Steering Clear of the Pines

Throughout my childhood, my mother made sure that my sisters and I had a relationship with God and grew up with Christian morals. It was always pretty easy to stay true to the expectations she had on me when I was younger, but as I’ve aged I find it increasingly difficult to stay pure in today’s world. Similarly, when it comes to being creative, I find it immensely difficult to avoid the first answer or solution that comes to mind when solving a problem. We go through modern education today and believe that the quickest answer is the best, most efficient, most practical solution when in reality, it frequently is not. It has taken me some time to come to terms with this but I have been slowly getting better at it. 

More recently, I took a trip to a guest ranch in Wyoming where I got to experience the backcountry via horseback. While on this ride in particular (see above), we were racing the clock to get back before sundown and decided to take what we thought was a shortcut through the pines. Regretfully, the pines wasn’t a wise decision, it was sticky, uncomfortable for horse and man, and treacherous. Retrospectively, the wise decision was to take the scenic route at a fast pace, where the scenery was our reward during the journey. Always remember, when a shortcut looks easier, I can guarantee the long haul will be worth it ten-fold in the end.

Name: James Aldrich

Year: Sophomore

Major: Business Analytics, Entrepreneurship

Hometown: Chicago, IL

Fun Fact: I can eat an entire Home Run Inn Frozen pizza in a minute and 17 seconds.