A Week Of Virtual Conferences And Zoom Meetings

 A FEW THINGS--

Fresh off of working at the State Fair I came home exhausted. Exhausted from trying to learn how to read this new version of humans we have walking the earth. Exhausted from the massive rain and cleaning up my flooded camper. Exhausted from walking 22.3 km throughout the week of the fair. Exhausted from the my mother's not so nice camping neighbors. Exhausted from catching a cold that is still lingering as I write this. It is my first cold since having COVID-19 in December--I really hope that any cold I get after this one does not go the way this one did. It has not been fun--my mom also has this cold and decided to get tested for COVID-19 because it is just a very unusual cold. And I am so glad it was a negative result. We got this cold from my youngest son who brought it home on the second day of school. He still has a dry cough--that is how long it has lasted for him. It's a bitch of a cold. Regardless of how people feel about masks (I am pro-masks) I miss the lack of viruses that came home from school when masks were required. After visiting Japan I am a firm believer in indoor and outdoor shoes too. But I doubt we as a public will ever go that route. I mean just think about what is on our shoes. Gross. My youngest goes back and forth on wearing the mask and I understand his struggles. I am just happy that he will be able to get vaccinated next month when he turns 12.

I looked at my agenda for the week after the State Fair and I see that Monday through Saturday is ALL virtual conferences and zoom meetings. Well--I wasn't feeling good anyways so I might as well sit in a blanket and learn something new.

The first virtual conference was the Global 4-H Conference and it was on Korea time. I am truly thankful they recorded the presentations so that people like me could tune in later. I am bummed I missed some of the live zoom conferences but I learned a lot about how 4-H works in other countries. I absolutely LOVE the Taiwan model for 4-H. I think it is because I got to witness it when I was there a few years ago. The way they teach at an early age to use the land and use their resources was so beautiful to me--I am not even sure that kids in America know where their food comes from and in Taiwan you will know quite early--and you will grow it. There were schools that had gardens and the kids were active in planting and harvesting those gardens. I am a little pro-gardening after running a Greenhouse for 20 years though. I also have an amazing LOVE for the country of Taiwan. Like Greece--If I had the cash I would probably try to go once a year. I just felt very comfortable there. It was a country that really changed my heart when I was going through a not so great time in my life. 

I also learned a lot about the Canada 4-H program, Korea 4-H and others. I think 4-H in the United States is really trying to implement everything other countries are doing. And I hope that 4-H parents just kind of lighten up and let some of this change happen. We can always go back. Just my thoughts. In 2023 the Global 4-H Conference is in Tanzania, Africa and I really want to go--but I have never traveled internationally alone--and I don't want this trip to be the first one I do alone. So I hope to maybe tag along with a States' 4-H Coordinator. We will see. 

My second zoom conference was a meeting on our Outbound Program through the States' 4-H International Exchange Programs. We are offering the opportunity to travel to these countries for a month this summer.

Japan (4 week and 8 week)

Costa Rica

Norway

Romania

Argentina

South Korea

Taiwan

I really hope that COVID-19 calms down and we can send kids internationally again. We need to show our kids that there is an amazing, beautiful world out there. It sure has been life changing for me.

My final Virtual Conference was my Origami Owl conference. I have sold Origami Owl Lockets for a long time. It has paid for many of my trips to watch the great Peyton Manning play football. It has paid for many of my international trips--and paid for a few of my daughters international trips. My purpose of selling Origami Owl was to have fun money and boy did it provide that for me.

Now--we are changing out of Origami Owl and becoming Think Goodness. We are taking on three other brands of products in addition to Origami Owl. And it was two days of making my brain hurt. It will be good--but it will be a rough start--lots of things to learn and maintain. 

The first thing that I loved about this particular virtual conference--it was about being kind. Promoting kindness. I am telling you--I want to be kind--but I am struggling to be kind on social media. And this conference kind of brought me back in focus on what I really want to be remembered for. I needed to hear that. I needed to get that refresher and make some hard decisions about who I want to be. I took a lot of notes and did a lot of soul searching. It was a very inspiring conference.

The second thing that I loved about this virtual conference was having a social media expert literally teach us how to handle our social media. To write a purpose statement or niche. To tighten up my focus and what I want to accomplish on social media. There are not many classes that I completely tune into 100% but this guy taught me a lot. So in the next few weeks--I will put the plan that he taught me in place and see how it works--if anything--it will make my life a little bit better because it will be more focused. And I need that. 

From working the State Fair to today I have definitely learned that my old school selling and my ability to read the new humans is going to take some time. Maybe a little script writing to appeal to all sides. I definitely do not want to work with just the people I politically lean with. But I am catching myself going that way. And it isn't good position to be in. Everything that I thought was so easy is now becoming a challenge. So I am hoping in the next couple of months I understand a little bit more about  human interaction.

On a final note--my hubby had a birthday on the 13th. I just wanted to wish the love of my life a Happy Birthday. Thank you for being you.