Assignment 1- Ally Tripure

             Hello all! My name is Allison Tripure, but most know me as Ally; that is, those who have met me post 6^th grade. I am an avid believer in positive thinking and looking for the bright side of everything. Some criticizing has come towards my way of thinking such as, “not everything has a good side,” or “you are too happy.” However, the ones saying this have never tried my way of thinking. It is exhilarating. It makes life more enjoyable and exciting, so why would anyone not want to think in this manner?

That brings me to a personal goal of mine that has been one for as long as I could formulate reasonable, meaningful, personal goals for myself. I strive to make others happy and to put a smile on those who I encounter every day. I have learned through mistakes I make daily how to get better at putting a beautiful smile on peoples’ faces and causing genuine happiness to ensue upon them. Sometimes, it is as simple as smiling and waving to someone in the hallway, and sometimes, it is a more personal, “hey, how are you doing today?” This is a sincere question; I want to know how they are feeling and why they are feeling that way. When I get that candid smile back at me, it brightens my day and I know I have done a good thing.

Working on my personal goal routinely can be hard work and I will struggle at times, but that is the same with my academic goal that I have achieved the past two years so I know I have it in me. I am proud to say that I have been a straight A student since I was an annoying little 3^rd grader and we started getting actual letter grades on assignments. I had high hopes going into high school that I could keep this streak alive and I have accomplished it for my first 2 years as a blue devil and I am striving for it again this year. Getting straight A’s has not been an easy task, it has been a lot of late nights, extra credit assignments, and negotiations with teachers to figure out how to bring that 91.4 up to that much wanted 91.5. I have never been someone that easily does well on everything, though this is what many of my peers believe, but on the contrary, I have worked extremely hard to get where I am today and am still working to get better.

The most meaningful part of my summer strikes a discussion in my mind. Should I mention my mission trip for Catholic Heart Work Camp in Louisville filled with friends, music, happiness, and a whole lot of Jesus; or should I discuss the trip to my favorite place on earth, Eagle River, Wisconsin, with my extended family; or accomplishing the project I have always wanted to accomplish, sewing my first ever full-size quilt; or maybe I should even talk about finally getting an answer from the dysfunctional DMV and scheduling my driver’s test…which I passed!! No. After some thought, I realized the most meaningful part of my summer were two young kids, Reed and Bella Chitwood. In mid-June, I got in contact with their mother who was in search for a summer nanny, I jumped on this chance for a summer job and to finally start making money for myself. Little did I know; I would become a big part of Reed and Bella’s summer life whether I realized it during my days at their place or not. My first day at the job started like every other day after, I woke up at 6:45 AM, got dressed, brushed my teeth, etc., and left my house at 7:35 AM to get to the Chitwood’s place at 7:45 AM. I was greeted at the garage by their dad and walked into their house. I met two bright, shining faces of a 9-year-old (Reed) and a 6-year-old (Bella) and they were just as excited to meet me as I was to meet them, and knowing from my personal goal, I was thrilled to meet them. I fed them breakfast, we watched TV, and we went to the pool. That became a morning routine. After the pool, we would head back and eat lunch and they would do their daily reading and math assignment that their parents required. This was my time to relax. However, 50 minutes later (30 minutes of reading, 20 minutes of math), it was right back to two high-pitched voices asking, “Can we play hide-and-seek?” “Can we play tickle monster?” “Can we go on a bike ride?” and so on. We did all three of those things and more every afternoon with some variation to accommodate for rain and the occasional time outs. I would be relived of my nanny-ing duties around 5 PM every day. This went on Monday through Friday from mid-June to the end of the first week of August. The moment that made me realize how lucky I was to get this job was when their mom posted on Facebook that Bella woke up one morning while I was on vacation and asked with a pouty face, “When do I get my babysitter back?” I melted at this question and it showed me how much I mean to these wonderful kids.

For those that know me well and talked to me about my job, knew that I had a down time towards the end of my summer where I dreaded coming every day. I hit a wall where I felt alone and out of place while working. I slowly climbed out of this hole I was in for about a week and a half and got back to my old self. I hated my job for that time but thinking back now I know that I wouldn’t have wanted it any different. I had an amazing job that so many people wish they could have. These kids mean the world to me and I wouldn’t have traded my chance to watch them grow this summer for anything.

I have always disliked the question, “If you could have any superpower, what would it be?” What does it teach us about the answerer? Most will choose the power of flight anyway and I am not sure what that tells me about them. I like more intellectual questions that make them think, like “What is your favorite aspect about yourself, and why?” I do love these “first-date-style” questions, but the superpower one is an exception, I’ve never had a meaningful answer to this question so I don’t see the point of it. But to fill the requirement and answer this inquiry: flying, I would probably choose flying.

Finally, I will answer a great question, what geeks me out. I am an easily excitable person so it may seem that I geek out over many things but what truly geeks me out is my sport, running. I have been running since I was in 2^nd grade and I have had a love-hate relationship with it ever since. I love the adrenaline rush, dubbed “the runner’s high.” I love finishing a race knowing I just accomplished a feat some people would never even dream of achieving. I love watching people race, I get goosebumps every time. I love that I became a runner at such a young age, I taught myself to love it, the ups and the downs.

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