Countless times we are told by adults to obey their rules, but we dismiss their warnings, considering them foolish. They might seem as silly as to not turn your back to the waves on a beach. Only is it too late that we realize how correct the adults were. Anna Kretzer speaks from personal experience in “A Painful Lesson” of learning a hard lesson.
     Anna recounts her story of turning her back against the waves to watch her friends who had caught a great ride when boogie boarding. She was pulled underwater, unable to breathe and feeling agonizing pain in her upper back. About a week later, she realized that she couldn’t feel anything on her back. It turned out that two of her spinous processes had snapped from the impact with the ocean floor. Unfortunately, Anna never fully recovered, occasionally feeling pain on her back.
     Despite Anna’s regret for not heeding her mother’s advice, she discovered other words of wisdom. “When you come to a roadblock in life, don’t look at it as a handicap. Jump over it, and don’t look back.” Thanks to Anna’s words, I have become more alert to the advice that my own parents give me instead of disregarding them as irrelevant. I have dodged many mistakes I would have made if not for Anna’s advice.