becomes a rusty shadow, and the world is shrouded in a blissful silence. There, the soul is permeated by an almost whimsical stillness. A peace that disarms the inhibitions and quiets the commotion of life. Dusk is my favorite part of the day, and there’s no place to better experience it than on the sand of the Chesapeake Bay.
I was sitting on a blue beach chair in the heat of summer. And around me, sat five of my best friends. Our hair was still damp and salted from jumping in the water just moments before. The afternoon, like many before it, had been filled with food runs and mildly obscene jokes. Now it was all settling down and the sun was clearing his final stretch before he ushered in the night. The sound of mellow music laced the air as we continued to laugh and smile in one another’s company. Amid the joyful comradery, I couldn´t help but fix my eyes on the skies fading radiance. And as our faces became less defined in the low light, so too, our words changed in quality. Jokes and small talk were now heartfelt sentiments. We began to air out our deep rooted fears and share with each other our limited wisdom. This is why dusk is my favorite part of the day. It is where my most intimate conversations begin to unfold. I find myself forgetting all of the mayhem that once entangled my thoughts and I am overcome by this wave of contentment. Suddenly everything else becomes so small and as I look around myself, I think I see a piece of what life is all about. In these moments, I can see all of our pointless pursuits for what they are, and I see what is good for us to do in our short time here on Earth.
Growing up, I’ve been fed this idea that a well lived life begins on a path of academic performance followed by a college degree followed by a big house in the suburbs with a wife and three kids. Lets even throw a dog in the picture, Why not? For a time I believed this was the eventual reward for all my toiling if I just got lucky enough. But in those moments watching the muted horizon at dusk, the love of those around me was all I needed. The peace that fell over me as I surveyed the sky for the thousandth time, that was all I needed. No amount of money or prestige could make me feel that flavor of satisfaction. That was when I realized that the finer fruits of life don’t cost us a penny.
Each and every day brings its own little sweetness, hidden in the cracks and crevices of the mundane, waiting to be discovered. If we stop to savor them for a moment, then maybe these looming expectations and weighty decisions won’t feel like such a burden anymore. Maybe it could all be more simple then we had ever imagined. Maybe we don´t need to worry so much about whether or not we are accepted into college, whether we are making six figures or we´re working for minimum wage, because to be honest, I’ve seen people who are truly living well on both ends of the spectrum. Material wealth and superficial dreams guide the compass of a good many I´ve been around, but as Solomon puts it, ¨It’s all a chasing after the wind¨. The factor that determines our lifes ¨success¨ isn’t all of the wealth we’ve amassed around ourselves, but rather, all of the wealth we’ve amassed within. Peace is readily available to the plumber, the beggar, the doctor, and Yeah, even those teenagers sitting on the beach. That is, if we know where to look for it.
