Lessons from the Fair
Love what you do and you’ll never work a day in your life. Laugh with me, it’s a joke. There’s no profession immune to bad days. No job that lacks some annoying task and headaches to go along with the desirable parts of the job. The worst days, sometimes weeks, without a moment off the clock are the sacrifice made to have control over my time. Thanks to my self-employment, family’s willingness to hold down things at home, and my many hats in the industry, I can take a week away to be at the fair. At times that feels selfish, lazy. Back when I was an eager 4-H youth, no one thought twice of my friends and I spending a week of our summer camped out at the fair but that sneaky bit of growing older has come upon me and I get a different look now when I share about my summer plans. I tell the owners of those looks this is my vacation week. In truth my energies are spent on setting up the barn, hauling my own animals and others, judging, shearing demonstrations, showing, guiding new families through showing, opening and closing down the barn each day, and generally helping around the show. My energy level by the end of the week confirms that is not nothing but the shame lingers. What adult spends a week at the fair?
This year a new distraction by taking on another role. Five of our Border Leicesters went to the fair to be shown by a young 4-Her. I had another four flocks to get ready and exhibit, but their show ring readiness was knocked down a spot below those five Leicesters on my list of priorities. Leading up to the fair, this young person put in all of the work I asked of her so I was bound to fulfill my end of the deal. Fitting is what we call trimming sheep in preparation for show and it was up to me to help our new showman through the process. It’s one thing to be proficient but pulling out threads of knowledge to teach from is an entirely different mental exercise. On top of being teacher, I had to subdue my perfectionist tendencies normally put to use while fitting. I’ve always had a knack for the art of it (the fitting and perfectionism beyond reason) and from my perspective, my sheep have always looked the best I could get them to but as practice applies to most any task my abilities have improved over the years. For more than a decade I have returned to this fair to do my best but for the first time I looked back on my beginnings thanks to another young girl excited about trimming sheep for the first time. Perfectionism be gone! None of my sheep looked exactly how I’d like and it didn’t bother me in the slightest.
Ribbons and awards used to be my measure of success but this year I didn’t take home one. That’s not true. I did take home the one for my Supreme Champion ram but that is the only one. Showing livestock is supposed to be about more than the ribbons but let’s be honest, a kid can get excited about big ribbons. During show days, I handed off every sheep I could to one of a handful of eager young 4-Hers. The judges were patient and I offered tips and guidance in the ring. Every ribbon they received with my sheep went home with them along with, hopefully, a nourished excitement for showing sheep. One of the questions asked earlier in the week during my shearing demonstration was about how I got started. My start was right there, in the very show ring I was shearing in.
You know what they say to parents about young kids, that you blink and they’re all grown up? It can happen to us kids too. The memories aren’t too dusty from my first showmanship class, the first time I was brave enough to thank the judge after the show, the first time I saw that judge again later in the summer and they said hi, treating me like a peer. I remember taking breaks to walk around the fair during shearing demonstrations thinking, “I don’t need to sit around for this.” I remember talking with my friends after the show thinking how in the world the judge could pick apart the differences between so many sheep. I remember looking up to the adults and their large flocks wondering what it must be like raise and show such good sheep. Somewhere, between having those thoughts and today I grew up. I worked to develop the network and experiences and education that make it possible for me to spend a week at the fair as mentor, paid judge, shearer, and decent showman. Conventional work it is not but my week at the fair isn’t exactly a vacation. I worked long days while also having a great deal of fun. I gave back to a community that has given much to me while having fun. Tomorrow morning I’ll catch a ferry to another fair gig that might sound like vacation as well. I can’t wait to enjoy another bunch of days on the job.
Cheers,