This weekend would have been my 20th meeting with the Multnomah County 4H group. I was actually keeping track of all this on my calendar with anticipation until I realized something.
What was I doing here?
I mean, 4H is a great orginization. I've been in it for almost two years and had a good time doing it. It offers wonderful classes, helps people get together, and is a good thing to put on your resume when you're older.
However, for the last few weeks, I've been having a little epiphany.
I realized that 4H didn't specialize in fiber rabbits and that meat rabbits were the way things were going. This didn't bother me so much. I don't mind at all people raising and growing their own food. It had nothing at all to do with that. What REALLY was bothering me was how I felt like I couldn't contribute enough since I didn't raise meat rabbits.
Our meetings were only once a month, and only lasted an hour or more each, which was odd. Everytime we met the conversation was about raising meat rabbits to sell at the Multnomah County fair. I would try my best to contribute to the meetings, but it was very awkward to talk about selling meat rabbits when I myself knew nothing about it and didn't want to raise my rabbits for meat.
When I went to the fair in May I remember all the kids auctioning and exhibiting their rabbits for a restaurant while I was there standing awkwardly with my non-showable German Angora doe (who I didn't realize was showable until an Angora breeder told me so that exact same day). I remember the kids getting checks for hundreds of dollars for selling those rabbits while an audience around us looked at me, probably wondering what in the world I was doing there. I thought the exact same thing.
After my first year of 4H was over I signed up for the next, lacking the excitement I had for it the year before. It started off promising before spiraling back into meat rabbts again after only a few months. I then realized that I was done...for now.
Since then I have registered for ARBA, which is accepting to everybody; inluding meat, pet, and fiber. There, I have found more people who are doing what I'm doing, and in many ways, it's much more competitive and fun.
Just because I'm leaving 4H doesn't mean it's going to be forever OR me not selling to 4H-ers. I will still sell to other youth who are in 4H and any related clubs. iI made to blog post to establish that my rabbits are no longer part of it and are now only in ARBA; which is good enough for me and anybody to be honest.
Abschied für jetzt , 4H ! It was cool being with you. :)