I really shouldn’t have to say it. It’s a universal truth. Cowgirls are smart, especially when they’re fourteen years old. (I was one of them.) But really, don’t tell a teenaged cowgirl she’s stupid. That’s what my ninth-grade English teacher said–we were stupid. He said it to the whole class while substituting P.E. Apparently, we were playing volleyball incorrectly. Since he was about 6’-6” and a volleyball playing guru, we were stupid. (obviously.)

My answer to the effrontery was to not do his English class homework. Nope. Can’t make me. Not gonna do tests either. So, I just sat there in class with my name on that test and just sat…and stared at him. He didn’t do anything about it. Maybe figured I’d break at some point. Silly man.

At mid semester, my grade was an “I”. That means Incomplete, as in not enough points to give me a grade. My attendance was perfect. Do the math on that one.

Here’s the deal. Only one homework assignment for that whole nine weeks made the majority of the grade, maybe because many students didn’t want to do it. It was unavoidable, even for me. The assignment was to write a short story.

I’ll be jiggered. I did really well. I think I shed a few tears while looking at the blank page, but I survived it. I got an “A” on it, which gave me a passing grade overall. More importantly (in the scheme of life), I discovered I had a talent. I liked my story and felt on top of the world. You never know until you try. I may not have appreciated the outcome had I not gone through the journey. Life is big. You be the judge of your own circumstance.