Bittersweet Endings

    If I had a dollar for every time I heard all great things come to an end, I'd have an excellent

retirement account set up by now. It was a phrase I hated hearing whenever it came to my last

FFA event or last rugby game. However, this saying has a lot of meaning behind it.

    As I think about the last few days of state office, I wanted to share how my final bittersweet moments are lasting memories and the importance of making the most of them. To start, I need to begin with how High School started. On the first day of high school, my dad told me that high school would be some of my life's best and worst four years. I will have some really good memories and some tough challenges to face. Thinking back on this conversation, he was right. 

    High school was full of exciting moments, but the days of Covid made it challenging at times. We all remember this random time in history that has changed so much about our day-to-day life. Good things came out of this time, but it also put people and families in stressful times. Thankfully this time has mostly passed, and we're back to spending time with people again. Thinking back to the conversation with my dad at the beginning of my freshman year, if we both knew how big of an impact Covid would have on us, I would know how important making the most of my time with people would be.

    My last FFA meeting was a bittersweet end to my days in the Warsaw FFA Jacket. I was uncomfortable knowing if it would be the last time I would wear the jacket. I knew I had the Indiana FFA State Convention coming up and running for state office, but the time I had to spend with my home chapter could have been better. So, I had to make the most of that last FFA meeting with my friends and classmates with whom I enjoyed the previous four years.

    My last Rugby game was another bittersweet moment. I was the team captain for this game, and as a senior, I had to lead the team. I was one of the only players who had ever played the game before our season started, and I had to push players to continue to grow throughout the season. But our last game was different. We spent so much time practicing to perfect our game and grew together as a team. I always gave my everything out on the pitch, getting kicked in the face causing a bloody nose, or breaking my ring finger trying to win a ruck. I always gave every game my all. But in the last game, my teammates followed suit. We all left every practice and every fundamental piece we learned of the game out on the pitch, which made this game a memory.

    Whatever last moment you're going through, FFA meeting, Banquet, or contest, know that all of

the hours you spent with this organization came down to that moment, and you have a choice to

make. Do you make the most of these last moments, or do you let the time fly by so fast you

don't realize it past?

                                                                                        - Anthony Taylor