this i believe: draft

No matter what situation, I believe there’s a reason behind everything. There are many tragic incidents that occurred within my life as well as everyone else’s. Some have experienced something more devastating than others. I like to make the negatives in my life into a positive so that I can think past the negativity. Understanding why something might of happened, or putting reasonable thoughts towards unique circumstances is the best way to move on, living your life. Although this task is hard, it’s how you can make the best of something.

            On one unexpected morning, I had received a text from one of my close soccer teammates saying that our teammate, Tiffany Nakagawa, was in the hospital due to an aneurism. It didn’t even cross my mind that anything bad would happen to her. I planned to visit the hospital later that day to see her well and healthy. Eventually, I received a phone call from a friend saying that the strong and noble Tiffany Nakagawa had passed. Everyone was in shock. It was unbelievable that the smartest, most athletic, the nicest human being had suddenly died. Tiffany and I had many memories together. She was not only my teammate. She was my friend, my San Diego roommate, but most importantly, my hero.

            This definitely made a huge impact towards my social life, as well as my soccer life. Even during her funeral, we were all reminded that Tiff wouldn’t wasn’t us to cry over this situation. She would have wanted us to keep our attitudes high. In soccer, whether it was the parents or other teams watching our games, it was obvious to them that she stood out from all of us. Tiff pushed our team to being a better soccer team. She was what kept our team together, our backbone.

            Of course our team grieved during our first couple of practices and games. But our supportive coaches constantly reminded us that she is still watching over us and still looks forward to seeing us play to our full potential. That’s when everyone played their hearts out. No matter what struggles arose from the games, we were striving to be the best. We wanted to make Tiff happy and carry on her great legacy.

            Yes, this was an unfortunate loss for everyone. But knowing that she is still on the field with us, everyone on our team showed their full potential. Her loss will never be forgotten. Rather than living out life poorly, constantly weeping over it, we all thought positively of this unexplainable situation. Now, our team perseveres and strives. Not only our team shares her life, classmates and family are always doing the same as well. Everything has been dedicated to Tiff. She has not only made me a stronger soccer player, she has made me an overall better person. I’m not backing down without trying first. Thinking of this where the remembrance of her made us as individuals stronger is how I think of it.  Now the team works together, plays as a team, and strives to be the best. Despite the awful incident, there was a reason for it. Now we live our lives as people who want to achieve the most amendable things. Thanks to Tiff, I have a guardian.