It was True Aggie Night. The kind of tradition whispered about long before you ever step foot on campus: under a full moon, at midnight, if you kiss someone, you become a “True Aggie.” (Search up USU True Aggie if you want more info on the tradition or click here! )

I couldn’t really see the “action” from where I was standing—too short for that—but I could hear it. The cheers, the music thumping in the background, the chatter weaving around me.

Every once in a while, if I craned my neck just right, I could peek through a gap between shoulders and catch a glimpse of couples at midnight.

Some were quick pecks. Others looked like they were…eating each other’s faces. And in that moment, I realized three things:

I am not a PDA person.
It’s way more entertaining to watch single people scramble to kiss a stranger.
I kinda just wanted to go home.

But then came the question from a friend: “Are you going to find someone to True Aggie with?”
I shrugged it off, said, “I already am one. Been there, done that.”
He pressed: “Who with?”
“My ex...”

That’s when he hit me with a phrase so simple it stuck: “You’ve got to repaint that fence.”

He even started chanting it—like you would at a college football game—but it was exactly what I needed to hear.

I’d been apprehensive about going at all, worried the night would stir up old memories I wasn’t ready to face (if you’ve read my “Haunted” post, you know what I mean). But suddenly, his words shifted everything.

Why should I let chipped paint define the whole fence?

Now, let me pause here: I don’t kiss strangers. I never have, never thought I would. It’s just not me. In fact, it usually takes about 3-4 dates to earn a kiss- But that night, I made an exception:

I found someone to kiss at midnight. (lol)

And when I look back, it’s this new fence or funny memory I’m going to remember, not the old one. It’s about covering the haunted memory with a new one.

The more I sit with that phrase, the more I love it. Because life is a fence. Memories, heartbreaks, even pieces of who you think you are—they can be repainted, reshaped, and rebuilt.

You don’t have to live forever with the chipped, weathered version.

You can sand it down, roll on a fresh coat, or heck, install a whole new vinyl one if you want!! ( I won’t judge!)

So here’s my challenge for you:
What fence do you need to repaint?
An old heartbreak? A friendship that went sideways? A story you’ve been telling yourself that doesn’t fit anymore?

Grab the paintbrush. You don’t have to stare at chipped boards forever. PAINT OVER IT!!!!!!!!

Until next time,

Alivia Hadfield

*For the record, I did not eat anyone’s face. My paint job was a classy little brush stroke, not a full-on spray-paint vandalism.* ;)