Assignment #19- Emma Lauritzen-Buy good shoes

(I apologize in advance for the unnecessary length of this one, I just kinda kept writing) 

Some (few) people may say I'm an over achiever, while others (most) say that I don't follow directions well. Nevertheless here we go. You asked for 1- I'm giving you 4, because these pieces of advice only exist in the presence of each other, wrapped up with a bow of context. If you ask anyone, I have my mothers nose, her cheeks, her spunk, her inability to play an instrument, her looks, and her keen ear. But I am my father. We are hard headed, we are loud, we get red when were embarrassed, we love pens, journeying, and being right no matter what. I am his twin in my mothers body. 

Since I was young, he has given me advice. My father is strange in that he likes to give advice late at night in the same way an odd stranger on the street does--with little initial context. Sadly, up until the age of 12 I did not keep track of these slices of advice, however, they have shaped me nonetheless. They are as follows (don't worry only 1.5 of them get a long explanation and you don't have to read past 250 words):

1). Buy Good Shoes 

       Do you see what I mean by "little initial context?" I mean, in terms of your good old, run of the mill life advice, this one doesn't exactly show up on The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. This is what I assume is my dads favorite, as it always ends up at the top, when we reminisce over the "list of do good (which is what I call it)." For a while I never understood this one especially in middle school when I wrote an essay about it. As an income-less 12 year old who wore the same pair of navy blue lace-less converse every day, this one made me question the utalitarianess of my dads advice.  I eventually evolved from converse, to UGGS, to Birkenstock, to crocs, back to converse and birkenstocks, to the closest pair by the door before I leave for school in the morning. In this evolution of shoes I realized somethings. First, that wearing Birkenstocks in late December is risky business. Second, that the dang lesson was never about shoes, it was of course like most lessons about life. 

      Good ole Ralph Waldo Emerson once said "Its not the destination, its the journey." In the irksome expedition that is life, there is no guide book and there is most certainly no first-day-of-kindergarten "what to bring" list. We have to figure this out on our own. We cannot predict the future, so we must prepare for it. By having the best possible tools to take us where ever the yellow brick road of life might lead. So yes, buy good shoes (maybe not ruby slippers though). But in this case, shoes doesn't always mean shoes. To me, this lesson has the following implications: buy good shoes so that you may be prepared for whatever road you find yourself taking; learn as much as you can so that you may face new challenges with logic rather than luck; gather good friends so that you don't have to face life's hardships alone; and finally- always have an attitude capable of taking you where you want in life. 

     I could be wrong and my dear old dad could literally mean dont buy crappy shoes (especially if his credit card is the one paying for them). But judging by his costco $40, neoprene strap "hiking sandal boat shoes," I think I'm at least somewhere in the ball park. 

2). Always have cash and a full tank

     Again, context is key. I say this because this particular piece of advice, depending on the context, could benefit a getaway driver or me. This one means what it means...don't get stranded. Be like a boy scout-be prepared. 

3). Make your bed (the most recent addition) 

    This one like the first one goes a little deeper. My father says that if you make your bed in the morning, you'll have accomplished at least one thing that day. I'm still getting used to this one, but it is very helpful in a year like junior, when sometimes you feel like you're failing at every (and I mean EVERY) task life throws at you. 

4). Work ethic overcomes natural talent 

    This one is also straight forward. But this one has had the biggest impact on specifically my academic career. I could write a whole additional blog post on this but ill save you the time. Long story short, when you grow up in the shadow of a naturally academically gifted, doesn't have to try very hard, thousands of dollars honor scholarship receiving, blip in the system, 19 year old walking history book...you sometimes feel less than satisfactory. I feel like got lucky in 4th grade when I got into the gifted program, this became even more apparent in high school when I was surrounded by kid-geniuses. I guess I wasn't cut from the same cloth (especially when its Einsteins baby blanket), mostly because math and science-school in general, doesn't come easy to me. But I work. I work hard, I stay up late, I watch videos, I talk to tutors, I stay after school, I read the chapters over, and over, and over again. I think my dad may have been the same. I am no more academically gifted than any other middle of the pack A/B student, but thanks to this lesson, I get to run at the front with them.

So, if you're still reading, I hope at least one of my dads lessons stuck with you the way they stick with me.