10/15/2010 College Essay

As many of you know, Connor has arrived at his senior year of high school and is now deep in the dreads of applying to colleges.  His application awaits his "College Essay", the culmination of the process, the icing on the cake, or in Connors' case, the mag wheels on his car, ready to jettison him into a life of independence, study and the occasional party.  A life Connor has been ready for since he was four, when his inquisitive four year old mind asked me, "when I turn five, will I have a five head",  a priceless thought, as I told him to wash his forehead.  Of course he would expect his head to expand with his age, after all, he had spent the past five years soaking up every morsel of information he was told, why would it not continue to grow in unison with his age?  His ability to retain continues to stun me but he struggles to capture who Connor, the seventeen year old high school senior is, in an essay, where he is simply asked to write about himself.
 How many of us are comfortable, extolling our virtues, talking about ourselves and glorifying every character trait with semantic ease and grammatical grace?  How do we maintain the delicate balance between modesty and self eminence, gliding through adage with the same purpose and sincerity we approach every day with, explaining, who we are, why we are and what has shaped us into the unique individuals we are.

 Well Connor, if this will help,this is how I see it...

You are the calm before the storm, enchantingly mild and serene, willing to step aside for the whirlwinds of life, the anonymous donor, kind, thoughtful and generous with no regard for recognition. Intensely inquisitive, with an understated intelligence that appeals to all ages, examplified by your adept ability to contribute to conversations with the young and old, as well as your peers, always surprising someone with your vast expanse of knowledge.  Seldom is there a topic that eludes you.  You are the constant that drives on cruise control, steady, even and smooth and most importantly, endlessly loyal.  If I were to liken you to a car, you'd be a Toyota Corolla.  The immensely reliable, enduring model that gets you there with out the flair.  You are unaffected by display.  You accept, even the most difficult to accept, without question, striving to see the lesson behind the disappontment.  You understand more than most.  You are confident and realistic with a humility that resembles a silent partner.  You require very little but deserve more than you receive.  You trust and believe in yourself and the goodness of others.  You are sincere in your efforts even when given a difficult task. You endure the undesirable with little argument, accepting that life is not always, "Popponesset Beach", regardless of how much you wish it could be. You were a bold baby, commandering the Cape. You grew into a captivating child, earning the title "mayor" of the beach. Your pre-teen years brought out your silly side, surfacing a sense of humor examplified by your talent show performances of "Who's on First" and  "The Chicken Dance".  Throughout  your teens, you continued to grow and expand beyond  expectations and I can not recall a time when I felt tested, tried, tired or overwhelmed.  You made my job easy. You've gone from a gentle, good natured boy to an intelligent, kind, genuine young man.  You were the first born of two which means, you entered life as number one and that will never change -  Connor Ahl, the one and only!!