Essay/Term paper: Essay

Essay, term paper, research paper:  Society

When you are happy, you never think that it can end in a second. Of
course, if you always had tried to imagine something bad, you would not have
been so happy. After an incident I had had once, I understood that happiness
could be just one step away from loosing it.
I was seventeen. Summer was in the air, but we could not enjoy it
because it was the time of our graduation and we had to study for our final
exams. When exams were over, we were relieved and decided that we deserved some
rest.
Usually, people prefer resting on beaches, living in expensive hotels,
eating at exclusive restaurants, and enjoying other services provided by travel
companies. Although it really is careless relaxation, my friends and I always
preferred to travel to wild places. After the complicated life of the big city,
with its intense traffic and polluted air, with its endless problems, union with
nature seemed to us the most worthwhile way to relax.
Getting prepared for the trip already made me excited. It was very
important not to forget anything. Finally, when all preparations were made, and
the cars loaded up, we, following our chosen route, dreamed of our coming
adventures. On that particular vacation, we had chosen a place named Blue Lakes.
It was really a place of wildlife. In the summer, the forest was
beautiful. It burst into leaves and needles, and abounded with mushrooms and
berries. The unbelievable silence was sometimes interrupted only by birds and
insects. The amazing lakes, which were situated all over the wood, seemed to
complete the picture. In addition, Mother nature had given every lake some
unique feature. Red Lake, for example, seemed to have red water, because of the
iodine in it. Cold Lake had a very low temperature, even on the hottest days, so
that when I touched it with my foot I shivered from its chilliness. But the
most impressive lake was Dead Lake, which seemed to boil because of its
phosphorus. Due to it, the lake was always under a fog. Besides, Dead Lake's
bottom had several levels. In other words, it was like a labyrinth under the
water. It was untouchable and, at the same time, mysterious.
We camped near a lake that was simply beautiful, without any of the
aforementioned extraordinary qualities. Soon, everybody found himself busy with
fishing, swimming, and playing games. Sometimes, leaving two people at the camp,
we went to see the other interesting places. During one of those trips, we had
to cross a deep and narrow river which had such a strong current that we could
not swim across. As I said above, the place was wild and, of course, there was
no bridge. We solved that problem by spanning the two banks with a log. Half of
us crossed the river without fear, but when my turn came, the fear thrilled
through my veins. I am not a good swimmer; therefore, it was a serious problem
for me. I tried not to show my fear. I said to myself, "You can do it," and
started going. My legs were trembling, but I managed to hold my balance. When I
was watching my steps, I could see the strong current. Yet I kept saying myself,
"A few more steps and you are done". At the moment when I was half way across,
suddenly, the log turned and I lost my balance. I got wet instantly. Thousands
of bubbles pushed from my body. Unwillingly, I inhaled some water and felt that
I was carried away by the stream. I waved my hands desperately trying to swim,
but the current forced me straight ahead. Despite all the water around me, my
throat was dry. I felt myself getting tired and panicky. Eventually, I grabbed a
branch of a tree that was growing almost in the river. Then, my friends threw me
an end of the rope and pulled me out. I was coughing and felt dizzy, but it was
good to feel the ground under my feet again.
After everything was over, we returned to our camp and, after a while,
everybody seemed to forget what happened to me, or when somebody brought it up,
he just made fun of it. It wasn't funny for me though. I could not help thinking
that I had started crossing the river just because I did not want to look like a
coward in front of my friends. Who knows what could have happened to me if I
had not seized the branch. I could have drown easily. One minute ago I was happy
and another I did not know where I was going to.
After this incident, I am afraid of not only water, but also loosing
something because of my thoughtlessness and impulsiveness. I became more careful
and mature. When I am happy now, I always say to myself, "Watch out!"