Name: Emma Burns
From: Albertville, AL
Votes: 0
Zoom,
zoom, zoom! Whiz, whiz, whiz! Rush, rush, rush! My life is always a
rush. I am constantly sleeping through my alarm, getting caught in
traffic, and, well, just plain old running late. Sometimes I get
caught up in this cycle, especially during the school year, and it
seems like I can never catch up.
The
morning of March 23, 2019, was warm and sunny; the first time I had
seen sunshine in nearly a week. March is a rainy month in Alabama.
The weather was very suitable because that day was my aunt’s
wedding, for which I was a bridesmaid. At 8:27 that morning, I was
leaving my house and driving to the church where the wedding would
take place. I was told to be there at 8:30am to start preparations.
Oops. As I was driving, I remembered how me and my brother had
fought the night before. I began to feel guilty and wished I had made
time to talk to him in person. If I could have just gotten out of my
up five minutes earlier . . . My brother happened to have a baseball
game on my aunt’s wedding day, which meant that I would have to
miss his game. This made me even more sad because I try to go to
every one of his games. Due to the fact that I was in such a rush to
make it to the church on time that morning, I did not get to tell my
brother that I was sorry for the night before, good luck, or goodbye.
With all these thoughts buzzing in my mind, I realized that I needed
to text him before I forgot.
That
text could have waited. Yes, my intentions were good, but nothing is
worth risking people’s lives. Even amending a relationship is not
an excuse to text and drive. At the end of my eighth grade year, my
school experienced the loss of student. She was thought to have been
texting on her phone when she ran off of the road into a tree. It was
devastating, especially because it could have been prevented. Giving
your attention to human-made technological device is not worth the
consequences. The reason it has been difficult for me to stop texting
and driving is because of the rush, rush, rush of my life. Because I
am constantly busy, I forget things. And the things that I forget
happen to come to my remembrance as I am driving. How convenient is
that? The fear of forgetting those things – whether they be tasks or
the need to encourage somebody – is what leads to me texting and
driving.
I
am not proud to admit this truth, and, although it does not happen
often, I know that texting and driving cannot be justified. Since
hearing about this scholarship and its mission, I have committed to
never texting and driving again. I realize that this will require
self-control and discipline to leave places on time so I will not be
rushed. I will stop rushing, and I will stop texting and driving.
