Today (yesterday) my family hauled cattle to the Illinois State Fair like they do every year. The difference? For the first time in our lives, I’m not with them. I will miss a lot this year, but because my very favorite week of the year falls during my first week of World Race travel, this experience is extra bittersweet.
I checked in with my parents upon arriving in Doha, Qatar for my second layover of the trip. As I began to ponder this strange situation, I quickly realized why I can so easily battle homesickness. IT’S ALL THE SAME! Well, maybe not all… But, there are many similar experiences that encompass both the Illinois State Fair and World Race travel days.
- There is lots of fun and little rest.
- Since Monday morning at 1 a.m. I have spent 22 hours in an airport, 23 hours on a plane and I’m about to spent another 15 on a bus. My body doesn’t know what time it is. Just know when you’re up at 3 a.m. on show day, I feel for you. And remember, it’s all worth it when you’re having fun with those you love.
- You spend a lot of time sitting around with your friends.
- For me, it may be in a hotel lobby or on a city bench during a layover instead of in the stalls, but either way, quality time creates lasting memories. Cherish it this week!
- People are camped out everywhere.
- I am definitely not spending my week in a camper per usual, but I’m surrounded by racers camped out in a sprawl across the airport floor, patiently waiting for the next flight. It’s the same old game of “hurry up and wait” a livestock show presents.
- Sometimes your immune system SUCKS.
- I speak for all of us. The fair crud is real and I think it’s following me to Africa. I have a soar throat, runny nose and enough congestion to blow my head to bits. (You’d think I had been sitting in the junior barn basement for days.) A few of my fellow racers feel the same and some are nauseous enough to vomit. Gotta love it!
- There are mentors and superior examples of leadership all around.
- Some of my best friends, biggest confidants and most admired mentors will be at the Illinois State Fairgrounds this week. However, the same goes for my peers taking this journey with me. They are full of faith, set the standard and lead by example. I can’t wait to learn from them as I have from mentors in the livestock industry.
- Prayer for success is ever-present.
- We pray for class winners, we pray for division winners, we pray for our friends…heck, sometimes we pray just to make it to tie-outs without a runaway bovine. On the race, my prayers are different, but equally as important. I pray my mission is successful, and I especially pray people hear the good word when I’m bold enough to speak it.
- You have to pay close attention to your schedule.
- Missing your class may not cost you as much as missing an international flight. But if you know my mom, you’d think it does. It takes such responsibility in both situations to ensure you are where you need to be when you need to be there.
- There’s LOTS of walking.
- Oh my word. We laid over in Boston and I kid you not, I walked the entire city over. I think I saw all there is to see. By the time you walk through airport after airport, it’s nearly as bad as walking across the fairgrounds day after day. Where’s a golf cart when I need it?!
- You eat stuff you don’t normally have.
- It won’t be Tom Thumb donuts or a 4-H stand milkshake, but I can’t wait for my pallet to taste all the flavors of the world this year. (P.S. If you’re at ISF, please indulge for me.)
- Hard work and preparedness are evident.
- While my peers and I haven’t been working cattle day-in and day-out in preparation for the race, we have worked hard to get here. From fundraising to packing and repacking an overweight pack, it’s been a long road to get to this point.
I love the state fair because there is such an opportunity to foster relationships, grow your network and celebrate with your peers, which sounds a lot like the World Race. So far, I’ve traveled from Atlanta to Boston, Boston to Qatar, Qatar to South Africa and I’m still waiting to catch a bus to the coast. We spend a lot of time in fellowship, having fun and learning about each other, which sounds a lot like the State Fair. Community is a huge part of the livestock industry, and it is something Jesus always valued.
I may be several time zones away, but I rest easy knowing my experiences this week aren’t all that different than they are every August during this time. State Fair exhibitors, have so much fun! Enjoy this week and all it has to offer. I promise to do the same.
Much love,
Carley
