As a Secondary English Education major, most people assume that I absolutely adore both reading and writing. Now, they aren’t exactly wrong, but I wouldn’t say they are totally right either. Growing up, I loved reading and writing, but as I have gotten older, I have found less time to read and have become too self-conscious to write. A part of me felt like I lost that side of me. Although recently, that has changed.
Currently, I am in an Advanced Composition class, and the entire course is focused on the power of the personal essay. Despite loving school, the word essay still has a negative connotation to me. “Essay” makes me think of having to write long papers about a specific topic that I didn’t get to choose. But after reading a series of personal essays for class, my perspective has completely changed. The essay “Losing Streak” by Kathryn Schulz is one that not only changed my attitude towards personal essays, but it has changed my attitude towards loss and life.
In Kathryn Schulz’s essay, “Losing Streak”, she reflects on the process and feelings of losing something and someone and how ultimately, no matter what is lost, the lesson is the same in the end. In a unique way, Schulz explains how there are not only two types of losses; there are three types. There is the loss of inanimate objects, such as car keys. There is the loss of people, such as the death of a loved one. And there is the loss of perspective, such as what life looked like with a loved one we lost. The essay takes a slow approach and progression through these types of losses and explains the thoughts, feelings, expectations, and realities of each of them. She does not only share her own experiences with loss, but she also brings in quotes and even data from others. When reading this essay, I found a sense of community. Schulz explains that, “We lose things because we are flawed; because we are human; because we have things to lose.” She not only works to define all types of loss, but she works to give purpose to them.
“In fact, not reading this essay would be your loss.”
This personal essay pulled at my heartstrings in more ways than I thought any type of writing could. I have not experienced any significant amount of loss in my life, but this essay forced me to open my eyes to see that I have experienced loss in more way than I thought, and I will continue to experience loss, and that is okay. I found this essay to offer a great balance of both support and comfort. Schulz does not minimize the pain, fear, or any other emotion that comes with losing something or someone. She offers that support while also adding comfort that in many ways, it is a privilege to experience loss in life because life is not about keeping things, but instead finding them.
This essay helped me find an appreciation for both reading and writing again. Although, I don’t believe that you need either to truly grasp the beauty and power that this personal essay has to offer. In fact, not reading this essay would be your loss.