Surprise!
Surprises. We’ve all had those moments in life that just sneak up on us. Ones we aren’t expecting or perhaps ones that we are expecting, but they still jump out at us no matter how much we prepare. We can find a lot of joy in surprises, but we can also lose ourselves in worrying about the unexpected. I learned a lesson this week which came to me through surprises.
I would like to think that I am a “tough guy,” but in actuality, when I get sick, I shrivel up into a shell of a man. The stereotypical image of a man who is worthless when he has an illness rings very true to me. When I woke up Monday morning and didn’t feel good, I told myself that I was fine and just needed to suck it up and that I had too much to do to be sick. It is safe to say that I was surprised when I walked into the doctor’s office only for them to tell me that I had a 102º fever. I immediately had to cancel my plans to travel to a Greenhand Conference, find a replacement, and explain to the rest of the state officers why I couldn’t fulfill my duties. Luckily my team is super understanding and bailed me out… but that left me to worry about National FFA Convention and all of my classes I needed to catch up on. I was surprised when my grandmother offered to take me home to rest, but I couldn’t refuse Grandma Donna’s TLC and went home.
I found that I missed my own bed and my family. My biggest surprise was how much I’d been neglecting my family and life at home while I’d been at college. I had become so caught up in keeping up and worrying about the unexpected that I forgot how much I missed just sitting with my family. This surprise snuck up on me while watching the KSU volleyball game. So what did I do? I relaxed and revisited life at home and caught up with my family. Before long, I was feeling better and able to come back to KSU. I think the opportunity to reconnect helped with a speedy recovery and it helped me learn the lesson I talked about. Don’t get too busy to slow down because you will be surprised by what you have been missing.