From Our Founder

Yes, we had a great time at the Porter County Fair.  Our kids were safe and while awards were few, memories were made to last a lifetime.

This was among the most tedious of our last six Fairs, but it was the least stressful.  I don’t know if it’s because we’re catching on to “the cattle project thing” (more prepared, more organized) or because our kids are growing older (and thereby more self-sufficient), or just that dad has become more mellow about the entire affair.  Whatever the reason, the pace was less frantic and I actually caught myself taking in more of the entire experience.

It’s tough to not get caught up in something you care about or something/someone in which you have invested considerable resources.  The “letting go” philosophy looks good on paper, but when the flag drops and the adrenaline kicks in it is tough NOT to get emotional and get dragged into the moment.

In contrast to the past, I challenged myself this year to “walk away” and take a Bob “time-out” when a moment’s stress threatened to take control of my emotions.  I faced this situation only a handful of times throughout the week, but it really worked.  I pride myself in confronting problems head-on.  If you subscribe to this philosophy, walking away in the heat of battle (a.k.a. heat of the moment) is a sign of weakness.  But I discovered that sometimes it’s not; specifically when return is imminent and the situation requires regrouping and re-evaluation.

So I “walked on it” a handful of times and in every case the results were satisfactory.  I simply excused myself and removed myself from the encounter.  Having gathered my thoughts (and my composure) I returned to address the situation.  What was kinda cool was that while my exit was unexpected, I was surprised to return to an episode where order was restored… but not because of anything I did, rather because of what I chose NOT to do… react. 

So the lessons learned from our ’06 Fair experience (in no particular order):

1. Sometimes the best said is the least said,

2.  If you “take the bait,” chance are you’re gonna get caught,

3. If you are uncertain of what to do, often times it is best to do nothing at all

4. Know when and how to take a “time-out.”

I hope you enjoy and appreciate 219.com’s new look.  Andy and Greg put a lot of time and thought into it.  You guys did great and I am grateful!