Someday Is Today

“One day, you’re 17 and you’re planning for someday. And then quietly, without you ever really noticing, someday is today. And then someday is yesterday. And this is your life.”

If any of you have ever heard this quote, then you probably know what show it comes from. Over the past year that show, One Tree Hill, quickly became one of my very favorite television shows. It portrays the lives of many different kinds of students just trying to make their way through high school. Just like the students in One Tree Hill, I at times feel myself coasting and just looking for the finish line, or what I like to call graduation. As high schoolers, we oftentimes like to “wish away” our four years. We find ourselves ready to move on to the next big thing. I’m as guilty of it as the next person and I’ve found that these four years fly by quicker than what I expected them to.

As I’m getting ready to pack up most of my room and belongings this fall, I have gotten into the mood of reflecting on my life and most importantly my four years in high school. I can’t help but think back to my very first high school football game where I could finally stand in the “big kid” student section and cheer on the home team or even the excitement I felt for my very first high school dance. All of those very “firsts” have now turned into my very “lasts”. I know that when it comes time to walk across that stage and receive my high school diploma those memories will come flooding back, but the ones I will miss the very most are the ones I shared in my blue jacket. Some of my most treasured moments have come from wearing that jacket and I wouldn’t trade any of them for the world. Through the years I have met some of my nearest and dearest friends, been given the opportunity to travel around the country, and found what I absolutely love advocating for agriculture and I hope to make a career out of it. None of that would have ever been possible if I hadn’t opened myself up to the possibility of growing as a person and getting involved in the FFA. I know from personal experience that it can be hard to get out of your comfort zone because that’s our safe place. That’s where we can be ourselves and truly be comfortable in our own skin. Shortly after beginning high school, FFA became my safe place. It has become the place where I can grow as a person but still be myself. My fellow chapter members have quickly become my second family, my FFAmily.

When it comes time to zip my jacket up for the very last time, I know that it will be a bittersweet moment. My jacket has become a second part of who I am. It has felt the excitement of doing well at a speech contest, the tears of happiness when I was elected as a district officer, and most importantly the laughter that I shared with old and new friends. My jacket has seen so many experiences throughout my high school career and I wouldn’t have wanted to have it any other way. I will be forever grateful for all of the memories that I have made in FFA. As I get ready to hang up my jacket, somewhere, someone is putting theirs on for the very first time. My biggest wish and piece of advice for them is to make the most out of the four short years that you’ll have in that jacket because before you know it, you’ll be in my shoes and getting ready to start a new chapter in your life. This is your life and your years as an FFA member. Don’t be afraid to make the most of it.

“Never let the fear of striking out keep you from playing the game!” -Babe Ruth

Your North Central District Vice President, 

Natalie Harris