My Best Friend, the Homeless Man
Narrative Essay Draft
Topic: #3 An experience that helped you discover a principal to live by.
Buddha once said, “Instead of judging a man by his appearance, look inside their heart, and read what it is their soul wrote.” I was raised in a family, which at times, could be very judgmental of people. My family lived in an upper-class neighborhood where there was no poverty or homelessness. My parents made sure my brother and I had all the best clothes, the newest cell phones and laptops, they spent a lot of money sending us to the best schools on the east coast, our education was very important to them. We both had tutors for different subjects, and my parents required us to take lessons three times a week, on the instrument of our choice. As it would turn out though, the greatest lesson I have ever learned, and the greatest friendship I have ever known, would come from a homeless man and his dog. Although I didn’t know it when I met him, knowing Brent would give me something more valuable than any earthly possession, it would make me a better person.
The summer following my senior year of high school was a hectic confusing time in my life. I went from living in a small quiet suburban neighborhood in New Jersey my whole life, to moving to a big, noisy city in Arizona, 3000 miles away from home. It was my first time being on my own away from my family, especially in a place so far from where I lived my whole life. I went from having my parents taking care of me my whole life, to suddenly having to take care of myself. I’ll never forget how hot it was, summers in New Jersey rarely ever reach over 95 degrees, and that is only on the hottest days of the year. Unlike New Jersey, the first summer I spent in Arizona reached over 125 degrees. It was one of those excruciatingly hot days the day that I met Brent.
August was coming to an end, and school was about to start. I had orientation all day and I was exhausted. On my way home from orientation, I realized I
Topic: #3 An experience that helped you discover a principal to live by.
Buddha once said, “Instead of judging a man by his appearance, look inside their heart, and read what it is their soul wrote.” I was raised in a family, which at times, could be very judgmental of people. My family lived in an upper-class neighborhood where there was no poverty or homelessness. My parents made sure my brother and I had all the best clothes, the newest cell phones and laptops, they spent a lot of money sending us to the best schools on the east coast, our education was very important to them. We both had tutors for different subjects, and my parents required us to take lessons three times a week, on the instrument of our choice. As it would turn out though, the greatest lesson I have ever learned, and the greatest friendship I have ever known, would come from a homeless man and his dog. Although I didn’t know it when I met him, knowing Brent would give me something more valuable than any earthly possession, it would make me a better person.
The summer following my senior year of high school was a hectic confusing time in my life. I went from living in a small quiet suburban neighborhood in New Jersey my whole life, to moving to a big, noisy city in Arizona, 3000 miles away from home. It was my first time being on my own away from my family, especially in a place so far from where I lived my whole life. I went from having my parents taking care of me my whole life, to suddenly having to take care of myself. I’ll never forget how hot it was, summers in New Jersey rarely ever reach over 95 degrees, and that is only on the hottest days of the year. Unlike New Jersey, the first summer I spent in Arizona reached over 125 degrees. It was one of those excruciatingly hot days the day that I met Brent.
August was coming to an end, and school was about to start. I had orientation all day and I was exhausted. On my way home from orientation, I realized I