Time flies when you’re doing God’s work
- Michelle Wood
- April 25, 2022
- 964
I didn’t know it at the time, but it was to be a defining moment in my life. My husband and I were on vacation at Peggy’s Cove, Nova Scotia when our cell phone — which was the size of a brick in 1999 and worked about as well — rang with an offer from the Holmes Soil and Water Conservation District board. They were offering me the administrator position I had interviewed for right before we left.
I said no thank you — the salary wasn’t what I had hoped for and disconnected. I immediately knew I had made a mistake. Do you think that brick, er, cell phone would find a signal again? Of course not. Duane and I scurried around and found a phone booth — yes, kids, there used to be randomly placed boxes housing phones with cords — scrounged up enough change to make an international call and got through to the office. The very efficient administrative assistant Phyllis Gilmore had already informed the board of my rejection.
As fate would have it, the next candidate hadn’t been contacted yet, and I was in. What started as, “Meh, I’ll probably stick around for a couple of years,” has turned into 22-plus years of a career that has been rewarding, educational, challenging and, yes, fun. Is it OK to have fun at work? We think so, and it’s part of our “corporate culture.”
But time flies when you’re having fun, and May 31 will mark my last official day here. Retirement at the earliest opportunity was always my goal from day one out of college, but now that it’s here, it wasn’t an easy decision.
The people I have worked with throughout the years have become family, and I will miss them dearly. The conservation family extends all over Ohio, and SWCD staff and our partners at the Ohio Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources Conservation District/Farm Service Agency are the best people you’ll ever meet. And the hardworking men and women who walk through our doors are the backbone of our county and country and an honor to serve.
Sure, it’s not always rainbows and fuzzy bunnies. Over the years I’ve seen more and more people understand the importance of conservation of our natural resources, but there will always be challenges. Agency programs are sometimes frustrating but ultimately get conservation on the ground as we work with farmers and landowners to install practices ranging from manure-storage facilities, to pollinator plots, to stream-bank improvements.
We have a great board and staff with big opportunities on the horizon, and I feel l can tag off because I know our district is in good hands. The woods are calling, and I’m gonna go.
I’m not a big fan of the spotlight and was going to wait to write this little swan song as I slid out the back door, but our board of supervisors decided last night to post two job openings — my position (administrator) and a conservation specialist, as our workload is increasing. I wanted to use this forum to encourage outstanding conservation-minded people out there to consider applying for one of these positions by the May 6 deadline.
I want to see the excellent work our district does continue to grow in the future. If you are interested in finding out more, see our website at www.HolmesSWCD.com, give a call to Holmes SWCD at 330-674-2811 ext. 3 or email holmes.swcd@gmail.com.
While there may be more lucrative careers out there, I think few are more rewarding. I was part of a conservation leadership program early in my career, and the leader told us we were doing God’s work. That always stuck with me, and I hope I’ve made a difference in some small way.