A Hop at a Time

Nonfiction by Aubree Whiting

We all strive to be successful someday. Whether we dream of being on the big screen, or to waking up on time, each of us longs to accomplish something. However, sometimes we fail to achieve our goals, or at least when we hope to. My greatest failure took place nearly ten years ago... The sun was hot and the tension was high as each individual was paired up. It was the most important day of our elementary school careers; the day of the Annual Oakdale Elementary Second-Grade Hopscotch Championship. Round one was starting, and we all felt the extreme pressure of needing to win. The teacher paired me with one of my good friends, Samuel Whitehead. We approached each other, and after a quick game of rochambeau, it was apparent that he would go first. Mrs. Wright gave us permission to start and Sam began to throw the marker and proceeded to hop to the first space. After easily replicating his actions, a feeling of satisfaction overcame me as the taste of the sweet victory permeated my being. This was going to give me bragging rights for the rest of the year! The game went on, slowly growing more difficult as we hopped from space to space, until we were in the final moments. Neither of us had messed up, but he was going to. He had to. My intense hopscotch practice was bound to pay off, right? It was impossible for me to not win! He threw the marker into the final space, then began to hop. Anxiety rose in my chest as he grew closer to the tenth space, then hopped his way back afterward. As he returned next to me, he yelled a triumphant, “Victory is mine!”

Extreme bitterness built up, and anger overcame me. That should’ve been my glorious win. This was unfair! He only won because he got to go first! It was impossible for me to even have the chance to win! After explaining my frustrations to Mrs. Wright, she didn’t take my side. Rather, she bent down and said, “Well, Aubree, sometimes people get to go first in life and accomplish something before you do. This doesn’t mean that you failed, it just means that you have to keep working so that when your chance comes you’re ready to take it.” Feelings of failure still lurked, especially while watching Samuel accept the trophy after beating everyone else in our grade. However, Mrs. Wright’s wise words still ring in my mind often.

This experience taught me to always be prepared. We never know what life may throw at us, but we must be prepared for when opportunity intersects with preparation. Though sometimes life gives us career-ending failures, we must keep working for what we believe in. In my life I’ve found myself competing with others many times for different opportunities. However, much like my teacher taught me, it is necessary to keep in mind that life gives us many chances, we just need to be prepared to try our best when they come. We may often fail, but life is all about our perspective. Perhaps a better opportunity will arise in the future, we just need to be prepared for when it comes. Unfortunately, my official hopscotch career ended shortly after my loss of the championship. After such a traumatic failure, hopscotch slowly became a less important aspect of my life. Yet, the lesson still remains clear in my mind. Life is more than simply being the first to accomplish something, or winning at hopscotch. Life is about rejoicing in other’s successes while being prepared for when our own chance for success comes.