Wednesday, May 6, 2020

Michael free essay sample

â€Å"Lauren, come watch with me! Come on! Let’s go!†. Michael was already tugging on my arm and pulling me toward the living room. It was Christmas Eve. Garlands and twinkle lights were plastered against every wall and railing throughout the house and Bing Crosby’s, â€Å"White Christmas†, could just barely be heard over the loud hustle and bustle that is my family. Mike’s voice, loudest of all, came blasting into my ear for the second time in the course of three minutes. â€Å"Lauren! Are you coming now? It’s starting!† We had been close since birth—born less than two weeks apart and living nearly ten minutes away from one another. As toddlers, we bathed and took naps together and as three year olds, we caroused with matchbox cars, Barbies, and Legos. It was not until I was about five that I realized Michael was different. We would sit down to watch a movie and he would constantly stop, rewind, and replay the same scene over a nd over until he knew every line. We will write a custom essay sample on Michael or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page He would line up all of the cars, toys, books—almost everything—across the deep blue carpet of his family living room, and I just wanted to play. Aside from reciting movie quotes, he did not talk much. He still wore diapers, still needed help bathing, and stayed in preschool while I moved on to kindergarten. As we got older, the dissimilarities between us became even more apparent. He would not play hide and seek, would not play soccer, and became a loner, only interested in reciting the order of the United States Presidents and lines from Disney movies. It astounded me that he could rattle off every word of every Dr. Seuss book, and yet even at fifteen years old, needed his hand held to cross the street. Autism, the scientific term for Michael’s disorder, did not mean much to me at the time. In my pubescent eyes, it simply seemed as though, for some unfathomable reason, I got to keep on growing up and he was going to stay four years old for the rest of his life . I saw the unfairness in this harsh truth at a very young age and as a result was much more tolerant than most other children. I befriended the outcast in every group or activity and deemed it my responsibility to make everyone feel included. I can recall many instances in elementary school where I was denied the privilege of recess-time for getting into fist-fights with bullies who had been picking on my friend Oscar, who like my cousin Michael, was autistic. As I went on through the years, I found that bullies, like those I had encountered in grade school, were afraid of Michael and Oscar simply because they did not understand. If only they had tried to accept someone different than themselves, they could have learned something†¦something life-changing†¦something powerful. Michael has taught me many things, life long lessons that I will forever cherish. I began to ponder those lessons I had learned as I sat there with him last Christmas Eve, rewinding and fast forwardin g our favorite scenes over and over, laughing as we recited lines and repeated the â€Å"Hot Chocolate† dance, knowing it meant the world to him. I understood him, how to connect with him, and that is how we have managed to stay close all of these years, despite a multitude of differences. Michael has taught me not to judge; he has taught me to be a sensitive person; he has given me a drive to learn how to help and understand others, and he has taught me to appreciate the little things in life, all without even saying a word. I have learned that Michael’s autism is by no means a curse, but rather an inspiration to others, opening not only the eyes, but the hearts of each person he encounters as he recites his way through life. The writing of this essay symbolizes a harsh reality: I am moving on to a new and exciting future and sadly, Michael may never be able to experience the things that lay ahead of me. Yet, despite the inevitable expansion of the space between us, o ne thing that will never change is our annual Christmas tradition and all of the learning and laughter that it brings to our friendship.

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