Life Choices

Life Choices

As a child, many of the choices in our lives are made by our parents. We are told when to eat, when to sleep, what to wear, and what to do. When I was put into Girl Scouts at the age of five, I didn't think I would be making a thirteen year commitment.

Girl Scouting has never been my all-time favorite activity, at certain points I almost despised it because of the connotations it brought. It's cute when you're a little brownie all dressed up in your uniform selling cookies, but once you get to middle school it's very "uncool" to be a scout. My friends in my troop would never utter the words "Girl Scout" at school. If we had to talk about a meeting we would just call it, "IT." Eventually, we gained more self-esteem and cared less and less about what other people thought, and more about what we were doing in Girl Scouting. Many people think it's just about camping and selling cookies, but there are many lessons to be learned in scouts. I have learned countless things from the scouting program. I've learned so much from my troop leaders who epitomize everything girl scouting stands for---friendship, community, and leadership. By working with the less fortunate I have realized how lucky I am to have parents who care about you and your future; even though you may not always want to do the things your parents want you to doÐ'...

"No Dad, I want to take Art."

"Well, why don't you just try band and if you don't like it you can always quitÐ'...."

I've come from a long line of band geeks, so of course I was expected to join band in 6th grade like everyone else, even though I rather have taken art. Luckily, I listened to my parents, because band has become such an integral part of my life that I can't imagine what it would feel like without band. It's become a way of life to have marching practice 8 hours a week in the grueling sun with funky tan lines as a result. Friday nights are filled with football games and Saturdays consumed with marching contests. Band is probably the hardest and most demanding extracurricular activity I'm involved in, but all of our hard work pays off.

There is at least one choice in my life that I have made, and my parents haven'tÐ'--to be in H.O.S.A. As far

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