Stay Alert! Stay Alive by Janita

Stay Alert! Stay Alive by Janita - October 2013 Scholarship Essay

During my teenage years I thought the world was a place for exploration. I knew that I could learn on my own. No matter what my mother would tell me, I felt like she was lecturing. It would go in one ear and out the other. She was a smart woman and still is, I just thought her sayings were outdated and she needed to live in my shoes to know what I was going through. She had many things to tell me and listening was something of choice, depending on the day.
“Stay Alert! Stay Alive!” My Mom would call out to me each time I was leaving to hang out with my high school friends. “Yeah! Okay Mother.” I would say, in a hurry to save myself from more embarrassment of them hearing her. I knew she said it because we lived in the city of Detroit, which most outsiders considered extremely dangerous. Still, she didn't have to say it each time we went out. What did she think? Someone would kidnap us and hold us for ransom? That is exactly what she was thinking.
Now that I am an adult I find myself unknowingly saying some of the same things to my younger cousins and friends that she would say to me. You see my Mom is an Army Veteran and she was always calling out these weird quotes. I wasn't always sure what they meant. But I am slowly learning they did have a meaning, and through my current experiences they become more relevant every day.
Last summer while visiting my mom during the break, I noticed a sign over the freeway, “Stay Alert! Stay Alive!” Wow! I gave a little chuckle, thinking to myself “Okay Mom”. If she was sitting in this car with me, I am sure she would have pointed that out to me. When I arrived back to the house I made certain I didn't mention it. But I smiled at her thinking again to myself, “thank you for the life lessons”. I began to think about how far I had come; remaining aware of my environment and life’s offerings, planning for my future, and living one day at a time has kept me alive.
During my times of fear and doubt, I make every effort to motivate myself by talking to positive people, doing things to put a smile on my face and knowing that my future is the treasure that awaits me. Yes Mom, little do you know I was listening, even as a young teenager that thought she knew everything. I was still listening. To show my gratitude, I will stay alert to what is around me and what is in store for me and I will stay alive by taking each day that I am given and working hard to fulfill my every dream, goal, and desire for my future. Now if I could just figure out what you meant when you would shout “At Ease!”.