Falling Down Doesn't Always Need to Be Metaphorical. Sometimes it Happens For Real
One of the most profound experiences that I had during my first stint at UW was not just a moment of falling in an academic context, but in the more traditional sense as well. This section chronicles the period of my freshman year in which I was already struggling only to realize life had a little left in the tank to make sure I was really paying attention.
Arguably even more personal and intimate than the previous set of mementos, this next section is dedicated to falling down in a more literal capacity while also contributing to the low point I found myself in after my freshman year. In about October I noticed I was stumbling more often than I had in the past. Fast forward five weeks and I had stumbled down the stairs in the HUB because my right foot wasn't lifting up when I wanted it to. No matter how much I willed my foot to lift, it refused my commands. Needless to say, I was rather concerned and I visited the medical center conveniently located within our fine institution. The image you see of me attempting to make my distressed mother laugh as she had come up to Seattle in order to discover the etiology of my ailment.
I end up having to get the nerves in my leg tested in order to confirm that they were not functioning correctly, the document is from the notes my physician took during that visit. While I did find out that there was in fact something physically wrong with me, it wasn't before I wore holes in the front of all my shoes from dragging my foot along the ground due to me being unable to lift it off the ground. To this day however, I still have no clue as to the actual origin of my injury though it did remedy itself on its own for which I am grateful everyday.
This experience is again indicative of the all around difficult entry to college living I had and contributed significantly to the collection of hurdles I had to meander around in order to come to terms with my place in the world. As previously mentioned in my learning statement, I have severe social anxiety making it excruciating to meet people however much I would like to, and this health scare drastically increased my already heightened level of insecurity. But, just as the first example I have used this as a tool to learn from and now view it as a moment I needed to get to where I am now.
"Take these broken wings and learn to fly. All your life, you were only waiting for this moment to arise"