An Adventurous Soul

“You must go on adventures to find out where you belong.” A quote that couldn’t have been anymore true this past Thanksgiving break. I had an amazing opportunity to spend a full day with my lovely team out in Western Kansas. We were able to meet some great individuals during the Southwest Leadership day at Hugoton Kansas. Every event I go to that relates to FFA makes me feel welcome and at home. Although that day was a success, the road trip to get there and the adventure afterwards were just as welcoming.

The road trip for me started off just like any other. I left my family’s Thanksgiving at 1:40 PM, picked up Dean at his house at 2:40, then headed to Topeka to pick up Gabby at 3:30. After picking up Gabby everything turned into a blur which was mostly because I fell asleep and I don’t remember much on the road. When we picked up Lane and Kyler, it turned into a full out family style road trip. We had Lane and Dean arguing about the music that should be played, Kyler and I strategically speaking of current events, and of
course Gabby just wanting to receive some more sleep. As you can guess… Our parental figure (Bailey), was not in the car until 2 hours later at Buhler. Bailey, who usually keeps the peace, opened a whole new can of worms when she brought homemade cookies onto the caravan. This sparked a sudden stop of the vehicle to determine who would be the fair distributor of the cookies. We made it to Hugoton around 11:40 that night and received a great nights rest.
            This road trip to Hugoton made me realize how important my FFA family is. How each of us play a critical part on the team. Just as Lane keeps it lighthearted and Gabby keeping it professional. I spark enthusiasm on my team, and Kyler ensures that we step out of our comfort zones at times to achieve greatness. We can’t forget how Bailey at all time tries to keep us organized and on time. We all need to think of our part in playing a critical role on our team in sports, FFA, or even at home. As we step out of our comfort zone in workshops and in speeches, Dean challenges our team to step out of our comfort zones in life.

Shortly after our workshops in Hugoton, Dean had the wonderful idea of going to Oklahoma. At the time, we did not realize he also wanted to go all the way to New Mexico as well. We all were held captive in the vehicle as Lane and Dean ensured that we were all going to Oklahoma and New Mexico. I am so glad that they made us come along on this once in lifetime journey. We were able to witness the beautiful countryside of Oklahoma and New Mexico. We were captivated by the sheer beauty and how we almost missed out due to our wanting to go home.

All adventures don’t come without challenges. Along the way we almost miscalculated our gas and ended up stranded in the middle of Oklahoma. This is where a hero stepped in, Asa Jones, a small town farmer who was an honorary FFA Member. As we were asking for a few spare gallons of gas, he was the individual that saved us and helped us reach our goal of making it to New Mexico. All the same he made sure we had a laugh and left us in higher morale and with a better understanding of how community’s stick together. We left that small town, made it to New Mexico, and made the long trek back home. The whole time I enjoyed what I saw but I realized how important my home was to me.

That adventure helped me realize where I truly belong, home in Holton, Kansas. Adventures can help you find yourself, this one was short but it helped me understand where I belong and how I can make myself better at the end of the day. It is up to us as individuals to not be afraid to take that journey that might spend more time out of our day but make us a better individual at the end. I send out a challenge to all, don’t hesitate on the next adventure, you don’t know how many more are at your disposal.