When I was little, I thought the world was perfect. I thought my life was free from evil, disease and conflict. However, as I grew up, I realized that once my innocence disappeared, I was subjected to all the horrible things in the world. The first time I encountered the evil of the world was when I was very little. I was five years old; with all the innocence a five year old could have. I was wearing a cute pink t-shirt and had my hair in a ponytail. I was carefree and constantly happy. However, the atmosphere has changed. My cat, named Ichabod, started acting a little strange. We took him to the vet, hoping it was just a minor problem. The vet had said that Ichabod, the cat I had loved so much, had both diabetes and cancer. Being only five years old, the only information I understood was that Ichabod was very ill. I was scared because I loved him and I was scared that he would die. I remember my mother hated giving him medicine because Ichabod didn't like it. I wished he would just take the medicine because I thought it would make him feel better. A few days later, my neighbors had come over for dinner and to play. We were all happy and having fun. When the party was over, my mother told me that Ichabod was dead. Apparently Jody, who was a former vet, came to visit our cats during the party. My mother said Jody found Ichabod on the floor coughing up blood. Shortly thereafter he died. They put him in his kennel and asked my brother and I if we wanted to say goodbye. I cried. I cried for a long time and thought that I would never have a cat as beautiful as him again. However, time has passed, and although Ichabod is still in my heart, I now understand that his death was just a grain of sand on shores full of pain... middle of paper... my grandmother in the hospital. However my mother needed to drive the car to the hospital to meet her there. The problem was that my father had the keys to the car. He passed the keys to my mother as quickly as possible, so that my mother could drive to the hospital. We were all worried and afraid of what would happen. I tried to enjoy the museum afterward, but I couldn't, knowing that my grandmother was in the hospital. Luckily, we got a call that my grandmother had passed out due to dehydration and that she would be okay. We were all very relieved and went home to let her rest a bit. I was immensely happy that I had not lost another person so dear to my heart. These experiences helped me grow as a person. I've discovered that life isn't always perfect. Ultimately, I learned that life can be hard and that appreciating what we have is the key to being happy.