A car accident. A photo board of individuals who are suffering from the effects of spinal cord injury. A ticking clock. These are the things that have recently made me stop in my tracks.
Though seemingly unconnected, all of these things have made me stop and consider the fleeting nature of time and life. When I saw the car accident, I was speeding down the Merritt Parkway South, heading home for winter break. When I looked to my left and saw that car wrapped around a tree, I thought about how in my rush to get home just a few minutes earlier, that car could have easily been mine. I saw the photo board during a graduate school tour. “She was a gymnast,” said my tour guide, pointing to one of the photos. “When she broke her neck, she came immediately here.” He then explained that the photos were there to remind the scientists at the W.M. Keck Center for Collaborative Neuroscience why their work is important, to inspire their work and creativity, and to accelerate their productivity. Spinal cord injury is a traumatic and sudden event that permanently changes the life of the person who suffered the injury, as well as the lives of his or her friends and family. In an instant, nothing can ever be the same. It was amazing to see how close to heart the researchers at the Keck Center took their mission—to improve the lives of individuals with spinal cord injury—and how much they valued the lives of the people they were trying to help. I noticed the steady tick-tick-tick of the clock on the wall in my friend’s apartment. It was the first time it had been quiet enough for me to hear it. I stared at the clock for a whole minute, watching the second hand touch each hash mark as it went from 12 to 12 again. I was struck by how long a minute seems.
As I stared at that clock, I couldn’t help but think of the other two events. How many car accidents occurred during that minute? How many people suffered a life-changing spinal cord injury? So much can happen in a minute. Yet, how is it that time flies by so quickly? I think the reason these events struck such a chord with me is because I am graduating in the spring, and I can remember my first day of college so vividly. I’m looking with excitement towards the future, but still wish it would come just a little slower. How is it that time is so fleeting when a minute in silence seems like forever?
This is a very nice short essay. You craft the three incidents together with some dramatic (but not too dramatic, which might be easy to slip into) writing and the framing at the beginning and end.
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