[Achieving Success] [Ashe County Autumn] [The Transience of Life]

Achieving Success

There are several steps to practice for achieving success. First of all, a healthy self-image is necessary. Affirm to yourself that you are an intelligent, courageous, and loving person. Also, believe that you are what you tell yourself you are. Next, relationships with others is important for achievement. Try to see the good in others in every situation. Life is echo: what you send out, comes back. What you give, you get. And, what you see in others, usually exists in yourself. Also, your attitude has a serious impact on your success. When you have a positive attitude you get positive results; therefore, if you are pleasant towards others they are usually pleasant in return. Another important factor for achievement is setting goals. You need to set up a system and discipline yourself to follow that system. Before you can reach your goals you need to see what you are reaching for. What you receive in accomplishing a goal is not nearly as meaningful as what you become...stronger, more disciplined, more confident, and more caring. Last, you must work to achieve success. Opportunity will not come knocking at your door. Therefore, find the encouragement within to take care of important matters when you don't feel up to it. Self-discipline takes work and so does success!

Ashe County Autumn

I can't help but smile when I think of the reasons why I love autumn in Ashe County. For one thing, the air is clean, crisp, and exhilarating. It's very refreshing to take an evening walk and feel the cool autumn breeze blowing gently across my face. I also enjoy going for a drive to remember nature at its best. For example, once I was driving down a back country road, when a deer leapt in front of me. I was startled, yet mesmerized as he disappeared into the forest of everchanging colors. It's delightful to see nature in harmony. In addition, I love the many different shades of fiery red, blazing gold, and vibrant orange leaves on the trees. As I view the mountains on my way to school, I am astonished by the variety of brilliant colors. To me, the most important part of autumn is Thanksgiving. This is the time I give thanks to God for His many gifts of peace, love, and joy. Fall in Ashe County is a free flowing, pleasant time of the year for me!

The Transience of Life

Transience implies that which lasts or stays for a short time. Synonyms for transience include: momentary, ephemeral, passing, short-lived, transient, impermanent, volatile, fleeting, evanescent, fugacious, transitory, fugitive, and temporary. There are also many striking examples of transience.

For instance, in the essay "The Sojourner," by Carson McMullers, there are several valid examples. First of all, John Ferris went to Georgia to attend his father's funeral. The realization of death reminded him of how temporary life can be. He also saw his ex-wife, Elizabeth, which he had not seen in eight years. Memories of his volatile marriage made his heart quiver. Eventually, he went to Elizabeth's home for dinner. There, he met her present husband, Baily, and their two children. Later, when Elizabeth entered the room, Ferris is stunned by her familiar beauty. Thoughts of their ephemeral marriage rushed through his mind. Next, as Elizabeth played the piano, Ferris became lost in the riot of past longings. His visit with Elizabeth reminded him of how evanescent life can be.

Another extraordinary example of transience is nature. For instance, in the spring the flowers open, the birds sing, and the trees blossom. The fugacious season of spring is followed by summer. Summer brings warm temperatures and outdoor activites. The temporary existence of summer is followed by fall. Fall is a very colorful season, the everchanging leaves turn many different brilliant colors. The flowers close up and the animals store food for the next season...winter. Wintertime brings cold weather, bare trees, and soft white snowfalls. This impermanent season welcomes the beautiful scenery of spring. Each season is short-lived but never forgotten.

In closing, I discovered transience in my own life when my Grandfather died. At this time my life was in turmoil. The awareness of how fast life can transcend, made me want to live each moment as if it were my last. The meteroric, yet happy life of my Grandfather made me appreciate the wonderful gift of life. Grandfather's positive attitude towards life and death made leaving this world a serene experience for him. He believed that dieing would lead him to a much better place. In Bartler's Familiar Quotations, Edmund Spenser says, "Death shew not him, but he made death his ladder to the skies." I believe this to be true of my Grandfather. He believed in the light at the end of the tunnel. My Grandfather's transient life made me aware that their is light after death.

© 1997 Wild Angel

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