Friday, October 14, 2011

The Jalapenos of My Life

"It was really quite simple, and yet we humans, so much wiser and more sophisticated, have always had trouble figuring out what really counts and what does not. Sometimes it takes a dog with bad breath, worse manners, and pure intentions to help us see. Ask yourself, how many people in the world can truly make you feel rare, pure, and extraordinary?" - Marley and Me

Have you ever tried to eat a habanero pepper just raw? Well I haven’t either but my friend who relayed his experience once told me that if I ate a jalapeƱo and magnified it by 100 then I would have the feeling. To understand what my friend meant I tried eating a jalapeno raw, and let me tell you it was almost like nothing I had ever tried before. Not only is there almost an immediate burning sensation, but also it lasts throughout the entire day and keeps burning and hurting and won’t stop! It made my whole face warm, brought me to pretty close to tears and made me just look ridiculous.

Now the reason I said it was almost like nothing I had ever tried before is because even though it wasn’t a food I have similar experience with two people. These people have at times made me a little hot-headed, brought me close to tears and sometimes still make me look a little ridiculous. As odd as it sounds they have made and will hopefully continue to make me feel just like that jalapeno did.

You may be thinking right now, “Ha, this is easy he is going to just talk about his family”. In a way, you are right. I do consider these people my twin brother and big sister, but they don’t live with me, nor do we share any of the same DNA. Yep, you guessed it. These are my two best friends that I would trust anything, absolutely anything with. Now I am not saying that they are the only people I would do that with, because my immediate family and blood relatives I would as well, and I love them just as much! But, it is more of a challenge to trust the people that are not blood and be able to say you could trust your life with them.

But these two jalapenos in my life can sure be a kicker, like eating a jalapeno raw, or they can be the perfect garnish to the enchilada that is my life. Either way, I believe they are necessary to for me to continue to grow as a person, socially, physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually.

I have to say that when it comes to talking, yelling, and projecting my voice I do a good job…sometimes too good of a job. Okay, I enjoy talking a little too much. I love interacting with people and telling my family and friends stories about my day and things I learned about food…because I am obsessed with FOOD! But, have you ever had issues with someone because they are just too much like you? Well one of my best friends literally is the loudest person I have ever been around and probably likes talking even more than I do. She can talk and talk and talk about anything and sound intelligent about it. On top of that she has one of the loudest laughs I have ever heard as well. Now, don’t get the impression that she is just this non-stop obnoxious loud chatterbox, because that is the impression I got my freshman and sophomore year and man was I wrong.

I will admit this person is a big reason I was ever enrolled in an agriculture education class and I am eternally grateful to her for that. But once we started travelling together, were on an officer team together for the first year, started interacting with each other more and more, I began to realize that our two personalities were clashing a bit more and more each week. It got to the point to me where I would go home and vent about her to my family about how loud she was and we just were not getting along. My mom continued to let this venting go on until she realized that I did not see it the way she could see. She saw, that I was complaining about someone who I had so much in common with, so much history with, so many personality traits that we shared, and that I needed to stop.

My mom and dad’s sit down chat with me that night changed my life in ways that I could never have fathomed that night. Not only did it make me realize how ridiculous all the fighting was but the potential friend that I was missing out on. Jo and I soon became friends, then best friends, and now attending college together and just being together as much as we have she is like an older sister to me. She gives me all the advice an older sibling, that I never had, would, she allows me to talk to her about anything and she just has become one of the best role models I have ever had and I feel so privileged to call her my friend.


So imagine someone who is 6’ 6”, dirty blond hair color, and is a super athlete, enough so he is playing both football and basketball on the college level. This pretty much describes my twin and total opposite of me in terms of looks. Now when I say twin I mean that we have been friends since pre-school and were only born 9 days apart, not that we are anything alike.

Nick and I attended pre-school, grade school, middle school and high school together and this year is the first year we have ever been apart in school together, with him attending Baker University and me at KSU. Nick and I started off in some of the same sports, then, well lets just say the cream of the crop started to rise and those of us who were not so “gifted” stayed at the bottom. That is not to say I didn’t still try and stay active in sports. I was a 4-year member of the swim team and 3-year member of the soccer team in high school, so don’t say I didn’t try. But I still tried to stay in shape, just was not at peak physical fitness like Nick was.

One drawback however, of the athletic giftedness of Nick is that he was not able to attend many FFA events. Now I knew Nick liked the FFA but his passion was competing in sports. Whether it was a pick-up game of basketball or the regional championship of a football game he was always trying to win. Watching Nick follow his passion inspired me to really find my passion in something.

I tried sports, I liked them but I was not passionate about them. I attempted to be involved in the drama dept. in high school and that wasn’t quite my cup of tea. Then agriculture education class happened. I luckily found an organization that I was passionate about and an industry that I could be proud of. So I took hold of every opportunity I could in class and found Nick and I continuing to go in more and more different paths in high school.


When I realized that I had lost my friend in the total wrapped up state I was in with FFA I realized a need in the shift for my priorities. I started to take the time to set aside different things and hang out with Nick and my other friends that I had pushed away while I was caught up in the FFA world. This shift in my priorities was probably the biggest change I had in myself and realizing that the personal connections I make with not only my friends but also anyone I meet was vital.

Nick has taught me so much throughout my life and about how I should live it. Not only did he teach me to find my passion but taught me that the relationships I build with people are some of the most important and meaningful things I have in my life. These lessons I will hold with me my entire life no matter what I do.

My two best friends in my recipe to life have taught me so much and are two people I look up to so much. There are so many times that I could have been a better friend and took them for granted at times. But I know that they will be there for me through thick and thin and through whatever challenges I may have no matter what. They empower me to achieve my goals and never try and drag me down. Johanna and Nick are those two jalapeƱos in my life. Who are yours?

“Stay away from people who belittle your aspirations. Small people do that. But the truly great people in the world will make you believe that you, too, can one day become great.”- Mark Twain