How Does Joseph Changed My Life

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‘Twas an ordinary Tuesday in the rural city of Rubiataba, Brazil. The people leaving for the plantations already left, and José, with his little picolé cart made the same trip up the road by my private school. As he walked he would belt out in Portuguese, “Ice cream, get your ice cream!” Students upon students watched as he walked by them in his dirty ragged clothes. Some looked upon him with the utmost disgust, while others simply ignored him. As he walked, he would greet us with the warmest of smiles a little boy of twelve could muster. José, or Joseph in English, is one of the many unfortunate children in the world, and he specifically taught me one of the most important lessons that changed my life forever. Joseph is a little boy who …show more content…

That person was Michael Bentkowski, the author of this very essay. I was an inexperienced individual who took for granted the luxury of attending school, or even coming home to a family that cared about my well being. Eventually through careful self-analysis, I began asking myself, “Do I really appreciate what I have?” This realization that I did not appreciate what I was given, became an even greater part of my life. Furthermore I concluded that an apology to Joseph would be necessary for all of the criticism I directed towards him. Joseph humbly accepted my apology, and soon after this event, we became the best of friends. As our relationship grew, I found out more and more about Joseph’s mournful past. Time passed me by, and I began seeing things in a more humble perspective because Joseph’s personality was beginning to rub off on me. Over the course of many weeks, Joseph helped me mature an extra five years. This newfound maturity is what taught me discipline. Eventually my stay in Brazil came to an end, and Joseph left me with an inspiring statement. On the last day of my stay in Brazil, he uttered one last statement, “you never know you have something until it’s gone.” I brought this lesson back to the United States, and major changes in my “new” life began to sprout. I took my academics more seriously, I challenged myself with every opportunity I was given and I learned

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