“60 Acres” by Raymond Carver

     The protagonist, Lee Waite, in the short story “60 Acres” by Raymond Carver is faced with making two important decisions that change his way of thinking quite drastically. Waite, during the story, finds two boys trespassing and hunting on his land, but rather than punishing them severely, he decides to let them go with just a harsh warning. The other decision Waite makes is to lease his land, thus allowing the trespassing hunters to hunt without fear of being caught and punished. 
     These decisions reflect two traits in Waite that he might not have known about himself. In the beginning of the story, he is alarmed and enraged that others are constantly trespassing on his land, willing to bring violence upon the trespassers without a blink. However, once he finds out the trespassers were and could have been for a while, young boys, he realizes that he doesn’t want to punish the boys too severely. This shows that he is rational enough to let the boys off with a warning, but it also shows his sense of fatherhood. Waite himself had two young sons, and it appears that his sense of fatherhood broke through his inner barriers and kept him from punishing the young boys. When Waite decides to lease his land, it shows how he is finally able to let go of an old bug causing him too much stress to bear. He loves his land, yes, but he knows that by just protecting it from outsiders and not actually using his land will be useless and untimely. Therefore, he shows that he is able to manage and let go of his past fears, opening up new opportunities for many others. 

     In my life, there is one clear decision that I have made that has shaped my life forever; starting Hapkido. When I was 7,  my mother had joined a kickboxing school which offered Hapkido classes for all ages. She immediately wanted me to join, but I was unwilling to. However, after finally giving in to her wishes, I started up classes and ever since then, my life has been constantly changing. Now, I have been training for almost 7 years, already having earned my Black Belt and my Second Degree Black Belt. But, even though with every class I improve, I know that if I hadn’t decided that day to sign up for my Hapkido classes. Hapkido has changed my mindset; I think more of self-control, courtesy, integrity, perseverance, and having an indomitable spirit. Every day after class we repeat those five tenants, and every day they morph my mind into a more mature way of thinking.