2021-22紐約時(shí)報(bào)的個(gè)人敘事寫(xiě)作比賽

兒子去年知道有這項(xiàng)比賽，就打算好了今年要參加。比賽要求寫(xiě)一段在疫情影響下，富有意義的個(gè)人經(jīng)歷，600字以?xún)?nèi)。

趕在今天截止時(shí)間前發(fā)了郵件，不管結(jié)果如何，也是一個(gè)紀(jì)念。

圖片拍攝于崇明東灘濕地自然保護(hù)區(qū)

Combating Solitude 
in Meaningful Endeavors 

As I recall, it was a quiet morning in our small town when the news started to report cases of an unknown virus starting to spread. It seems like forever ago now and I’ve honestly erased much from my memory. I do recall however that reports of the virus were popping up on the news. Months later, and almost immediately, my school shut down along with others. 
A few weeks after the school shut down, loneliness set in as I hadn’t seen my friends in months.I tried counting my blessings every day to counteract the anxiety that I felt.In my days of solitude, I found the one blessing and silver lining at that moment:no one in my town, including my family, had been negatively affected by the virus. Thank God! 
I contacted my friends and other family members through Facetime, and attended my classes through Zoom. Now that the virus has been around for some time, it has targeted many people and has generated loss and sadness. 

In spite of this growing sentiment of chaos in epic proportions, I tried to stay focused and continued to cultivate a grateful heart by appreciating the little things and the precious moments that I had to do something productive. Thus, another major blessing is that I had lots of time on my hands to do anything I wanted.When I found the Bird Window Collision Group online that originated from Pennsylvania College, I was elated. You may be asking why an organization like this one caught my eye and made me light up. Well, I am a proud owner of a beautiful bird named Buddy. It was because of him that I started to feel love for all species of birds. In short, I am one member of a small group whose purpose is to collect data about the percentage change in bird numbers because of window collisions. 

One day, while I was wandering near some wetlands to take pictures of birds, I saw an unfamiliar species that was hunting for fish so I quickly snuck up for a quick photograph. “Oops” I said to myself as I checked the picture as it had come out blurry because the bird was in motion. On the bright side, this distorted image motivated me to return the next day to try again, even though it was uncertain as to whether or not I would have any more opportunities. My instincts told me that I definitely would so I went with that.Fortunately, while I was walking towards the edge of the wetlands, a moving creature appeared out of the corner of my eye which obviously caught my attention. As I got closer, to my surprise and delight, I realized that it was the same bird as yesterday.I quickly yet quietly approached what I thought was only the one beauty but there were actually two! I was over the moon! 

Well, you’ll never guess what happened. Due to my lack of experience, yet again, the dynamic duo took flight very rapidly once they felt my presence and heartfelt, loud roars of laughter. My chance to photograph them was lost but this vivid and special memory remains in my heart. 

When I arrived at the wetlands the following day, I could not find the bird that I saw last time. It seemed as though it had moved on and left. Since that special day when I caught a glimpse of its magnificence, I never saw it again, even a year later. 

It has been without a doubt, a rough couple of years since the pandemic began. What I have realized however is the importance of focusing on projects and other endeavors that bring us joy in life. Overall, creating meaning is definitely up to us and being able to see opportunity in adversity is critical. We can choose to succumb to the negativity in our world or make a conscious effort to be proactive and make a difference.