Overcoming Obstacles

Hi guys. To be honest, I wasn’t really sure what to do for this speech. I wanted to tell a funny story about school, but we’ve all known each other so long that I felt like whatever I decided to talk about, you all would have heard it already, or been there to experience it yourself. Eventually though, after a lot of brainstorming, I thought of a story that I know most of you haven’t heard yet.

Once there was a little frog named Petunia. She had spent her whole life in a tranquil little pond, floating on her vibrant green lily pad, with sunshine streaming down like rays of joy in her life. Like everyone, Petunia had her good days and her bad days, but she was always able to overcome her problems by constantly reminding herself that it would get better, that the ripples in the pond would eventually fade away to nothing, and she’d be able to rest easy on her lily pad once again. No amount of ripples, however, could have prepared this little frog for the storm that was about to ravage her peaceful little pond. Rumbling storm clouds blotted out the sun, and winds greater than any she had ever felt turned the surface of the water into a tumultuous whirlpool that she desperately tried to escape. Petunia clung to her lilipad for dear life, trying to hold on to the only remaining piece of her old life, but a maverick of a wave overcame her and ripped her support out from under her, leaving her stranded in the swirling depths. She tried to stay afloat, but realized that she had been on her lilipad for so long that she had forgotten how to swim, and soon the little frog was being dragged towards the bottom of the pond, which was deeper than she had ever imagined.

Eventually, the waters calmed and Petunia’s eyes adjusted to her new surroundings, but she was still floundering, still unable to figure out how to swim back to the surface. Just when she was about to give up her hopes of ever finding her way back, a couple of beautiful koi fish found her. They gave her endless encouragement and reminded her that her swimming legs were stronger than she thought, especially now that she had spent so much time trying to learn how to swim on her own. They worked together to practice strokes, and when Petunia was ready, the koi fish gave her a boost towards the shimmering surface of the pond, which had eluded her for so long. It was still a struggle for her to swim upwards, but the koi fish where there the whole time urging her on and reminding her that she could do this. When she finally burst through the glassy surface, the sun was shining even more brightly than she had remembered. She wasn’t able to find her old lily pad, but after swimming around for a while and basking in the warmth of the day, she found a new one. This one was even better than the one before, because this one had a radiant flower blooming from it’s center. From that point on, Petunia lived a life that was even better than her previous one, because she had a greater appreciation for everything and everyone that was in it. The end.

Now, just to clarify in case you hadn’t realized it, in this story, I’m Petunia. These past few years have undoubtedly been the hardest of my life, and I hope that no one else ever has to go through what I was, and still am, going through. I won’t tell you all of the details of what happened, because that’s not why I’m here talking to you right now. I do, however, want to offer some advice to you, the Class of 2019. Never take for granted the relationships that you have, whether it be with your teachers, friends, or family, because, surprise, the people that you care about the most about usually care about you just as much, if not more. They’re the people who will always be by your side, even when you feel as though you’re the most isolated that you’ve ever been. I can’t stress enough how important it is to stay beside and seek support and encouragement from these people, because we were never meant to go through life alone. Trust me, I tried that for a while, and it was disastrous. Without my friends and family, I never would have been able to get through these past few years, and I would be in a very different place today than I am now. Obviously I don’t know what’s going on in all of your lives, but please remember this: no matter the situation, relying on the people around you makes all of the difference. Thank you.

Photo by mclcbooks on Foter.com / CC BY-NC-ND