As the final chapter visits are coming closer and the National FFA Convention has ended, there's time to breathe. Earlier this year, I found myself wondering if I would survive the coming school year working 2 jobs, going to school, playing in the youth symphony, and doing FFA and student council. I'll be the first to admit it was too much. All of these activities and I even gave up varsity volleyball.....it was tough. Doing all these activities is all I've known. I've always been involved. I've always wanted to do more....but there's just not enough hours in a day or days in a week. To put it simply, I was pushing my own limits too far.
You see, it's my theory that in today's society, teens are pushed and pushed to get involved because it looks good on applications, because it gives us more experiences, or because it will keep us out of trouble. When we get too involved though...it's only asking for trouble. I think our society needs to start letting kids breathe a little; let's teach our generation the importance of stopping to smell the flowers.
As a senior in high school i'm beginning to see why so many who have graduated before me were so stressed out. The final grades. The college applications. The costs. The graduation requirements. And the question most of us fear...what am I going to do with my life?
Although a few people have told me I don't need to know yet, it feels as if it's not being enforced enough to all the seniors. Having found myself in a panic because I found I don't want to be a nurse anymore after looking at colleges all over the US based on their nursing programs, the phrase, "Stop and smell the flowers," has become my best friend.
So, now you see, stopping to smell the flowers isn't always a bad thing. We need to slow down. we may just find ourselves to far ahead of what we planned for. For me, I'm taking a year off of school to focus souly on FFA. Maybe a class for fun, but defnitely not full time. That's my way of taking a step back to enjoy the coming adventures. What will you do?
Sincerely,
Rayna Nelson
Alaska FFA Vice President
