Harshi Pannala Q1 Blog #2 - The Trek
A little after noon, I checked Google Maps for the directions to the library. To my horror, it said the library was 3.5 miles away and would take an hour and twenty minutes to walk. My immediate reaction was absolutely not. My sister, on the other hand, acted like it was a casual stroll. Her response was fitting, considering she runs that distance every day at cross-country practice. I was not in the mood to hurt my ego, so I too agreed and just like that, we were off.
It was hot and my Birkenstocks, which are insanely uncomfortable, made the trek around the suburbs feel like the Mount Everest summit. By the end of mile two, I swore I would never underplay the power of comfortable footwear.
Through all of my huffing and puffing, Rhea was constantly yelling at me from 20 steps ahead, telling me to speed up. Every few minutes I contemplated calling my mom or one of my family friends who lived nearby to pick us up, but Rhea kept saying that the walk would be easy. The ridiculous trek scross sketchy bridges and through abandoned shopping plazas sums up my relationship with my sister.
She has always been the one to push me beyond my comfort zone, regardless of how comfortable I am there. Her persistence to drag me out of my safe haven is annoying, especially when it leaves me with painful blisters on my feet. Nonetheless, her endurance challenges my shortcuts and her confidence contrasts my hesitation.
We eventually stumbled into the Newark Library, me a sweaty mess and her looking like a flawless unicorn. I realized that I am not shaped just by my own thoughts and actions, rather I am constantly shaped by those close to me. They build me up to be a better person. Whether Sunday’s events had a positive effect is yet to be decided; my feet still hurt.
My mom actually meant for us to walk to the much closer Fremont Main Library from Sujus. She was not happy at all when she realized we walked across Fremont and her choice of words very clearly demonstrated that.
Oh Harshi, this was one of the most interesting stories I have ever read. It is interesting how you explored how your sister helps to shape you identity in the sense that she pushes you out of your comfort zone. I think the biggest lesson I have learned from this story is to ask questions and check multiple locations on google maps. I also love the the way you contrasted you and your sister and continued that contrast throughout. I have a younger sibling as well and I agree, they have way too much energy at all times of the day and want to undertake the oddest activities known to human kind.
ReplyDeleteHello, Harshi! It’s hilarious to read about your long journey to the library. I love how even though your blog post has to be short, you conveyed your thoughts perfectly and kept all the important information, so that I can still understand your journey. I think it’s wonderful that you have someone to push you out of your comfort zone since they can help you explore your identity as a person and grow. I also feel extremely sorry for your feet walking in slippers for an hour—I can’t even stand walking for ten minutes in slippers, it must have sucked walking in them for an hour.
ReplyDeleteSiblings are the most annoying people on Earth, but you're right in that they really do make us better people. My older brother and I are five years apart--we don't bond very easily, so the little moments I get to enjoy with him in car rides or phone calls mean everything to me. Since he's in college right now, I actually have to put in effort to keep in touch with him (bleh); yet, the mundane "how're you doing?" texts have taught me to value my relationships and make conscious strides to show the people I love that I care about them. Hearing about you and your sister's treacherous trek makes me really happy. It not only pushes you to be a better version of yourself--it proves your everlasting bond with each other :)
ReplyDeleteHarshi I can totally relate to both the walking and the semi-annoying sibling parts of your story: I recently walked 40 minutes to school because the bus got late (California public transport is apparently NOT reliable :( ), and my sister is also the type of person to drag me into things like dance and art (though I guess I do the same with other things). I think having siblings who like different things really helps us become more well-rounded - at least that’s one of the benefits I can think of on the spot.
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