Plenty

Today's Thought, while not originally mine, certainly struck a chord with my own gardening experience. Back home in Johnsburg my dad and I would stock our garden full of tomatoes, potatoes, beans and even peas every spring. And every year we would have a bounty of plenty come harvest time. So much so that there was no way our family would be able to eat all the produce. So, invariably around late July, I would peddle our free veggies to the neighbors. Every year it was this way. The hope of spring would eventually give away to an inordinate amount of produce.

What is your plenty? My garden is very symbolic of our very lives. You see, Warren Buffet once said that we have won the Ovarian Lottery. Simply by being born in this country, with everything we have, we have been blessed and lucky beyond measure.

Keeping with this season of thanksgiving, take some time to think about what you have plenty of, what you have so much of that you can't help but give it away. I think we all have those things that we enter into so excitedly and innocently, only to be overwhelmed by the fruits of our labor. Maybe you can relate to this, except you've never thought to give your excess away. I would encourage you to do so. They say it takes a village to raise a child. Well, even a child can sustain a village, giving of him or herself. What is your plenty?

Thanks

I have to say I have no idea who John Green is. However, I do enjoy his sentiment in today's Thought. In all the things that I'm thankful for, near the top of the list has to be the educational system providing for our country. Yes, I think we all realize that there are issues that must be addressed. Within this system (or maybe in spite of it), education at the local levels is amazing. How many others out there continue to hold pride for the high school they graduated from year earlier (Go Rebels!)? Maybe I'm a bit biased as I'm studying to be a teacher, but I for one am thankful that I don't live in a country (completely) filled with stupid people.

What are you thankful for? Moreover, are you thankful just this one week out of the year? Or do you find ways to express thanks throughout the year? Maybe you're thankful for a set of parents who have steered you through life. Or perhaps it's a teacher who showed you how to make a career doing what you love. No matter who or what you are thankful for, show that you are thankful in your words and actions. Yes, for sure, do so this week. But don't stop there. Continue to show your thanks throughout the year.

Humility

Today's Thought is courtesy of Calvin and his incessant bully, Moe. I'd like to look at Calvin's last word in this strip: Taunt. For better or for worse, the first thing I think of when I see that word is the National Football League and the players need to taunt and tease the opposing teams. When you taunt, you are attempting to assert your dominance or why someone should be worried about messing with you. Is this really what we want to be doing?

What about humility? What if it didn't matter what we said, rather what we do is what matters? Now I'm not saying let's eliminate all of this grandstanding that at times can be quite entertaining and exhilarating. Rather, let's never forget to be humble individuals. It doesn't matter what we say. What matters is what we do and how we do it.

Targets

What can I say, I'm a teacher at heart. The core question that every lesson planning session begins with is "What do I want my students to learn?" What's the target?

We all have something we are aiming for. Cheesy classroom posters notwithstanding (Shoot for the moon, at least you'll land among the stars!), there's always that end goal, that target that we want to achieve. What is your target?

No matter what your target is, don't hesitate in following it. No matter how crazy, how out there your dream and target seems, just go for it. Just like opening gifts, the journey to your target will bring many surprises-some pleasant, some not so pleasant-to your life. Some of my best targets haven't led me to where I thought I wanted to go. I think my best targets led me to a place that I wasn't necessarily expecting to be but rather the exact place I needed to be. What's your target?

Insane

I can't remember if I've use this Thought before. But, it is a good one, so I figure there is no harm in using it again. Today in class, we started a unit on electrical wiring. The thing with wiring is that it's a lot like a puzzle. It's just a matter of getting all the pieces in the right spot. While struggling to figure out the puzzle, I kept catching myself trying to make it work by putting old pieces in the same spots. You can imagine, this didn't work. I was being quite insane.

Have you ever been insane? And if so, what can we do about it? I find that if just step away, take a break then come back later my problems seem much easier to solve. What are some of your favorite strategies?

Evolution

Today's Thought comes from that wonderful beast known as the internet. I think this image of the ape beginning to walk is fairly synonymous with the idea of evolution. Today's post is not about how man came to be. Instead, it about this idea of evolution in our own, personal lives. Looking back at my own life, my career aspirations have evolved considerably. First, I wanted to be a marine biologist. Due to my intense enjoyment of fishing, I wanted to manage the fisheries I used. However, I gradually discovered my love of teaching and sought to make a career teaching agriculture.

How have you, in your own life, evolved? Perhaps your personal worldview has evolved. Like me, maybe your career aspirations have changed considerably. No matter what has evolved, I daresay each and every one of us can identify some form of evolution in our own lives. What has your evolution meant for you? We should all strive to make positive evolutions in our lives. Without positive change, what are we doing? Regressing, or even worse, stagnating? Don't stop evolving.

Beyond

As I sit watching the last few episodes of How I Met Your Mother, I have to come back to this Thought. I've used Barney Stinson's famous saying before in a post, but I wanted to come back to it today. You see, tonight is one of the famous Cup Games between FarmHouse Fraternity and Alpha Gamma Rho Fraternity. As a member of FarmHouse, I have been getting excited about this for the whole week.

You see, in order for us to be successful, we have to move beyond the ordinary. What is this beyond? Some say it's extraordinary. Stinson would call it legendary. No matter what you call it, it is the same idea.
 Have you ever been beyond ordinary? I think everyone has at least one of those stories how it just seemed like everything clicked. Perhaps it was in a competition. In my own life, I've felt that experience while playing piano, while acting and even while teaching. For each person, moving beyond the ordinary, to the legendary, means something different.

In order to succeed, must stop being ordinary. No matter the effort required, we must go beyond. In order to succeed, we must be legendary.

Fall

Despite it no longer being October and World Series won weeks ago, I still wanted to get this Thought out there. Not only does it involve one of my favorite sports, but it kicks off a sense of thought and wonderment at the changing season.

Every fall amazes me. Here are the living things, these trees around us, that suddenly decide, "I think I'm going to drop all my leaves today". Not only is it an incredible site to see, but the pure adaptation by these species is incredible. As humans we barely have to get ready for winter. Sure, we might grow our hair a little longer and we might wear heavier clothing, but on the whole, we don't change a whole lot. Not so for the trees. Many go through a complete transformation. I know I've found myself surprised at the network of branches that are suddenly visible once the leaves have dropped. What surprises you? Perhaps there is something about fall that is utterly awe-inspiring and amazing to you. Think about that. Look around. Appreciate the natural beauty all around us.

Constants

Today's Thought is courtesy of that wonderful television show known as Doctor Who. I think the message of this image is fairly clear. However, what about Doctor Who has allowed it to stick around this long? This isn't meant as an exhaustive essay on the merits of the show, rather a discussion and a question about the idea of holding power.

Think back to you own life. How many things have changed since you were born? What has stayed the same? The first thing I think of is technology. Even in the last five years, the changes have been stark. However, the thing that hasn't changed is the fact that we still need people to use technology. Despite our best efforts, we still can't replicate the human touch. Thank goodness for that, without this impossibility so many of us, myself included, would be out of a job. I suppose it is a little scary to think of how rapidly change happens. However, I also think it is very reassuring that some things haven't changed. Despite all the changes, we still have constants to hold onto. What has stayed the same?

Connected

This past weekend I had the opportunity to attend Agriculture Future of America Leaders Conference in my final year of eligibility. For those of you unaware, AFA is a professional development organization serving outstanding college men and women pursuing degrees in the agricultural field. Throughout the weekend I met and interacted with numerous people, from CEOs of the top agricultural companies to collegiate peers just starting out in the journey called life after college. However, it didn't really hit me until this morning just what this experience meant to me.

Throughout the day today I have been receiving various emails, tweets, LinkedIn Connections and friend requests from people I met. Despite the fact that we are all miles apart, we still seek a way to stay connected. It's quite amazing the network that I have built along with my fellow agricultural professionals.

I will confess, I have no idea where this image comes from. I found it in a simple Google Image search and I thought it summed up this idea of being connected quite well. You see, it doesn't matter where life takes us, what matters is the fact that we continue to keep these connections alive. This connection is our life-blood. Without it, we would be lost, confused, out on our own in what can be an unforgiving professional world. Will you be connected? Don't let yourself sit out there alone. Find people. Make friendships. Who knows, years down the road, these connections might just save your life.

Place

Today's Thought is one of those rare gems that comes from a textbook in school. In my time in school, there's always been a building to go to. No matter what, there's a physical place you go to. However, is this really what matters? You see, school is a mindset, a concept. What is your mindset?

I think we all have those things that we have just always had in mind. Whether it's school as a place or something else that we just can't help but see one way, it's time to let go. Let go of those mindsets that may be limiting you and move onto the possibilities.

Remember

Remember remember, the fifth of November... I don't know about you, but every time I watch the movie V for Vendetta I always get goosebumps when V gives his speeches. Seen as it is November 5, I thought this was an appropriate post. So, what will you remember?

In the National FFA Organization Creed, there is a line that goes "...in the promise of better days through better ways, even as the better things we now enjoy have come to us through the struggles of former years." Again, what will you remember? Will you remember those struggles, those moments when all seemed lost yet success and victory was just around the corner? Will you remember those moments so important, that an act of treason must be taken? I see no reason why they should ever be forgot.

Kids

A few weekends back, I had the honor to meet my girlfriend's family for the first time. As expected, I was a bit nervous to be meeting these folks, after all, I suspect their opinion holds a bit of sway. Perhaps the person I was most nervous about meeting was her seven year old sister who simply adores my girlfriend. I will say, all went well, but it started my mind thinking.

Why do kids matter? What is it about them that made me so nervous? I think the answer lies in this panel. Kids, our children, they are the future. By nature, they are smaller, more easily influenced by adults and other stimuli. And yet, they seem to have limitless energy and enthusiasm for life.

I think it's so easy for us as young adults to forget our childish things. Rather than forgetting them, pack them away. Put them aside, but always have them ready for when a child enters your life. Perhaps it's a niece or nephew. Perhaps it's even your own child. Don't throw away your childish things. You might just be throwing away someones future.