Advanced essay #1- Kyree Yates

Hello reader, I'm glad that you chose to read my essay. I'm proud of my work and I feel like I hit all if not majority of my goals. I wanted to express how people nowadays are more selfish and self-centered than before. I also wanted to give you examples of myself and how I've changed in character and mindset. I'm proud of the words I used to replace common words to make my essay seem "older" and more "prestigious". A way I could've improved my essay would be by changing up my sentence choice and using fewer commas. The living room has become a sanctuary of peace for my mind. It’s basic, in the living room there are two couches that sit on top of a fluffy beige and gray rug. When someone first walks into my home they are immediately drawn towards the breathtaking piece of art that hangs right above the main couch. In the art piece, a female Buhddasit appears to be facing forward with her eyes closed. The artist uses dull colors to highlight the striking features of women. Even with the lack of bright colors, this painting catches my eyes in a way no other painting has done before. It has an enticing feature that I can't escape from and while staring at the artwork, I developed multiple interpretations that connect to my own life. There is another artwork in my home that my mother has bought, but nothing intrigues me like this one. Before I had the painting in my living room, there was nothing that symbolized relaxation and peacefulness in this space as this one does. Time and time again I catch myself enthralled by the painting of the Buddhist figure. The painter seems to have used a vast amount of brushes because some parts of the painting are uneven and have paint that is either very faint or protruded from the canvas that looks like mountains from different angles. You can say it keeps me busy and thinking. It reminds me of the sphere in the Comcast Technology Center that my girlfriend and I went to today. In the sphere, we were taken on a “magical journey” through the development of ideas and innovations. During the show, there was a scene that depicted imagination, and it shows a little girl laying underneath a tree, staring at clouds with a euphoric look as she imagined all of the clouds as different images. I see myself staring at the painting the same way. It never bores me. From all the colors that flutter my living room, to even how the canvas sits on my wall like it's floating in the air, when I view the painting it talks to me; the painting is telling me a story of a thousand words, and although it's not literal, the quote finally clicked after I viewed the painting. Just a few weeks before the start of school I started working at a Chinese restaurant called Panda Express. On my first day, I had to do training where I worked from 10 in the morning to 10 at night. This was extremely tiring and I was not prepared for the length of the shift. As well as being tired my phone was dead by the time my shift was over. I knew this would be a huge problem because it was extremely late and I needed access to the bus schedule as well as contact my parents. I waited for the bus that would drop me off close to my house for almost an hour before I made the choice to catch the only bus I continuously saw to the closest transportation center. By the time I got home, it was past midnight and my parents were extremely worried. I walk in from a long shift from work feeling the breeze hit my back and cave my shirt in like a Capri Sun with no juice. My mom doesn’t look at me for more than 3 seconds and says “give me your phone” . I immediately responded with no because I didn’t know why she was mad or upset with me. As a sixteen year old, I finally felt I was beginning to take some type of initiative and having this job would help me mature and grow. Working the long hours made me feel extremely accomplished and I was just upset that my mom didn’t see that. I gave a glance at her eyes and I could immediately tell she had been crying. I asked her what was wrong and she told me she thought I was missing. She was not used to me being out so late without contacting her to let her know I was ok. Me not taking her very seriously I let out a small giggle and reassured her that I was fine and it was no need to stress over me coming in late because I was at work. She says “no it’s 11:40 pm, it’s 40 minutes after midnight, you’re a minor I thought something happened to you”. I instantly realized she was serious and hugged her, but she pushed me away. She was angry with me and kept telling me to give her my phone. I didn’t give it to her because I needed my phone and I thought it was stupid. At this point in time, I was getting mad as well. She’s yelling at me and was getting mad over something I couldn’t control, so I went into my room. I close my door and turn on my PlayStation. I grab my controller and check to see which of my friends are online. None of my friends were online. This made me even madder and I turned my game off. I sat in my room for a while and then I got hungry. I get up feeling stiff as a plank and walked downstairs to get a bowl of Frosted Flakes. I walked over to my couch and looked at the painting; it instantly calmed me down with the subtle but intense colors. Then It clicked, I realized that I was wrong and didn’t put myself in her shoes. The painting helped me recognize that I needed to look at the situation from a different perspective. Any good mother would be worried about their child being out really late without any information on where they are. With the understanding that I was being insensitive, I go upstairs and apologize and after that things between me and my mother have been fine. As I age and experience different things I see myself understanding things in a different light. With each experience, I recognize that it comes with opening my view and viewing things objectively compared to the way I viewed things in the past. I like to view the way I grow in a similar manner that someone who follows Buddhism grows. Buddhist use guideline which can be represented through the analogy of a fence post. As Buddhist grow and recognize ways they need to change the fence post that protects them from making common mistakes gets closer and closer, helping them reach their ultimate goal of nirvana. This connects to my mindset transition from fixed to growth. I have previously talked about how the reader can gain an understanding of the way I act which can be viewed as unempathetic, egotistical, and an overall belligerent. As I strive to become a better person, I recognize what I need to change as an individual to make not only my life better but those around me, who are watching me grow.I