“Don’t move and don’t say anything,” my mom said in Spanish, while my sister gave me a stern look. She would only give me that look when something serious was about to happen; so, I unquestioningly obeyed and continued to read Middlesex. I was curious and befuddled, however. After a while, we reached a checkpoint somewhere in Texas. A man, in some type of police uniform, approached us. My sister exchanged a few words with the man and after a few minutes he waved at her to go on. She began driving and almost instantly the heavy atmosphere vanished. The memory is still vivid today, sometimes replaying itself in my head. It wasn’t until my late sophomore year in high school that I found out why that event seemed bizarre and stressful. I later discovered that was a border patrol checkpoint. Having turned 16 enabled me to work on obtaining a driver’s license and land a part-time job somewhere in town. I looked forward to earning money to buy my own car and later start saving up for my college tuition. I sought advice on where to work from my father, to which he replied with “we need to talk.” My enthusiasm was replaced by dread, which I found silly. What would go wrong? He took me to the local café and explained to me that my Visa had expired. I could not work nor drive in the state legally due to my immigration status. I remember being confused and …show more content…
It means to accept reality, even if it’s a bad or good situation. It means I cannot change my present. It means I must move on and work on always making the correct decisions. Most of my life decisions were based on this saying. It has helped me regain senses and focus on what truly is important. It has made me weigh in the cons and pros of many decisions. It has helped me mature; it has helped me go through this tough situation life challenged me to