While many consider the 50-mile backpacking trek at the Boy Scout High Adventure Philmont Ranch 10,000 feet above sea level an already excruciating journey, my experience with the trek revealed the perfect metaphor: Life is just one big blister. Before this trip, I dedicated my life towards improving the mind rather than the body, embracing my talents in mathematics and science and envisioning myself as a teacher of academia rather than an athlete. With this background and as the youngest person in the expedition, my crewmembers often expressed their concerns:
“Did you lace your boots properly? Do you have enough food? Are you warm enough?”
Unfortunately, despite numerous preparatory hikes, their worries held true as I developed a blister on my left foot within the first day.
Typically, to deal with a blister, my textbook knowledge recommended that I layer moleskin to help take direct pressure off the area. The remedy proved tempting, as a blister on the ball of my foot could cause extreme agony and infection. However,
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This solution, while simple to learn, remains difficult to execute. Instead, life problems represent one big blister; the solution lies in confronting the pain with a brief period of agony followed by growth. After Philmont, I began to confront my flaws rather than ignore them, prompting a change that signified my transition from the nerdy geek into a contributing member of the community. I joined the cross-country team to improve my physical fitness, and I began to fight my individualistic attitude and take active roles in school clubs and my Scouting troop, eventually culminating in my co-founding of the Sustainability Club for my school and my leadership of the troop as Assistant Senior Patrol Leader and an Eagle Scout. Though the future contains multiple new challenges, I confront it with the intent to succeed, popping the blister of my