Count Your Blessings

Although Instagram’s feed no longer appears in chronological order (are they ever going to change that, by the way?!), I still find myself scrolling through it on a fairly regular basis, and I always get to see a wide variety of posts whenever I open the app. While it’s fun to see what friends and family are up to, or photos of events and news from organizations like National FFA, Instagram does have its downfalls. After double-tapping countless pictures of dream vacations, perfect outfits, and pretty Starbucks drinks, it doesn’t take long before your timeline has reminded you of all the things you wish you had.

            Sometimes, it’s hard not to get caught up in worrying about all the things we don’t have, and summer is an especially tough time. Between seeing posts on social media about what other people are doing and being busy with our own activities and responsibilities, it’s often difficult to remember to slow down and appreciate all the good things in our lives.

            This is something that I struggle with as well. Trying to balance everything I need to get done, and all the things I want to do means my summers often become a (somewhat overwhelming) blur. When we are caught up in the hustle of this time of year, we sometimes forget to take a minute and remember how blessed we really are. It’s no secret that most of us have goals, things we are continuously striving to achieve. This ambition is great, but it’s also important to look at everything we’ve already accomplished. This drive to succeed will take us far, but so will having the ability to appreciate the beauty of our current situations.

            This is where the phrase, “count your blessings,” comes in handy. Whether we are feeling disappointed by the fact that we aren’t having the insta-worthy summer on the lake that our classmate is, or we are too worried about what we want to do or have next, sometimes we need to simply pause for a second to acknowledge all the reasons we have to be happy. The best way to make it through a negative or stressful situation is to find the positives. This tweet from Kid President sums it up pretty well:

            If we can simply count our blessings and keep our focus on “the awesome,” we will realize that there’s always something to be grateful for. For example, having lots of “thank-you” cards to write from my high school graduation, while time-consuming, means that I have loving, caring friends and family who helped me celebrate this milestone in my life. I have a giant, lovely, purple bruise on my leg from being kicked by a calf, but this is because I have the amazing opportunity to raise livestock and be involved in the agricultural industry. I have a roof over my head, a supportive family, three cute dogs, and a blue corduroy jacket hanging in my closet. Counting my blessings always reminds me that I have so many reasons to be thankful, and I challenge each of you to do the same, because “the awesome” is always there.

Peyton Schmitt

 State Secretary