By Allie Stockton

I believe in consistency. When my day is going bad the answer is consistency. When I’m sad I turn to consistency. When I’m happy I can always use a little more consistency. When I’m tired, the answer is consistency. Consistency plays one of the most important roles in my life, without it I would be lost.

Every time I go to a restaurant I get the same thing. If I go to a tropical smoothie I have the same consistent thing. At Chick-Fil-A I always order a six count nugget meal with Polynesian sauce. At Buffalo Wild Wings consistency means six boneless honey bbq wings with fried pickles. I don’t switch it up unless I am feeling extraordinarily adventurous because I need consistency .

I believe that consistency matters in friendships. My best friend has been my best friend for eight years. Consistency in friendships is important because it builds reliability and if ever there is a disagreement, there are habits to fall back on. My best friend and I focus on keeping things the same a lot. We spend time in the gym together. She comes over at least three times a week for dinner. We have even done the same handshake before every single basketball game since 7th grade because we believe consistency is key. Basketball has helped me to develop many consistent habits. Always having a practice to go to or a next season or another team has kept me consistent.

Consistency is not just important in friendships, but in all relationships. Consistency with my parents is important. Everything I do with my mom runs off of consistency. When we go to Starbucks, we get the same drink because we found one that works so why change it? We vacation at the same place each year so we know what to expect. When we are out of town for AAU tournaments, we always order the same dinner. My relationship with my dad is just as consistent. You can find us at Culvers every Friday at noon because we need that type of consistency. We talk about school and basketball, but mostly basketball. My parents are at every basketball game of mine because they believe in consistently supporting me.

I believe and I know that I have to have consistency. Without consistency I fall apart. Being consistent helps me to build routines that keep me on a path to success. My commitment to the gym and to strength training has helped me find success on the court. My commitment to rigorous classes and Sidney High School has helped me find success in the classroom. Some people might argue that keeping things so consistent would make me less able to overcome obstacles and setbacks. I disagree. I have experienced setbacks and overcome obstacles because I believe in consistently returning to what I know will work. Barely anything in my life that I can control changes. Those things that do change will be met with routine and consistency because I believe consistency is key. Whether you find me in a gym, on court, at Starbucks, or in line at Chick-Fil-A … you know what you can expect – consistency

Allie Stockton is a senior at Sidney High School. She is the daughter of Cara and Henry Stockton. She is a member of National Honor Society, Key Club, Spanish Club, Student Government, FFA and Jacket Pack. She is looking forward to this fall when she will attend the University of Findlay to study Physical Therapy and play basketball.