A Plane’s Eye View
A bird’s eye view is high in the air; however, a plane’s eye view is even higher, and is something I had the opportunity to encounter this summer. Overlooking land below the wing of an airplane is a beautiful sight, it all looks so peaceful. Although, that perception changes as the plane gets closer to the ground. While losing elevation we see that there are cars going every which way, people rushing to their next destinations, and others hoping their life would slow down a little bit; none of which can be detected from thousands of feet in the air.
Life may be crazy in the summer, but with school starting back up we experience a different form of crazy. The back to school chaos causes stress for a lot of people. Ag Teachers are hoping they select the correct students for a CDE team, parents are trying to be in the right place at the right time so they can support their children, and students are doing their best to get good grades in school. From the surface, we may not be able to see that stress, but when we look deeper within another person or ourselves, that stress is very visible.
Depending on personal involvement, our stress as individuals consists of different things. A lot of times we even stress about things that aren’t necessary. I encourage you to do this quick activity:
1. Take out a piece of paper and write down all the things that are currently causing you stress.
2. Once you have written down all that applies to your life, cross out any stressors that you have no control over.
If we stop targeting our energy on what we cannot control, we will lower our stress so that we can focus on what really matters.
The stress that we do have control over is managed in different ways, which is unique to each individual. I enjoy making a to-do list and conquering one task at a time, while others might like to keep the list in their head and work on a few things at once. It is also okay to lean on those in our lives and ask for help, whether that be a sibling, parent, friend, or ag teacher. We should be there for each other and offer assistance to those going through the same thing.
Life at low elevation looks a lot more chaotic than it does from a plane’s eye view. In order for our real lives to relate to the peaceful views of high elevation, we must remember not to stress about the things we can’t control.
Karlie Albright
Kansas FFA President