Birthdays around the Spargo house are always a celebration. My best friend and I have close birthdays, so we’ve established the tradition of going on float trips with our dads. For the past several years, our quartet has packed up and made the drive to Current River to float downstream.

This year was no different. The morning of July 31 st, I woke up to a sky full of clouds and a radar that called for an afternoon full of rain. Being stubborn, I insisted that the show must go on, despite the grim weather predictions. After the customary lunch of ribs and Texas toast, we gathered our tubes and piled into a van that would take us to our drop off point. We eventually realized the weather report was wrong. Although the UV was high and the current was strong, we were having the time of our lives.

But even on a good day, rivers will always present obstacles. Boats, other floaters, snakes, cows, rocks, fallen trees, debris, you name it and it can be found in the water. This year our quartet was faced with a unique set of challenges. We had a very strong current after a storm, and it was one of the busiest weekends of the summer. As we floated, the dads’ searched the area for any obstacles that could interject themselves into our path. On the busiest bend in the river, there was a fallen tree. With boats flying by, we struggled to move out of the way of the tree. Three of us managed to get out of the way, but my dad was moving on course to hit the tree. In one swift move, he flipped around and pushed off the tree, propelling himself in front of us. What was once an obstacle became a catapult to launch ahead.

Everyday there is a new obstacle in our path. As leaders in agriculture it is important we look at challenges from every angle. Instead of panicking over what we cannot do, let’s focus on what we can do instead. Michael Jordan is quoted saying, “Obstacles don’t have to stop you. If you run into a wall, don’t turn around and give up. Figure out how to climb it, go through it, or work around it.” Will you crash into the tree or will you flip around and push off the tree? The choice is yours.