Self-Definition Essay
My Father
Some people go through life having never known what defines them. Others find in the middle of their lives what sets them apart. I found what would define me early in my life. Unfortunately, it took a tragedy for this to occur. I was eight years old when my father passed from a heart attack, dying in front of my eyes. Heartbroken, it would take days of crying before I could think straight. When I finally brought myself to think about it, I realized that my father would never die, he would instead live on through me. I would grow to define myself by his memory. Now eighteen years old, I have accomplished that goal as I have developed many of his characteristics. I have developed his love of sports and performing while also seeking to emulate his great personality.
I was a baseball all-star for little league ten years in a row, played football for two years, took acrobatics for five, and played organized basketball for seven. This all occurred before I was fifteen years old and I loved every second of every sport. My heavy involvement was almost solely because of my father. He was a sports fanatic as he was once a sports announcer, played community basketball, and played sports in college. He coached many of the teams I played on and was as enthusiastic as I was to practice and work hard. When he passed, I grew out of playing organized sports but my love for watching and playing with friends has remained the same. Sports will always be in my life, defining a part of me because of my father.
When I stopped playing sports, I started to drift towards performing. Since third grade, I developed a deep passion of singing and performing whether in show choir or musicals. His love of singing influenced my passion without a doubt. When I was younger he often sung me to sleep and we’d sometimes jam out on the radio. One time he even sung in front of a big audience in Myrtle Beach for karaoke. I now enjoy this same enthusiasm for performing, and it’s something I have spent many hours on throughout my life.
My father has given me many of his characteristics but what I most hope to gain from him is to become an overall great person. He was a great dad who cherished his children. He was incredibly fun and outgoing. To become half the father, husband, friend, and overall great person would be an accomplishment for me and I have set a goal to emulate him in that respect. I am incredibly lucky to have known such a great man and blessed enough to call him my father. I will never forget Roderick Winston Howard Sr., as my self-definition is based off of who he was and I am proud to carry on not only his name, but also his memory for the rest of my life.
Some people go through life having never known what defines them. Others find in the middle of their lives what sets them apart. I found what would define me early in my life. Unfortunately, it took a tragedy for this to occur. I was eight years old when my father passed from a heart attack, dying in front of my eyes. Heartbroken, it would take days of crying before I could think straight. When I finally brought myself to think about it, I realized that my father would never die, he would instead live on through me. I would grow to define myself by his memory. Now eighteen years old, I have accomplished that goal as I have developed many of his characteristics. I have developed his love of sports and performing while also seeking to emulate his great personality.
I was a baseball all-star for little league ten years in a row, played football for two years, took acrobatics for five, and played organized basketball for seven. This all occurred before I was fifteen years old and I loved every second of every sport. My heavy involvement was almost solely because of my father. He was a sports fanatic as he was once a sports announcer, played community basketball, and played sports in college. He coached many of the teams I played on and was as enthusiastic as I was to practice and work hard. When he passed, I grew out of playing organized sports but my love for watching and playing with friends has remained the same. Sports will always be in my life, defining a part of me because of my father.
When I stopped playing sports, I started to drift towards performing. Since third grade, I developed a deep passion of singing and performing whether in show choir or musicals. His love of singing influenced my passion without a doubt. When I was younger he often sung me to sleep and we’d sometimes jam out on the radio. One time he even sung in front of a big audience in Myrtle Beach for karaoke. I now enjoy this same enthusiasm for performing, and it’s something I have spent many hours on throughout my life.
My father has given me many of his characteristics but what I most hope to gain from him is to become an overall great person. He was a great dad who cherished his children. He was incredibly fun and outgoing. To become half the father, husband, friend, and overall great person would be an accomplishment for me and I have set a goal to emulate him in that respect. I am incredibly lucky to have known such a great man and blessed enough to call him my father. I will never forget Roderick Winston Howard Sr., as my self-definition is based off of who he was and I am proud to carry on not only his name, but also his memory for the rest of my life.