Day 22: Thursday, January 10
Countdown to Kentucky Round-Up:

What's Kentucky Round-Up?

Working for No Pay

The theme of the day... working for no pay. That is the classical definition of a volunteer.  Why do we do it?  (I'm certainly not a volunteer for the Horse Council, but have volunteered for all kinds of other groups...4-H, church, Habitat for Humanity...)

Why do we do it?

Because there are just certain people who are not happy unless they are so busy that they don't have time to think.  That's my theory.

There is a thrill to be running 100 miles an hour.  Adrenaline rushes can be habit-forming. Breathlessness brings extra oxygen to your brain... a natural high. Then there is the undeniable fact that if what you are working on something halfway fun, you have a REAL excuse for not doing housework or laundry, neither of which can be described as halfway fun.

Somehow when the Kentucky Round-Up project came up, a wild group of these somewhat crazy volunteers showed up (last spring) and have been working all year -- yes for no pay.  Most already have full time jobs or own small companies -- no, not bored housewives or retired folks looking for something to do.  Most have their hands already full with jobs, families, animals, other interests... but that's not enough!  They jump in with both feet to the Kentucky Round-Up Merry Go Round.

I must admit I have grown fond of them.  But I am hoping that we make some money on this event so we can get these people some mental health counseling. They exude friendliness even when things are going badly; they shrug their shoulders when there appears to be no solution and just comment, "Oh, we'll figure it out." (and they DO); they go out for dinner after a long meeting and eat cheap Chinese food just to spend another few hours together.  Now if that doesn't mean mental illness, what does?

So now we are looking for even more volunteer wacko's  (Oh did I say that?  I mean wonderful selfless individuals) to help set up, work during the day and tear down the various exhibits, concert paraphernalia, corral panels and such.

How many hard workers are there in Kentucky?  There seems to be no end to them. And thank the Lord for that! None of us would survive without them.

Until tomorrow...