MY Obstacle, YOUR Reward

A few weeks ago, I had the chance to travel back home and as I drove, I took a quick detour to see one of my closest friends, Kaitlyn. Her and I have one of those friendships where we are able to call one another sisters. We have two COMPLETELY opposite personalities but when we are together, there is never a dull moment. Most of our memories consist of goat shows, cleaning the barn, shopping trips, and long talks. The past few months we’ve been pushed to take advantage of short visits with one another. This detour was one of those moments.  

When I arrived at Kaitlyn’s apartment, I was so excited to first, look through her fridge for food and second, see her for possibly the last time until December. Kaitlyn is a few years older than me and is getting ready to move to Oklahoma to start her first full time job. I have known about the thought of her moving since the beginning of the summer, but in only a few days from now that thought will become a reality. She will actually be 12 hours and 3 states away.

As I get ready to knock on the apartment door, I feel my mind recollect that this is the final time I will every knock on this door and the final time I will be able to take that quick detour to see her. She opened the door, I walked in, and we took advantage of the short 45 minute time period we had to chat. I never wanted to have her 12 hours away. I never wanted her to be 3 states away, but I never had a say.

Every now and then, we run into obstacles that we truly wish were not there. Life would be a lot easier having Kaitlyn in Indiana, but that isn’t the case. This is my obstacle right now. However this isn’t her obstacle, this is her reward. Her long nights spent studying and working with tutors allowed her to graduate college. This is my obstacle and her reward. A lot of times, we are so focused on what is making our life difficult that we forget to look at how it is making someone else's better. I challenge you to look at someone else’s life for a moment. See if what you see as an obstacle is actually their reward.

Always trying to see your rewards,

Chyenne Deno

2018-2019 Indiana FFA State Reporter