When I was younger I always used to view my cousin Eric a just a very close friend. We are only nine months apart in age, and when our families would get together, which was often, we would always hang out and goof around. Now as we have gotten older, my cousin Eric, who was also a year ahead of me in school was experiencing the necessary natural things in life such as maturing and scholastic activities, that I had not yet experienced and therefore was able to give me guidance when I reached these stages. Who would think that my friend who I used to mess around with would become somewhat of an important mentor in my life?
Eric Cohen is similar to me in size, maybe a little taller, with an athletic build and huge feet. He dressed like a typical 18 year old high school student and fit in with the social community very well. Although it wasn�t Eric�s physical description that portrayed what kind of a person he really was, it was his mannerisms. For example, Eric always has a lot of energy and seems to always be in some kind of motion. As well as always having a lot of energy, Eric always seems to have a big smile on his face and be in a good mood. Eric always knows how to cheer people up, and is very personal when he talks to you. He makes you feel that what you say is really important to him.
Since we were kids, I can remember many instances in my life in which Eric�s actions greatly impacted my life. One of these instances was when my mother, Eric, and I were driving on the interstate in Florida. �Uh oh, I think we�ve run out of gas!� These were my mother�s words as Eric and I were listening to music in the backseat. I was eight years old and my cousin was nine, and we were on our way home from a movie. Suddenly our car began to slow down, and eventually came to a halt in the right lane of the highway. Big eighteen wheelers were whizzing by at 70 miles per hour, and I began to become afraid, and my mother was beginning to panic. My cousin Eric on the other hand had the opposite feeling that I had, and saw this situation as comical. He began joking around, and eventually was able to put my mother and me at ease. My cousin was able to make everyone feel better. Eric showed me from this occasion that it is necessary to keep a cool head, and remain calm even when the situation you are in has the possibility to be disastrous.
As both me and my cousin matured Eric began to develop into a partial shadow of mine. It was as if the sun was rising behind me and Eric� shadow would always remain out in front. Eric was experiencing the important things in life before I had and therefore his shadow showed me the way on how to be successful in these same situations. Whether it was with school, sports, or friends, Eric was always someone I could go to when I needed help with these subjects. I remember one time last year when I was struggling with my A.P European History class, Eric and his family came over for dinner one night and while they were here Eric helped me go over what I was having trouble understanding and helped explain the material to me in an easier way for me to understand.
Another instance in which my cousin Eric influenced the way I live my life was when Eric was named an all county scholar athlete for running track. Eric and I have always been really involved in playing sports and being on teams, and when Eric was named as an all county track star, it proved to me that if I work hard and keep practicing, I could accomplish the same feats. Also, the fact that he was a scholar athlete showed me how also important it is to make sure you keep school as a top priority in your life, and that achieving academically, is more important than achieving athletically. As a result of Eric�s hard work in school, it paid of when he was accepted to the University of Virginia. His hard work and positive attitude truly motivates me to strive for the same success, by focusing on school first, and following with everything else.
A third incident in which Eric had left a lasting impression on me was when my family, Eric�s family, my other cousin, and our grandparents were staying over at my house in Massachusetts for the weekend. Every year at least once, our families go up there for a little vacation. During one of our trips about a year ago, we were all finishing up dinner when my grandfather who is 86 years old, 85 at the time, said his head was beginning to hurt. Then, all of a sudden he collapsed to the floor and passed out. This was a very scary moment for everyone there especially me and my younger cousin Allison. After my grandfather had passed out, all of the adults took him to the hospital right away, and I, Eric, and my younger cousin Allison were left alone in our house. All of us were a little distraught from the situation that we just witnessed, and Allison started to cry. Eric, being the person who he was tried not to think about how he was feeling at the time, and focused completely on how our younger cousin Allison was doing. After talking to her for a while, Allison stopped crying and began to feel much better about the situation and so did I. Once again, Eric showed me how important it was to stay calm and act mature during the worst of times, and how looking at the upside of things makes the situation better. Eventually everyone returned from the hospital, as well as my grandfather who was back to normal, and everything was ok.
Eric Cohen has been both a close friend as well as a teacher to me throughout my life time. He has been with me during some good times and has been with me during some bad times, but nonetheless, he has always shown me that he was a caring human being. As long as Eric is a part of my life, I feel that he and I will continue to grow closer, and as we mature he will continue to teach me about the important aspects of life.
Writer Response
I chose my subject as my cousin Eric because, I felt that he truly has and impact on how I live my life. I wanted to convey how Eric�s actions taught me to be a better person, and I am pleased in the way that it came out.
Writing this peeve was not very difficult because, I was writing about someone that is very close to me and that I knew a lot about. Although, one thing that was difficult was thinking of all the specific incidents in which I felt Eric�s impression, because it was hard to remember from when I was really young. I feel that I was pretty successful in accomplishing this task.
I feel that this piece is complete and I don�t think I could add anything else that would display my cousin�s last impact on me if I had more time.
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