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BLUR

AUSTIN CAO, MRS. GREGORY 3RD HOUR

Surreal. At least, that is how my younger cousin would describe the feeling. With a small groan, I

managed to open my groggy eyes long enough to see who was so violently disturbing the climax of my

dream. Have you no mercy?Alas, it was no matter. The tremendous roar of the engines rolled through

the corridors and rushed into my compartment, growling for me to awaken. Voices flooded in after, all

in Chinese, but the pace was too fast for me, and I was too comatose to bother trying to understand the

words. My parents would have been proud. With the sounds came the smells of breakfast- generic train

food like bitter coffee and bread stood out in my mind. I had to wake up.

Everyday, at 6:25 AM, I jump the gap between the dream and the reality. Everyday, I engage in

the ubiquitous struggle to wake up, and just like Teddy Roosevelt and Sitting Bull before me, I win this

battle every time. Well, except on Sundays. That day on the train, I woke up again, my mind racing to

clutch the disappearing reality, my body reluctant to re-live the toils of everyday life. But just like always,

I woke up. I won!

So can I just be proud of that? Im no nationally-ranked tennis player. No Chemistry Olympiad

finalist. No 2400. But without fail, I wake up every day. Thats right- every day. If my AP Physics teacher

is right, and 10,000 hours of practicing something can really guarantee success, I know I will be famous

one day. And even if that doesnt work out, my mornings are certainly better than anyone elses - just

read that incredibly descriptive first paragraph again.

Go to college. Study. Be outgoing. Make friends. Study. Work harder. Practice more. Study. From

parents, teachers, counselors, and friends, the high school students ears are treated to little else. The

universal frequency of success courses through every high school in the nation. Anything that makes an

application look better has been done, and everyone is looking to edge out the next kid in hopes of

getting in, of going somewhere.

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Yet despite all of this, on that seemingly unspectacular day, I woke up- surprisingly content.

Content with what? I pulled the sheets off as jolts of sensory input (oh, the light!) flooded into my

revived mind, and thoughts and emotions began to stir within me. A fellow train blurred past us from

the other direction, catching the blazing rays for a few transient moments. I quickly swung my legs over

the bunk, searching for a pair of slippers during this perfect opportunity. Swiftly, my left hand clutched

the glasses sitting on the table and moved towards my face, just as the fellow train zipped past our

compartment. Yet as the light flickered back into my room and my eyes looked towards the

overwhelming mirage of scattered forest and blue sky outside, I was ready. This time, my mind was

already two steps ahead, planning out an approach toward the bathroom, the breakfast table, the city.

And I knewthat even if I didnt accomplish an amazing feat on that day, I would still seize every

opportunity and make every waking moment count. Perhaps the gossamer wisps of a dream may fade

away, but I will always wake up, and I will always dream again.