It was the end of the third day of Iowa Farm Bureau’s 2013 Market Study Tour of Ukraine.  The days that had passed and those left to come on the trip would all be the same.  We got up early, had breakfast, boarded a bus, and saw things most of us had never seen in our lives and might not see again.  In the evening we would get to the hotel late, we’d eat dinner late, and then we’d find a place to hole up, have a cheap beer or two, and try to decompress.  In four or five hours the process would repeat itself.

That night we were staying in a hotel in a river port known as Mykoliav.  It was after midnight.  The tour participants had just finished checking in on their email.  Dirck Steimel was trying to get the Spokesman ready for publication back home.  Across from me sat Tim Kaldenberg from Albia.

“I’m beginning to think one of the most enjoyable parts of the trip are the people we are traveling with,” I said.

“You know, that’s the one thing about my experience with Farm Bureau.  Wherever you go, whatever you do, the people you meet are first class.”

Tim didn’t know it at the time, but he wrote my elevator speech on why people should get involved in whatever connects them to something bigger than their self.  I’ve used every time I’ve asked people to become involved or spoke to those getting involved in Farm Bureau.  I’ve used it for becoming involved in other organizations.  I’ve used it to entice people to step just outside their comfort zones.

When I came home, I found just talking about it wasn’t enough to sort through all the thoughts the trip produced.  I began to write to try to make sense of it, and I suppose the rest of my days will look the same in that regard.  I also continue to get out of my comfort zone.

In doing so I’ve continue to meet first class people, found new audiences for old stories, and am continually supplied with the people and experiences needed to build new ones.  I guess it is something about the way life works.  When life works in a way to become more connected and better understanding of those we share it with, it’s working pretty well.

In less than two weeks I’ll see some of my original travel companions as well as friends I’ve met since on a Farm Bureau trip to Japan.  It will be a much larger group and with an easier pace.  Amongst those familiar faces will be the old stories, and together we will find new faces and new stories to tell.

Someday I’ll have to get off this elevator.  God willing there are a few more floors to go, and all kinds of first class people to share the ride with.