Close to Home

This past week I have been enjoying the very unusual, sunny, 55-degree days of January by spending much of my time outdoors. One day an old classmate and I decided to go on an adventure (a.k.a a walk) and what better place to begin than out at a Lake only 8 miles away from my house. I had honestly never been to the lake in the wintertime and I didn’t quite know what to expect.

 

As soon as we got there and began hiking along the trail my friend and I were shocked by the stunning view. Thick layers of ice floated across lake, the water was clear and blue, and the sand was perfect for doodling on. We asked ourselves “Why haven’t we ever done this before?!” We’ve lived here all of our lives and yet we have never visited the lake in the winter and have been missing out on this little paradise. Even during the summer I don't make it out to the lake as often as I should. Some people will travel miles every summer to come and visit our lake, and yet I never take advantage of that fact that I live so close. I have never truly appreciated what my community has to offer.

I always used to think that I would have to travel far away to other states and even to other countries to see and experience something amazing. What I didn’t realize was that what I had wanted has been sitting right in front of me all along. Tons of opportunities have been available to me right here in my own hometown, yet many times I ignored these chances and went out looking for something better, something more.

Take the time today to think about some of the simple things in life we forget to appreciate. Like our friends and family, the opportunities we have, and all that we have been given. Say an extra thank you to a sibling that helped us out with chores, spend more time talking with a close friend we haven’t seen much of lately, or even just sit back and enjoy the view of a sunrise on the horizon. I was able to find a new appreciation for what I have been given, a perfect spot for hiking out at the lake, and was able to reconnect with an old friend. 

What will you  find close to home?

Nearing the Finish

Christmas time is almost here! This time of year always brings back fond memories of steaming hot chocolate, crackling fireplaces, and my favorite - holiday music. This is also about the time when everything begins to become hectic as final exams and project deadlines sneak up. One thing that is easy to do in anticipation for the holidays is letting the holiday fever set in a little too early. We begin putting our tasks off until the last minute, not working as diligently for upcoming CDE's as we should, or not giving 100% effort in all that we do. We start shutting down before break is even here. I can think of multiple times when I have done exactly this - giving up before the finish.

I remember in Junior High during track practice I would always hear the coach yelling the words “Finish! Finish! Make it all the way to the finish line!” Too many times our coach would catch my teammates and I slowing down right before the end or stopping just inches away. Those few inches felt like miles every time I neared the finish line, so I just choose to quit. At the time I figured that none of it mattered. It was just a few inches right?

When I think back, it would have taken just a few more seconds of hard work to make it to the end. The extra work that I should have put into my running to make it to the finish was minimal, but I chose to give up anyways. It took time for me to realize that those few steps were extremely crucial my success. In any situation if we stop trying before we reach the end we are not reaching our full potential.

If Usain Bolt were to quit just inches before the 
finish line he would have lost his chance at 
winning an Olympic Gold Medal.  

This holiday season don’t let the holiday fever set in early! I know that these last few days before break may seem like years just as those last few steps seemed like miles to me, but this is the perfect time to stay ahead of the game and make those last few inches worthwhile. Stay motivated by rewarding ourselves each time we check something off our to-do list. Hold ourselves accountable by studying with friends or asking our friends to quiz us over information for our next CDE. We could even have them listen to our speeches and the creed. Let’s make it our goal to not quit before the finish line. Then when Christmas Break finally comes we can fill it with hot chocolate, holiday music, and friends and family!  Happy Holidays!

Don't Stop Believin'

The theme the National FFA Organization has proudly displayed this year is “I Believe.” How perfect is that?! This organization is all about believing! During National Convention this year, we heard the song “Don’t Stop Believin’.” Just look at those three words. The song isn’t simply called “Believin’.” It’s called “Don’t Stop Believin’.”

How easy is it to believe in something, whether that be a goal, an opportunity, or our own abilities, just as long as the path is easy? It can be much more difficult to keep believing as soon as, suddenly, we find a roadblock in our path.

Maybe we decide that this semester, we are going to achieve a perfect grade point average at school. Then, an exam sneaks up on us, we maybe do not study as much as we probably should, we take the test, our grade immediately drops, and we give up on that goal for the semester. Or, maybe we set a goal to win a Career Development Event, but experience some conflict on the team, and decide it is too difficult to keep everyone on the same page. Or, perhaps we really want to earn a proficiency award, but our schedules become hectic with all of our activities and we just give up on dedicating enough time to our Supervised Agricultural Experience program to earn it. In other words, we quit believing we can do it.

Think about how far our organization has continued to grow, simply because so many members and supporters believe in it!

• The FFA started with thirty-three members in 1928, and is proudly represented by 540,379 members today.
• The first official dress that was worn in 1930 later became the corduroy jacket we wear with the same kind of pride.
• In 1937, the organization took action to establish an FFA camp in Washington, D.C., that we know today as the Washington Leadership Conference that thousands of members attend each year.
• The Future Farmers of America Foundation was formed in 1944, and has raised more than $232 million for the organization ever since.
• The organization grew to merge with the New Farmers of America and allow females to become members and continues to increase in membership each year.
• The Future Farmers of America changed its name in 1988 to the National FFA Organization so that it could encompass the growing opportunities in agriculture and the organization.

The FFA experiences constant growth in so many ways. Why? Because the organization and all who are involved never stop believing it can find new and better ways to serve all members and the entire industry of agriculture.

“Don’t Stop Believin’.”

 The blue jacket keeps believing… will you?

Just Add a Little Sunshine

Sunglasses. The ocean. Popsicles. Flip-flops. Waterslides. Green grass. Sunburns. Can you say, “Spring fever?!”

One of the aspects of the season of spring that I like the most is the feeling that comes with those days in which the sun really shines. I don’t know about you, but I just cannot help but be happy on that kind of day.

With all of the sunshine lately, my thoughts keep flooding back to a little less than a year ago, when my senior class boarded a plane bound for Orlando for our senior trip before graduation. This trip was the cause of the epitome of sunshine-derived happiness. I spent almost a week with my family of classmates. At Universal Studios, we rode countless roller coasters and other rides, and even toured Hogwarts at the Wizarding World of Harry Potter (Okay, so maybe there wasn’t a lot of sunshine in the castle, but it was a major cause of excitement and joy nonetheless)! At Sea World, we watched whale and dolphin shows and rode even more roller coasters. Then, we spent a day by the ocean. It was sunny every single day, and we returned home sunburnt, relaxed, and full of smiles and laughs.

Thinking back to that week made me think that the sunshine really has a way of giving us a positive attitude, doesn’t it? For example, one day last week, I had an exam in class that I was really nervous about taking. I am rather ashamed to say that normally, I probably would have been the definition of grumpy until that test was over. However, that sun was shining. For some reason, I just couldn’t help but feel as if I were having the absolute best day, just because the world around me was, well, happy.

Now, to me, that’s just silly! Why in the world should I be relying on the sun outside my window to tell me whether I would enjoy my day? If that sun had not been streaming through the windows, would my attitude have been so negative just because of an exam that I would have caused others to look at their day as gloomy as well? On senior trip, would my class have still had fun if the sun was behind the clouds all week, and even if we hadn’t had the opportunity to ride a bunch of roller coasters? Of course we would have, because we still would have spent the week with our fellow classmates who were our best friends all through high school.

For those of us who are Harry Potter fans, remember when Professor Dumbledore said, “Happiness can be found in the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn on the light?” Whether we are actually going through a rough time or whether it is just a normal day, think about how true this is. We do not have to rely on the weather to be happy; we can just add a little sunshine into our day ourselves.

Thinking about it, I know that for me, calling home to my family, taking a fifteen-minute break to run to Sonic with a couple of friends, checking off my to-do list something that I wanted to complete, Skyping with friends who do not live nearby, or going for a quick run around campus can be all the sunshine I need to make my day feel great.

Think about those things that just never seem to fail to bring a smile to your face. Maybe it’s spending time with your family or friends. Maybe it’s going for a ride on your horse or going for a run. Maybe it’s sitting down to read a good book. Whatever it is, it can be the cause of sunshine on a cloudy day.

Next time you’re feeling a little bit of gloom, don’t let it get to you! Catch a little bit of that spring fever and just add a little sunshine!