Life is more than a stroll through cluttered calendar squares to the beat of a ticking clock, waiting for each moment to work itself out before we inevitably fade away. Life, to me, is an adventure steeped in battles, many of which will never even be even visible to the side characters of every individual’s experience. I tend to take this mindset for granted as part of my personality, but I worked hard to develop it to cope with adversity in my life. I have had food allergies since infancy, and this life-threatening but invisible condition recolors everyday experiences as larger personal adventures. As with adventures in fairy tales, these involve great fear but subsequent triumph. Going to the movies for the first time, vigilant because their buttered popcorn would be deadly to me because of my dairy allergy, is one of the earliest adventures I remember. Perhaps the biggest so far was going to college. My childhood revolved around the safe bubble of my allergy-free home and my parents’ advocation. At school, I have neither, and this was jarring at first, so much so that I considered commuting to college to hide in familiarity but ultimately chose to figure out living alone. Learning to advocate for and take care of myself in a new environment has been a rewarding journey. Knowing I can still find security in independence is incredibly empowering. My physical disabilities make everyday things into adventures, but it was not until anxiety came along that I saw them that way. At around ten-years-old, I had an allergic reaction where my face swelled, and it caused a phobia of experiencing a reaction again. I left the table at dinner because I was scared to eat, washed my hands constantly, and cried at my birthday party because I was afraid to touch gifts. Walking in the grocery store was terrifying because I was scared to even walk by displays of allergenic products. My mom guided me through this first big adventure, walking me around the store, pushing me gradually out of my comfort zone. It took weeks for the panic attacks to stop, years for me to stop washing my hands every night before sleeping for fear of dying in my sleep from contact with an allergy. This early acquaintanceship with fear was when I first realized life is dangerous, and my mom’s guidance through it taught me fear is not to be avoided but conquered. I still struggle with different anxieties, but now I see them as adventures and opportunities for growth. Whenever I am at my lowest, I pull myself through by viewing the perceived danger as my adventure and anxiety as the ruthless enemy that would kill me off if he could. This concept renews my energy and resets my motivation, and, as I wrote in a song during high school, “I stand up a little bit taller, my heart beats a little bit stronger.” This viewpoint also motivates my pursuit of a career in counseling. I view anxiety not only as an adversity but as an obstacle to a life of joy and beauty, and I desire to not only gain victory over it in my own life but to help others do so in theirs. I would like to specialize in counseling adolescents and young adults, my current peers, because this time of transition is one of many uncertainties and struggles. Too many lives are destroyed by fear, and dedicating my life to giving others the bravery to gain the upper hand would create the most fulfilling life I could dream of.