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SammieRose
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Since I somehow got it stuck in my head that you guys want to stay updated on the whole college thing, I thought I'd post and tell you that I finally got accepted to my top choice: Truman State University in Kirksville, Missouri. It's a huge writing school and since I want to major in English, I figured it'd be a good place to at least start. 
This was also the only college that I had to write an essay for. So I dug around in my files and low and behold, I found my American Hero essay from the 8th grade (some of the older members may remember me posting the original on the old board). So I tweaked it a little (seeing how my vocabulary has grown a bit since then) and used it as my college essay. And it got me into my top choice. And I'm actually very proud of it, so I thought I'd post the new version of the essay.
When told to write about something of great importance to me, I reflected upon the people that have provided the most inspiration to my life and my thoughts fell upon one man. That man is Mr. Jim Henson, a person whom, through his gentle humor and colorful characters, taught me patience, optimism, and acceptance. These are lessons that I believe are truly important for a human to posses in order to be successful in life.
Going through and reviewing some of Mr. Henson’s work, one can sense his astounding patience with those working around him. From all of that I have heard or seen about him, he never raised his voice and never judged his employees on slight errors on their part. He always seemed to act as if he had all the time in the world to talk with or listen to the ideas of his employees and co-workers, even with his chaotic schedule of filming movies and television. His abundance of patience when working with those around him is something I greatly admire in him.
A second thing that appeals to me is how he was always positive about his life, his work, and his family. The glass was always half full. No matter what was happening at home, how bad of reviews his shows or movies were getting, he just seemed to know that everything was going to turn out all right for him in the end. He was one of those rare persons who, when faced with any size of a problem, managed to solve it without making a gigantic to-do about it. To me, his constant optimism is what made his company and all of the work he created truly unique.
Finally, I admire Mr. Henson for his ability to see through the miniscule flaws of a person to see the creative vibes they really have inside them. He hired his co-workers for what they were able to do, or what he felt they could provide for the company, not to simply meet his requirements for that particular show or movie. He knew that no one race or gender was of a higher ability than the others. That one would appreciate people for who they are on the inside.
Jim Henson is someone that I cannot help but admire because he was able to see through the darkness to the light side of any situation, he had the increasingly rare ability to stay calm and keep a level composure, and he loved and respected everyone who came into contact with him. For these reasons and more, I was deeply saddened when his untimely death was brought to my attention. In a book entitled The Works: Inside the Imagination of Jim Henson, there is a moving quote given by his long time co-worker and dearest friend Frank Oz that I believe truly explains what Mr. Henson was all about: “In Thornton Wilder’s Our Town, the dead speak of the living like they ‘did not understand’. Well, Jim understood. He loved his work and all of us at the Muppets. He loved his family. H loved an appreciated life. He understood.”
Now, my essay writing abilities are not the best (by a LONNNNG SHOT) but I'm really proud of this one. The only two people I could think to write about were Jim Henson and Sir Ian Holm, and Mr. Henson has long been an inspiration to me (Sir Ian is a more recent obsession of mine....but I digress). So it only seemed fitting. Anyways, that's all I really had to talk about. Thank you, Jim!
This was also the only college that I had to write an essay for. So I dug around in my files and low and behold, I found my American Hero essay from the 8th grade (some of the older members may remember me posting the original on the old board). So I tweaked it a little (seeing how my vocabulary has grown a bit since then) and used it as my college essay. And it got me into my top choice. And I'm actually very proud of it, so I thought I'd post the new version of the essay.
When told to write about something of great importance to me, I reflected upon the people that have provided the most inspiration to my life and my thoughts fell upon one man. That man is Mr. Jim Henson, a person whom, through his gentle humor and colorful characters, taught me patience, optimism, and acceptance. These are lessons that I believe are truly important for a human to posses in order to be successful in life.
Going through and reviewing some of Mr. Henson’s work, one can sense his astounding patience with those working around him. From all of that I have heard or seen about him, he never raised his voice and never judged his employees on slight errors on their part. He always seemed to act as if he had all the time in the world to talk with or listen to the ideas of his employees and co-workers, even with his chaotic schedule of filming movies and television. His abundance of patience when working with those around him is something I greatly admire in him.
A second thing that appeals to me is how he was always positive about his life, his work, and his family. The glass was always half full. No matter what was happening at home, how bad of reviews his shows or movies were getting, he just seemed to know that everything was going to turn out all right for him in the end. He was one of those rare persons who, when faced with any size of a problem, managed to solve it without making a gigantic to-do about it. To me, his constant optimism is what made his company and all of the work he created truly unique.
Finally, I admire Mr. Henson for his ability to see through the miniscule flaws of a person to see the creative vibes they really have inside them. He hired his co-workers for what they were able to do, or what he felt they could provide for the company, not to simply meet his requirements for that particular show or movie. He knew that no one race or gender was of a higher ability than the others. That one would appreciate people for who they are on the inside.
Jim Henson is someone that I cannot help but admire because he was able to see through the darkness to the light side of any situation, he had the increasingly rare ability to stay calm and keep a level composure, and he loved and respected everyone who came into contact with him. For these reasons and more, I was deeply saddened when his untimely death was brought to my attention. In a book entitled The Works: Inside the Imagination of Jim Henson, there is a moving quote given by his long time co-worker and dearest friend Frank Oz that I believe truly explains what Mr. Henson was all about: “In Thornton Wilder’s Our Town, the dead speak of the living like they ‘did not understand’. Well, Jim understood. He loved his work and all of us at the Muppets. He loved his family. H loved an appreciated life. He understood.”
Now, my essay writing abilities are not the best (by a LONNNNG SHOT) but I'm really proud of this one. The only two people I could think to write about were Jim Henson and Sir Ian Holm, and Mr. Henson has long been an inspiration to me (Sir Ian is a more recent obsession of mine....but I digress). So it only seemed fitting. Anyways, that's all I really had to talk about.
Thank you, Jim!
