Harvard Admissions Essay: My Inspiration and Sanctuary :: College Admissions Essays

My Inspiration and Sanctuary   We all have a sanctuary, be it a favorite book or song, or a special, private spot by the river. My sanctuary is somewhat unique, given that so few throng are fortunate enough to have it. It is 52 with warm hazel eyes, a gentle smile, and the most beautiful soul I have encountered in my eighteen years of life. I call her Nona.   My grandmother is 1 of the perpetually young at heart and it shows in everything she does. At family gatherings, she flits from table to table, express emotioning, talking (excessively, a family characteristic that seems to have skipped my generation) and bestowing kisses upon old and young alike. I can honestly say that I have never known her to back down from doing anything that it wouldnt kill her to try. wholesale down the rapids on the Jordan River, she taught me how to handle our tipsy canoe, and how many children can claim to have a grandmother willing to go paint balling? Friends and family may laugh at her seeming inability to sit still, they may make the occasional quip about decaffeinated coffee or the Energizer bunny, but they respect her, honest as we all respect and admire anyone who can take such obvious pleasure in merely being alive. Many individuals waste their wee years pining to be grown up, squander away their latter years in a fruitless quest to remain young, and as a result, never experience a single moment of contentment. Watching Nona has taught me the value of time. She has been instrumental in helping me to understand that these are the years that will occasion me into an adult, and that I must give myself the time I need to establish my own identity. While I look forward to my future, I feel no desire to sprint forward to meet it a walking pace is enough. Perhaps its a skill inherent in all actors, perhaps its one of the benefits of her many years of life, but Nona possesses an intuition the likes of which I have never seen elsewhere. She can sense when somethin g is amiss, and more often than not she can determine what that something is with a few shrewd questions. She will never pry on the rare occasions when I wish to remain silent, and confidences given to her are always, always safe.