Narrative Draft

I was sitting in the car with my mom and sister when I got the news. It was a Saturday morning and I was visiting home for the weekend. Five minutes before we pulled into our driveway, I had no idea that my life would be changed in a few shorts moments. Tragedy is not something that anybody wishes for, but it is inevitable. It needs to be appreciated in some way in order to move on, and in order to grow. Nothing has made me stronger than that moment in my driveway. I’ve learned that if I dwell on the tragedy itself, I will stay put- not living, not flourishing. I have to believe that tragedy is an important part of life, because if I don’t, I’ll never be able to become the person I have always wanted to be. 
Growing up, I always pictured myself as a strong, loving, and giving person in the future. I pictured myself as being happy, with a big family. This is the person I have always wanted to become. When I imagined my future self as a child, I did not factor in the tragedy. I did not think about the effects that the hardships would have. It is not until I experienced tragedy, when it was directly in front of me, that I realized it was impossible to become this person without the hard times.
If I didn’t experience tragedy, I definitely would not be the same. If I could choose for it not to have happened, obviously I would. Although if it did not happen, I would be the same care-free, unknowing person I was before the event. I would not know what it is like to lose someone suddenly, and I would not know that I had the strength to overcome it. I would be weaker. I would not know how strong I was, and I would continue life oblivious to the fact that there is more than just laughter, small argument, or frustration. I would still get upset at the small things, and still not appreciate the good things. Of course, there is another side to this as well. If it had not happened, I would not be so scared of losing people. I would still have my best friend.