Some of my most vivid childhood memories came when my brothers and I would binge-watch Disney movies during our days off from school. I was a Disney fan and adored the Toy Story trilogy. My favorite character was Buzz Lightyear, and I loved the iconic line, “To infinity and beyond!” that he would say in key moments, reflecting his belief in being a real space ranger. But during the first movie, when he fell off the bed of Andy, his owner, Buzz realized that he was not a space ranger but actually a toy. This realization hit him hard, and he suddenly thought that he had lost his purpose. In his disappointment, however, he was able to see his situation in a new light and started to build a new relationship with Woody and Andy’s other toys.

In FFA and in our own lives, we probably don’t convince ourselves that we are space rangers, but we do expect that our lives will unfold in a certain way. Sometimes they do, like when we win an FFA contest or get the officer position that we really wanted. But, as Buzz learned, there are also times when we might fail or face something that we don’t want to hear. Buzz didn’t want to accept that he wasn’t a toy. We might not want to realize something hard either. 

Missouri FFA members, through our highs and lows, we always need to remember that there is light at the end of the tunnel. I like to think that Buzz’s ‘light at the end of the tunnel’ moment was when he became friends with Woody. Woody helped Buzz joke about his experience, while helping him grow. Always look for the light.