𝐏𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨 𝐏𝐨𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠: 𝐋𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 4-𝐇, 𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐍𝐨𝐰

I had some chores to finish here at home last night, so I did not spend the night at the county fair. Instead, this morning I am enjoying my coffee on the patio, anticipating the first lily pad blossom of the year in the pond, and reflecting on a thought I had during swine check-in yesterday.

Many years ago, towards the end of swine check-in at our county fair, I was asked to run to a young 4-H’er’s home and haul a pig. He had another pig at home that needed to be checked in, so I dropped what I was doing, loaded up, and got that pig to the fair.

Fast forward. That young man is now deep in the show pig industry, working with some of the stalwarts and making a name for himself. By all accounts, he’s doing well.

The rub? He doesn’t give me the time of day now. Barely a curt “hi” when I say the same.

Depending on my mood, that can tick me off.

But when I think about it longer, I doubt he even remembers what I and another dad did to make sure that pig made it to the show that year. And that’s fine. Instead of wasting energy on resentment, I remind myself: I did the right thing back then, for him, for his experience, and for the program.

Sometimes we need that reminder: do the right thing. Go above and beyond when it matters. Don’t expect applause, especially when it’s about helping kids learn and grow.

Even at my age, 4-H still teaches me a thing or two.