The words for this week are ‘flexible' and ‘patient'. The best laid plans for the week seem to have changed quickly and now it's sort of a minute-by-minute passage of time – mass chaos at a snail's pace. I don't think it's terribly unusual though, is it? We all learn to change course and adapt as new needs and opportunities arise. The trick is in maneuvering through the unexpected and making lemonade out of it. It's all part of what we do in Extension.
Last week when I was in Salinas I learned that it is the home or perhaps birthplace of John Steinbeck. I'm not much of a reader, unless forced, so I don't have many fun facts like author residences in my back pocket. And previously I shared that in college I made a concerted effort to avoid reading the Grapes of Wrath by instead attending what I mistakenly thought was a movie about the novel. Funny how life constantly circles back. Aside from the fact that I was actually cold while in Salinas, I really enjoyed how some of the conversations went. I had dinner with an engineer who is now with a startup that is developing probiotics for plants. His contribution is design of the delivery system of the product. Seated on the other side of me was a former bankruptcy attorney who now works with the cannabis sector, connecting all aspects of the supply chain in an effort to move production from black market to a regulated market. Also at the table and engaged in the conversation was an entrepreneur from Brazil who works for a startup that deploys sensors on farms to monitor field and surrounding conditions then packages it into a real-time app in order to facilitate improved decision making. At one point it was clear to me that I wasn't in Iowa anymore. It was a great conversation, very provocative. I'm not an expert in any of those areas but have core knowledge about microbiology (ruminant and anaerobic manure treatment; data acquisition from sensors, some expertise in odor formation and mitigation, and basic agronomy skills). And maybe that's enough. After all, if we have solid core knowledge and skills, we can be flexible in how we out those skills to use, whether it be engagement in the atypical conversation or a change in direction. If I think about the number of colleagues who have changed direction of their research program as needs changed, or moved from research to teaching responsibilities or vice versa, it's because of the core knowledge that they were able to be successful regardless of what their position description read. The fun part about flexibility is that the adventure of twists and turns can lead to pleasant surprises and unexpected greater impact.
I still need to work on the patience piece. Things never seem to happen as quickly as I'd like yet, simultaneously, I'm not always prepared for the change anyway. There's always room for improvement!