The Courage of Children: Boston and Beyond XXX
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Danny Ford<br />
Joyce Baio, Teacher<br />
Saint Patrick School<br />
<strong>Courage</strong> is a word that means different things to different people. To some,<br />
it means to try something new <strong>and</strong> to others, it means to conquer your fears.<br />
To me, courage is the ability to stay calm in difficult situations, which is<br />
coincidentally what I had to do seven years ago at a beach in North Carolina.<br />
<strong>The</strong> weather was supposed to be perfect at the beach while I was with my<br />
cousin, my uncle, <strong>and</strong> aunt. Everyone was in good spirits, laughing <strong>and</strong> playing<br />
in the refreshing water <strong>and</strong> on the s<strong>of</strong>t s<strong>and</strong>. <strong>The</strong>n my brothers, my cousin,<br />
<strong>and</strong> I decided to play a game where you run into the water <strong>and</strong> jump over<br />
the waves. We were having fun until we tried to walk back to shore. No matter<br />
how hard I tried, the water kept pulling me further <strong>and</strong> further away from the<br />
shoreline. I could vaguely hear shouting to swim sideways, until I was swept<br />
under the water <strong>and</strong> then blacked out.<br />
I woke up surprisingly calm despite all that was happening as I let the waves<br />
bob me up <strong>and</strong> down. I remember seeing a crab scuttle across the s<strong>and</strong> below<br />
me as I heard my mom <strong>and</strong> my oldest brother shouting. I realized what was<br />
happening, <strong>and</strong> then realized that I really didn’t know how to swim. I started<br />
flailing around <strong>and</strong> trying to keep myself above the surface <strong>of</strong> the water. After<br />
seeing that this wasn’t working I made myself calm down to think <strong>of</strong> a way to<br />
get oxygen. I decided that the best way for me to stay alive was to float on my<br />
back <strong>and</strong> wait for my brother who had a float.<br />
Some may argue that waiting for someone to rescue you is not courageous,<br />
but if you are in that situation, most people would start flailing <strong>and</strong> panic<br />
would take over. It takes courage to relax for a few seconds <strong>and</strong> fall under the<br />
water to think <strong>of</strong> a way to stay above the surface. My last memory <strong>of</strong> that trip<br />
was on the beach where I was in a chair, wrapped in a towel. I learned that day<br />
that my clear thinking was an act <strong>of</strong> courage which helped me out <strong>of</strong> a very<br />
perilous situation.<br />
<strong>The</strong> <strong>Courage</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Children</strong>: <strong>Boston</strong> <strong>and</strong> <strong>Beyond</strong><br />
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