The Downhill Slope

   The other day it hit me… Right smack dab in the face—my time serving Kansas FFA members is over halfway done.  I’m on the downhill slope, if you will.  My time in the blue jacket is almost over. 

This thought, in all honesty, scares me a little.  Tons of thoughts rush through my head… Have I made a good use of my time?  Did I make a difference?  How many lives have I touched?  These thoughts make me more determined than ever to make the most of my remaining time in the Kansas FFA blue corduroy.  I am ready to face my ‘downhill slope’ with an uphill attitude.  It’s time to appreciate all of the little things, soak it all in, work even harder.

Many of you may also find yourselves on the downhill slope.

   With the end of the school year coming, it’s pretty easy to find ourselves in a rut.  All we want is to not have to go to class, be done studying, and for summer to arrive.  It’s easy to do the bare minimum, scrape by.  I mean, we’ve been working hard since August.  My challenge: work even harder until May—in FFA and in school.  Finish your homework before you arrive in the class that it’s due, do that extra credit assignment that the teacher offered in the class you have a borderline grade in, practice your reasons sets, finish up this year’s record book.  Face this semester with an uphill attitude. 

   This time last year, I was struggling with a bad case of senioritis.  I was ready to be done with high school and off to college, ready for the real world.  For my seniors out there feeling the same way, my challenge: slow down, enjoy every moment.  Although it sounds cliché, you only get to do it once.  Face your final semester in high school with an uphill attitude, even though you really are on the downhill slope.  Work harder in class than you ever have before, try even harder in the CDE’s you have left, and take in every experience that you can while you’re still wearing the blue jacket. 

   When you find yourself chomping at the bit to get out of the small-town that you’ve called home for the last 18 or so years, my challenge: slow down, enjoy every moment.  When your mom’s nagging you to pick up your room, put away your laundry, or just sit down to talk with her—enjoy the moment.  When your dad says it’s your turn to do the chores or unload hay or build fence or just ‘get up and do something, by golly’—enjoy every moment.  When you’re fighting with your siblings over whose turn it is to wash the dishes, help your parents, or honestly just fighting in general—enjoy every moment.

   As weird as it is, I miss my mom nagging at me to put away my clothes.  Truth be told, I miss her just doing my laundry in general.  I miss hanging out with my dad and trying to soak in just a little of his wisdom from the life talks that we regularly have.  I miss fighting with my sister, Sara, about who stole whose shirt and whose turn it is to buy lunch.  And, even though he lives out on his own now, I miss my brother Rusty to death.  Although I love K-State and all of my friends here, nothing is quite like home.

   If we look at life like we’re on the downhill slope, it will all pass us by.  I am just as guilty as anyone of getting caught up in the moment—getting caught up in just getting done.  But life passes by way too fast.  We should wake up everyday and ask ourselves how we can make a difference.  We should wake up everyday and challenge ourselves to savor every moment.

Kansas FFA, have an uphill attitude!

What's the Reason?

   Without a doubt, my absolute favorite holiday movie is A Charlie Brown Christmas.  In this old-school Christmas cartoon, Charlie Brown searches for the true meaning of Christmas amid the commercialization trap that all of his friends seem to have fallen into.  By the time Christmas rolls around each year, I’ve watched it multiple times.  (Huge shoutout to my friends, and former Louisburg FFA members, Erin, Emily, Conner, and Katheryn for finally giving in and watching it with me!)  If you haven’t seen this movie, you’re missing out!

   But, the more I though about it, the more that I realized that our entire lives are like that of Charlie Brown.  We are constantly so caught up in what’s happening around us that we forget the real reason that we’re doing what we’re doing. 

   Are we in FFA to get out of school?  To score a trip to Manhattan for State Convention?  Are we FFA members because all of our friends are?  Because it’s the thing to do?  

Why are we truly in this organization?

   The reasons to join FFA are endless—and so are the possibilities while we’re wearing the blue jacket.  Maybe we joined FFA because our parents or older siblings were members.  Maybe we’re members because we like cattle or pigs or sheep or meat or tractors or welding.  Maybe we joined FFA because we believe in the future of agriculture—with a faith born not of words but of deeds.  Maybe it's because we want to grow up and give our children the same upbringing that we've had.  FFA can honestly take us anywhere that we will let it.

   FFA members, no matter your reason for joining, I hope that we all, like Charlie Brown, can find a true reason for why we are here.  I can guarantee that if we look hard enough, we will find one.  It’s easy to get caught up with all of the fun activities that our chapters do, but I can guarantee that there is a reason—a purpose—for all of them.  We all have a reason to be here.

Kansas FFA, find your reason to be here!

I wish you and all of your families a very Merry Christmas and an abundance of blessings in the New Year.

Contagious Enthusiasm

   It seems that every time that I have my blog post about half way written, I hit a ‘writer’s block.’  I sit down time after time, and the words just don’t seem to come.  But, then I have an experience that inspires me to write something a little bit different, and the words just seem to flow.

   Last night I had one of those experiences.  Last night I attended the K-State Choir Concert to listen to my friend and former FFA member Claire Bokelman (who has an amazing voice, I might add) and instantly realized that there was something different about this group of singers.  It didn’t take long for me to figure out that it was due to their director.

   This lady oozed passion.  She obviously loved what she was doing, and, in turn, everyone around her loved what they were doing too.  Whether it was talking to the audience between songs, singing along with her group, or clapping enthusiastically for her student conductors, her excitement for her work was contagious.  Her choir, her student conductors, the audience… we all caught the ‘enthusiasm bug.’  This choir director LOVES what she does.

   It was then, in the middle of that concert, that I realized I wanted to be just like her.  No, I don’t mean that music or choir is my calling.  (I can’t carry a tune in a ten gallon bucket.)  But, I want to be so excited about what I’m doing that everyone around me can’t help but be excited as well.  I want to love what I do.

   In FFA, we have a lot of chances to do things that we truly love.  Whether our forte is livestock, public speaking, or math, there truly is a place for all of us to find our passions within this organization.  We all have the chance to love what we do.  I love putting on my blue jacket; I love Kansas FFA members (like Erie FFA members pictured to the right, who I ran into at National FFA Convention); I love the relationships and skills that FFA has helped me to develop.  I love FFA.  I love what I do.

   My hope is that we can all find something to do that we love.  Our lives are happening NOW, and the time will pass by whether we want it to or not.  Would we rather live our lives quietly in the background, or spreading excitement and passion like the K-State choir director?  Don’t be afraid to try something new—our organization has so many opportunities to get outside of our comfort zone.  We never know when we might just find that one thing that we LOVE to do.

Kansas FFA, love what you do!

The Three G's

Earlier this evening I attended a supper for recipients of a scholarship that I was awarded as a senior in high school.  After congratulating us on receiving the scholarship and surviving our first few weeks of classes, the program director went on to talk about an alumni program that they were starting up to help with the transition from college to career.  She told us that we were selected as scholarship recipients because we had three traits that would help us not only in college, but also in our careers and our lives—the ‘Three G’s’ if you will.

Grit.  Gusto.  Gratitude.

As she said these three words, I realized that these are not only traits that Ellis Scholars should have, but also traits of every good FFA member.

grit noun 
courage and resolve; strength of character.

   If you’re like me, you’ve probably had times when you’ve wondered if it’s all worth it.  Maybe your calf died?  You didn’t do so well in a CDE?  Maybe you’ve stood up to give a speech and realized that you can’t remember it?  I’ve definitely had a few of these—like the time my computer crashed and I lost the State Degree application I had spent hours perfecting or the time I went to the South Central District Greenhand Conference and realized that I’d left all of the Greenhand Information Tests in my Manhattan dorm room.

   If we’re honest with ourselves, we all mess up.  We all make mistakes; we all face hard times. We all have problems.  The true test of character is how we react to them.  Do we blame others?  Try to cover it up? Act like it never happened?  Or do we take responsibility? Do our best to amend the problem? Do we persevere?  Do we push through?  Kansas FFA, be tough—push through—have grit.

gusto noun enjoyment or vigor in doing something; zest.

         I’ll be the first to admit that sometimes my attitude can be a little lackluster.  It’s hard to be excited when you’re on that early morning bus headed to a CDE or when you’re in a chapter meeting that seems to be dragging on.  But what does our attitude say about us?  If we all tried a little harder to live life with a little more zest, how much more fun would the world be?

         We are students in the BEST student led organization in the BEST industry in the BEST country in the world.  We have a LOT to be excited about! So let’s do it.  Whether it’s offering encouragement to those around us, being a little more peppy in our meetings, AGvocating for the industry we love, or working harder for that CDE, let’s live our lives with a little more gusto.

gratitude noun the quality of being thankful; readiness to show appreciation for and to return kindness.

         Though this G is probably the easiest of the three, it is sometimes the one we take the most for granted.  We, as FFA members, are so incredibly blessed.  Our advisors are there for the early mornings, the late night practices, and the long road trips.  They take time from their families, hobbies, lives to invest in us.  When was the last time we told them thank you?

         What about our parents, school administration, bus drivers, and chapter officers?  The list of people that make our experiences possible goes on and on and on.  It’s amazing what a difference a simple ‘thank you’ can have.  Kansas FFA, go out there and show some gratitude.

Grit. Gusto. Gratitude.  I pledge today to make these ‘Three G’s’ the story of my everyday life… the challenge is here for you too.

Kansas FFA, live a life with GRIT, GUSTO, and GRATITUDE!

Reach for the Stars

    I can’t count how many times I’ve made the trek from my hometown of Garden City to Manhattan. Whether it was for State Convention, State CDE’s, K-State’s Ag Ed Speech Contest, or a campus visit—the 4 ½ hour trip never seemed to get any shorter.  Now that I’m attending K-State, I’m sure that I will be making that trip more often.

    Since I’ve been driving that stretch of road by myself, I’ve noticed a lot more scenery than I used to when I was reading a book or taking a nap in the backseat. A few trips back I noticed that there was a historical marker on the outskirts of a Burdett, a small town that I often passed on my expeditions back and forth.  Being the history nerd that I am, I determined to stop there, but just not that day.  Most of the time, I’m in a pretty big hurry to either make it home or make it to the good ole MHK.

    But, on the way back to Manhattan from a Labor Day weekend spent at home with my family and friends, I decided that I had time to stop.  It turns out that the historical marker honored a man named Dr. Clyde Tombaugh, a 1925 graduate of Burdett High School.  While many of us may have never heard of Dr. Tombaugh, we’ve all heard of his work.  Dr. Tombaugh discovered the planet Pluto in 1930, among a myriad of other things.

    I was a little surprised to say the least.  You mean to tell me that the guy who discovered Pluto was from Middle-of-Nowhere, Kansas?  Who knew?! 

    Dr. Tombaugh grew up on a small farm in a small Kansas town.  Sound familiar?  His background probably sounds a lot like many of ours.  However, he still made an incredible difference in our understanding of the universe.  Dr. Tombaugh literally reached for the stars… and the found them.

    Who knows what we are capable of if we constantly strive for excellence—maybe we’ll discover a new planet, develop a more efficient corn hybrid, or create a tractor that drives itself.  The possibilities really are endless!  It doesn’t matter where we come from, we can still leave our mark.

Kansas FFA, reach for the stars!