Duck hunting with my dad is one of my favorite things to do. I have gone so many times but one morning has helped me more than the rest combined. I was just ten years old. Heading out into the darkness, one beam of light guiding our path. We pulled up to our spot and started setting decoys out in the cold water. Grabbing another decoy from the bag my glove dipped into the water and was soaked. I kept to myself as long as I could until it felt like my fingers were going to fall off. I then asked my dad, “ Do you have another pair of gloves”? He responded with “yes but this is the only time, you better be prepared next time.” Those words have stuck with me ever since that morning. Those words have helped me with not only hunting but in everyday life too.

The words “always be prepared” apply to a lot more than most think. Someone that is prepared for any situation is more likely to be successful. Whether it’s tools in the car or a flashlight in the bag. Being prepared saved me from a very cold night or maybe even my life. I went out deer hunting at noon one day. I was a little tired so I decided to take a nap. When I woke up I looked at my watch and it was 10 o’clock. The forest was pitch black there’s no way I would’ve made it home that night if I was not prepared. Being prepared is not always about an item it can be a mindset.

We may not think that just packing a flashlight or an extra pair of gloves means anything. In the end those things could save your life or someone else's life. If I was by myself out duck hunting in the cold and I didn’t have an extra pair of gloves. I could’ve lost my fingers or worse my life. The same with deer hunting if I hadn’t been prepared. That would’ve been one very miserable night. I am thankful that I learned my lesson that cold morning. Some people may never learn a lesson like that. They may learn about it but never get to use it.

The past five years the smartphone has really come up. Some people rely on a piece of technology. I tell you what, a smartphone won’t save your life out in the wilderness. The one thing that will is knowledge. I’ve been blessed to learn a lot of lessons, not all of them good. If people “unplug” and get out of their small world. They could end up saving their life or even someone else’s. If some people just looked a few steps ahead the world would be so much better off.

In conclusion this world is living too much in the moment. We have to realize that our actions now are going to affect future generations. For me it was a simple occasion of getting my gloves wet. People need to start looking ahead learn to be prepared for anything thrown their way. That’s what it will to take to make this world a better and more successful place.