Values Essay by Wes C.

The most expensive cars and the most expensive houses are all that matter to people today. It really doesn’t make any sense why people feel this way. Value does mean how much something costs, but true value is something that really matters to you. It’s something that you can’t live without, that you enjoy and respect, and is something that you would never sell and you can not put a money value on.

Something that has a high money value to me is my snowboard. It’s one of the most expensive brands, and is a good quality snowboard. It’s made by a large company called Burton. The bottom is white and says in grey lettering “BURTON”. The top of my snowboard is grey with a design in a different shade of grey. When I stand it up straight next to me, it reaches to a little bit above my chin, which is the perfect height. Connected to my snowboard are the bindings. These are made by the same brand as the board, but the ones I bought were used, yet are still in good condition. They are an army green with a shiny orange polish on them. The positions of the bindings on the snow board are different for everyone. I have mine set where my front foot is turned a little forward, and my back foot is perpendicular to the board. Some other positions could be set where both the bindings are put perpendicular to each other, or one could be pointing a little forward and the other one a little backward. There are two clips that hold your feet in. The one that is closer to my toes actually goes around my toes, so it covers the top and front of my feet. The back one goes at the lower part of my shin. My boots are also made by Burton. Burton is by far the biggest brand in snowboarding, as you can probably see by now. They are an army green with tan, and a yellow inside. They are the perfect size for my snowboard and bindings. My boots are very thick and keep my feet very warm while on top of the mountain, or on the ski lift.

One thing that I value most that cannot have a price put on it is the moment before and during jump ball, at the beginning of a basketball game. Walking on to the court, just before the game starts, give you a rush of adrenaline. Seeing all the fans cheering for your team and the other team is amazing. Getting in position, everyone is looking at the referee, waiting for him to throw the ball up. This is the moment where I check out the other players, seeing how tall, strong, and big they look. This moment is the worst because it seems like it takes 2 hours before the referee blows his whistle to start the jump ball. The anticipation of this moment is so overwhelming that I usually go to the bathroom before the game, just in case I had an accident at this moment. As soon as the referee blows his whistle, everything changes. All that rushes through your head is what to do, and not to mess up. When the referee first throws up the ball, there’s nothing you can do, unless you’re jumping. All you can do is cheer on your team mate, and wait and be ready. There are so many possibilities of what could happen and what to do when it happens, it’s mind-boggling. Depending on what position you play, you’ll either be rushing ahead for a break away, or rushing back, to stop the other team from getting a break away. The rush of when the referee finally throws up the jump ball is so exhilarating, that a million words cannot describe it. The closest thing to this moment is if you were pitching in the MLB, it was the bottom of the ninth, full count, 2 outs, and your team is up by one, in the World Series. Then, you throw all you’ve got and strike out the batter. The jump ball is my favorite part of the game because it’s the most exhilarating part, but you aren’t tired out at all so you’ve got all your energy.

My snowboard and the moment of jump ball are similar in ways, yet they are different in other ways. They are similar because both of them involve adrenaline pumping through my body. Just looking at my snowboard reminds me of being at the mountain and snowboarding. Both these things are valuable to me because they are a big part of my life. During the jump ball, I can release all my energy and anger and play hard, and with my snowboard, I can use it as an excuse to get away from everything and have fun. The main reason why these two things are different is because playing basketball is the most fun thing to me that I enjoy a lot and does not cost money, while my snowboard means a lot to me because it is so expensive. When I think about it, I wonder to myself why I value this so much. Values in your life should not depend on how much something costs, that’s pointless. Values should be more like the moments before jump ball, or waking up and looking outside, seeing a foot of snow, knowing you will have a snow day.

When I think about what really is valuable, I realize it is spending time with my friends and family and having a good time playing basketball. Valuable is not something that has a high money value. Writing this essay has changed my mind about what is valuable and what we think is valuable. I now realize that money doesn’t matter in your life, it’s how you live your life and what is important or valuable in your life.