Wesley Guo Week 15: Those Quiet Moments
Those Quiet Moments
At birth, we as humans often have yet to develop the capabilities of storing long term memories - so it is little surprise that most of our “first memories” are not from birth, but shortly after. My first memory comes, ironically enough from the birth of another - from seeing my mom come home holding my sister in her arms. Those of you with siblings will understand me when I say that such an experience is unlike no other. Such a moment that reinforces the meaning of family.
I remember my very first day at an elementary school. I was age five, maybe six, probably half my current height and a third my current age. The time spent gazing at the massive third graders; the time spent waiting for my parents at the pick-up; the time spent on the playground, that as I go back to a decade later, I realize how truly small it is. It is a wonder how your point of view of a happenings can shift so drastically when approaching it later on, yet as the world you come from remains static, you have grown so much in passing.
I remember the time when I was in the second grade when my dad took me to his office at Google, showing me some project he was working on at the time. I obviously had no clue what it was or what it does of course, but I remembered the young me being enthralled by the contraption. How a brief event can set a life trajectory for a young child.
I remember the time I was in the fourth grade, when I spent much time every day messing around on Scratch. Though ironically enough, I tended to do more animating than actual programming. I remember the time when I was in the sixth grade, I began learning how to write in Python and run simple procedures. I remember the time when I was in the eighth grade and was writing in C++ to participate in the national United States of America Coding Olympiad. And I remember the time I was in the tenth grade that I finally stopped walking the straight road forward to explore the many paths that I had left behind in my wake.
And I remember those many quiet moments in between, taking a day off to watch a movie with my sister, to go hiking with my dad, to read books with my mom; The many memories that, while not flashy and likely to be recorded in a biography, are nonetheless core memories to me as an individual. That one minute you shared with a loved one that can mean equally as much as a life changing worldview, or a great achievement.
And to you, the reader - What do those quiet moments mean to you?
“10 Fatherly Movies to Celebrate Your Dad on Father’s Day: Motherhood Malaysia.” Mother, Baby & Kids, 13 Oct. 2022, story.motherhood.com.my/blog/10-fatherly-movies-celebrate-dad-fathers-day/.
Hey Wesley! I really enjoyed your blog this week on quiet moments and their impact on the trajectory of the rest of one’s life. I have definitely been impacted by many quiet moments in my life, from my time as a child absorbed in books to my little pieces of peace now, when I find time to pause and drink a cup of tea. These events have altered my life, whether that be through inspiring an enduring love for English in me or giving me a moment of rest to suspend all academic thought.
ReplyDeleteI truly appreciated the way you included so many different anecdotes and tidbits of stories from throughout your life that have shaped your passions and your personality. I laughed a little bit at your mention of animation on Scratch, because in true STEM-hating fashion, I used to purely use Scratch for listening to music (as Spotify was blocked on chromebooks). The stories that you recount hold a lot of relatability.
Overall, I thought your blog was really lovely and I enjoyed learning more about your life and the factors that shaped you into the person you are today.
Hey Wesley! I was quite surprised to learn that we share the origins of our first memories. Just like your earliest memory is of when your sister was born, my earliest memory was from when my brother was born, though I also remember praying and begging my parents to give me a sibling. I can totally understand what you mean by the experience of holding your sibling for the first time being incomparable to anything else and I would be delighted to go back in time so I can experience it again. I remember when I was younger, I used to think of highschoolers as very mature, almost adult-like people who were very tall. Being a high schooler myself now, I know that neither of those are true. So, I definitely agree that as you grow up, your perspective on life and the things around you changes, both literally and figuratively. I loved reading all the different memories you had as you grew up and the “trajectory” of your interest in computer science and coding. It was very interesting to learn your perspective on how seemingly little things are not always as insignificant as they seem. I enjoyed reading your blog and it made me nostalgic about my own childhood. I look forward to reading from you again next week!
ReplyDeleteHi Wesley! I can resonate with your love for quiet moments and how it has positively impacted your life. I actually find the quiet moments in my life as some of the best ones. I believe that our thoughts are so scattered as we are constantly in school and when we are at home, we often only have thoughts that are at about homework, what our agendas are for the next day or even week, that we do not strop and take a moment to reflect on what a wonderful world we have around us. Personally, when I take a break from my school work, I go downstairs and eat some noodles while staring out the window. I observe the way the leaves wither, the way that the crows communicate with each other through screeching, unpleasant voices. Those moments are when my brain is not racing with academic thoughts but instead is at peace. I have learned to really appreciate those moments, and I am glad that you have also enjoyed those quiet moments as well!
ReplyDeleteHi Wesley! My first memory is eating kichidi, a common dish from my culture, while sitting on the floor. It’s a rice meal, so I remember trying to use a spoon, except at the time, I’d use my hands to scoop my food into the spoon, and then eat it.
ReplyDeleteOne of my most significant quiet memories is when I was walking in line back to my 6th grade class from the computer lab. Like a picture, I remember the gloomy sky, the blacktop, and the ramp in front of me with a light blue rail. At that exact moment, I thought ‘It’s January now, and I’m here, but this time next year, when I’m in 7th grade, where will I be? What about 8th grade, 9th grade, 10th grade, and all the years after?’
Every year after that, in the month of January, that memory would randomly come to mind, and I’d leave a little message for my 6th grade self. I haven’t missed a single year of doing this, and even though this may seem silly, since obviously, I can’t directly tell my kid version what I’m doing, it feels like I’m answering the broader question of where I ended up.