“Oh look, I’ve been impaled.” “Yoo-hoo, big summer blowout.”
“Some people are worth melting for.”
These are all quotes from the Disney movie, Frozen. Frozen
tells the tale of two sisters, Anna and Elsa. There’s a crazy adventure that
involves Elsa accidentally setting an eternal winter on their kingdom. Along the
way, they meet a man and his best friend reindeer and get help from a talking
snowman who likes hugs. I won’t ruin it in case you haven’t seen it, in which
case, you need to go watch it!
Anyways, a bunch of crazy stuff happens, and they rescue the
kingdom, and then they lively happily ever after, and then…well then it’s over.
The movie is all done, and there isn’t anything else to watch. Lately, I’ve been
thinking about how just like movies, we have a lot of ends in our lives.
Whether it’s high school, clubs, FFA, a job, or something else along those
lines. We start off getting acquainted with it, just like the beginning part of
a movie where we get a feel for what the movie is about. Then we get into the
middle, we may face conflict, we get really into whatever we’re doing. And then
eventually, that experience ends, just like every movie.
It’s easy to feel sad when a chapter of our life is coming
to a close. Maybe we only have 2 months before graduating high school, maybe
this is our last season in a certain sport, maybe we’re going to move from the
junior high to the high school, maybe it’s our last year in FFA, or maybe we’re
going to be getting a different job. These are all examples of times when a
chapter in our life may come to a close, and that can be exciting, scary, sad,
or a combination of the three, but we should not get down. Here are a few things to do when a chapter in
our life seems to be coming to an end.
1. Appreciate the movie
Just like a great movie, it is totally acceptable, and actually
important, to reflect back on the experience. It’s fun to relive moments,
remember back, and joke about memories. It’s important to think back to the
exciting moments, the sad moments, and everything in between. Once you look
back at these moments, you can see and appreciate how each and every step led
you to where you are right now. Take time to journal and record all the great
times, so down the road you can rewind the film and relive them again.
2 Learn from the film
Some of my favorite movies are the ones that make me think.
Whether I just watched Rocky demonstrate what it means to put in hard work, or
I just saw Mulan demonstrate how regardless of being a man or woman, we can all make a difference, I
love watching movies that I can reflect on and get a message out of. The same
goes for our real-life experiences. We can find lessons in almost any life
event, and we can use those lessons to better ourselves and help prepare us for
future experiences as well. Stop and think what we have learned or can learn
from our experiences.
3 Figure out what to do next
After any movie gets down at my house, I am always faced
with the question: what do I do next? Do I watch another or go to bed? Do I go
outside, or should I go find something to eat? At the closing of any chapter of
our life, we need to decide where we’re heading next. What do we want to get
involved in? Where do we want to commit our time to? Where do we want to go
now? These are all questions to ask ourselves and reflect on as we look
forward.
At the end of this month, my state officer team and I will
be coming to the end of a chapter in our lives. We will be retiring from our
respective offices and will be moving on to the next step in our lives.
Although it is scary and sad, it is also extremely exciting. I am confident
that each of us has a great path ahead of us, and we are all excited to see
where that path leads.
Throughout the past year, we’ve had a chance to meet some
incredible students and members, while learning from passionate teachers and
industry leaders. I have gained numerous experiences, skills, and friends along
the way and cannot wait to bring all of these along with me to wherever life
may lead. The number of people I need to thank is too long for any one blog
post, but I certainly appreciate everyone who has been a part of this journey.
I know that there are almost 11,000 members in Minnesota who have their own
exciting journeys ahead of them, and I can’t wait to see what the future holds
in store for Minnesota FFA.
And always remember, sometimes it’s not the end, sometimes
it’s just To Be Continued…
For the last time,
Stationed by the Rising Sun,
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