Learning from a struggle. by Brette

Learning from a struggle. by Brette - October 2013 Scholarship Essay

Sometimes in life the most unexpected things turn out to teach you the most, and the most difficult times are the ones that you are most grateful for. When you get through tough times you become a better person. Learning isn't simply confined to a classroom.
This year my family, like so many others in America today, were faced with the tremendous difficulty of a parent losing a job. Unfortunately, we didn’t lose the bills, those kept piling in. I didn’t really understand at first how hard it would be for us to go without the income that they were previously providing, but soon it took its toll. Things that previously had been nothing to buy became things we had to save for. We were all a little worried about how things were going to turn out. Luckily we made it through and my parent was able to get their job back and start working again.
It was a hard time for our family, and none of us really knew how we would make it through. However, being on the other end of the situation now I realized that I learned a lot in that time. I learned that you don’t really need as much as you think you do. Going without something that you usually have all the time is difficult at first, but soon you realize that you don’t need it as much as you want it. I learned that difference, how to differentiate something I need from something I want. It is a simple lesson, but it is one that may save me from getting in difficult financial situations. I learned how to handle money, and how to save up and wait to buy things.
As unexpected as it was, it turned out that that was a teaching moment in my life. I am very grateful that I was able to learn those lessons. They are lessons that I will never forget, and it is something I can use for the rest of my life.