If I could go back in time and look at myself as a kindergartener, I would give myself a heads up. But, I wouldn’t tell that blonde haired little girl what would happen, I would more than likely hand her a note and tell her not to open it until she got home. Knowing that little girl, she would shove it into the pocket of her blue jeans protecting it with her life until she got home. Then, she would run into her room sit in her closet and rip open the note. Realizing she couldn’t read, she’d hide it in the most secret spot in her room. Then, she would try to learn how to read, begging her parents to teach her. The note would probably sit in that secret spot for a year or two until she could finally read it.

Gena,
1.
Someday, you will get along with your older sister.
2.
Don’t eat imitation eggs; you will puke all over some boy at school.
3.
Face the fact that whenever you dress nicely, you will get messy.
4.
Don’t listen to people who make fun of you. They are losers.
5.
Spend as much time as possible with Grandpa Gene.
6.
Cry whenever you feel the need to. Never hold it back.
7.
Learn how to say no.
8.
Transfer to a new high school.
9.
Tell your dad anything you need to.
10.
Remember to spend time with your little sister.
11.
Pen cattle up when you think they are about to calve.
12.
Don’t spend your money on stupid stuff.
13.
When you’re having a bad day turn on country music and grab a pen and paper.
14.
Cops won’t care how tired you are, don’t speed home.
15.
Tell people how you really feel.
16.
Do what makes you happy, not what will make other people happy.
17.
Meet a guy named John Michael from Muscatine.
18.
Don’t be afraid to have some fun.

The truth is, if I could go back in time, I could do this. I could tell five year old Gena, all the obstacles she might have to face in her life and she could avoid them, but then she wouldn’t have the chance to live. Every event that has happened in my life has made me who I am. You see, if I told myself what to watch for and how to avoid it, I could be lying to myself. If one person chooses to go a different path in their life, their whole life could change. Along with that, it could change the outcome of another person’s life also. For example, if I never took Wilton Ag classes while a freshman at Durant, I wouldn’t have even thought about transferring. This would have changed a lot of opportunities and events in my life. I guess the moral of my story is to live life to the fullest. Be thankful for what you have and the opportunities you have been able to have in your life. If you don’t like the way your life is or who you are, change it. By choosing that one simple path you could change your entire life.