Keeping Commitments: i.e. Real Study

Hey everybody,
Last week was Spring Break, which explains my lack of posting and Word of the Days.  I spent it in Boston with my sister Melissa and her family, and one of my good friends Madison. It was great fun, but I didn't do anything very agricultural while I was there to report on. :)

Before I left though,. I had an experience that I really wanted to blog about, but didn't get a chance to (my parents were in town and my brother was getting married...it was busy). So, I'll tell you about it now.

Thursday night, (March 11) I finished a long and very good video conference with my coach Rayne.  I was excited to get to work on some new projects and do some studying that evening.  The problem was, I already had plans for that night.

Let me give you some background information:  I love working with students with disabilities.  It's an interest of mine, I thought I might even major in Special Education.  Anyway, I work with students in my Society and Disability class at the university, and also in a "reverse mainstream" religion class.

One student, named Brian, has become a good friend of mine.  I work with him every Tuesday studying the Book of Mormon, and we have a lot of fun together.  I try not to miss that class very often because it makes Brian very sad.  Last Tuesday, (March 9) he asked me to come to a special needs talent show he (and many of the other students with disabilities) would be performing in.  I told him that I would borrow my brother's car or find a ride and that I would be there, for sure.  I even made a pinky promise on it.

Well, Thursday night came and I had arranged for my brother Calvin to pick me up and take me to the talent show.  The problem was, I just didn't feel like going. I had a ton of laundry to do, my room was a mess, I needed to pack for Boston, and I had a lot of FFA studying to do to make up for the time I'd miss on Spring Break.  I thought to myself, "I'm just too busy, I can't make it."  That, and I just didn't want to go, because sitting alone at a talent show didn't sound like much fun.  I've never much liked talent shows.

I grabbed my cell phone to call Calvin and tell him not to pick me up, and started to close the browsers on my laptop.  As I scrolled over my blog, I noticed my entry from just a few days ago, and read the following:

"And today's word is livid, an adjective which means enraged or furiously angry, as in: When people break promises or fail to follow through with their commitments, it makes me livid!"

I had just written about how angry it makes me when people don't follow through with commitments, and  yet I was about to break my promise to Brian.  How hypocritical I had become!

Studying, I realized, is not just learning and memorizing facts, answering interview questions, and looking professional.  It's also having character, being the best person you can be and doing what you say you will do.  I knew that, I try to work on that with my monthly goals, but I guess I had forgotten.

So, I called Calvin and told him to pick me up- I would go to the talent show.  I knew I was doing the right thing, but I still felt like I was wasting some of my precious time.  So I brought a leadership book and thought maybe I could read a bit when the show got especially dull.

I'm so glad I went.  The moment the show started, I caught on to the spirit of the audience, which seemed to have one goal: make every performer feel like a super star.  The emcee was great as well, making everyone laugh and he connected so well with all the kids.

The show was over 2 hours long, but I didn't get out my book ever.  The talent show was really fun, and I felt great about keeping my promise.  Seeing Brian's face afterward, when he saw that I had come, was well worth it.

In conclusion: studying to me means becoming who I want to be.  So when I tell the Nominating Committee that I'm a person who keeps their promises, I want it to be a true statement.

Speaking of promises, I promised Lori that I would finish the State Convention article tomorrow...so I have to do it now!  Life is hectic, but I love it. :)

Have a nice night, I'll blog more later,
Rachel