Life knows how to take care of us…

Life always put the right things in our hands and lead us to the right way, is just know how to let her lead us, how to listen and learn with her. Before coming to US an old book, seeming “out of date” end up in my hands through my dad. Was a present from a cousin of ours, agronomist, Gabriela Moura. I got really atracted to this book, that is called “Grass: yearbook of agriculture 1948” and started reading it during the vacations before leaving Brazil. This book gave an idea of what I was going to face (about grasslands) whenever I get in US. I also found several answer for questions that for me where new and unsolved yet. Was a pleasant reading. When I arrived here in Texas I started talking to Dr. Vivien Allen and told her about this particular book. Amazed, she told me that was really one of the best books about grasslands ever. I was really happy to know that and I got even more when she told me that there is a review of that book where she also part of it. The book is a publication of the American  Society of Agronomy and is called  "Grassland: Quietness and Strength for a New American Agriculture” (press control and click on in for the link). There are some books that are “master works” and should be read us, students and professionals, to built our base knowledge and opinion.

Nevertheless, the fact of knowing this book also brought me more satisfaction also. This last trip to Houston we, Gustavo (a friend from Indaiatuba, SP) and me, stopped in College Station to visit the Texas A&M University (TAMU). One of my friends, Cody, had his Masters degree at the TAMU and I asked him who should I meet there. He gave me some names and I went there to meet those professor. First was Dr. Urs Kreuter, who received us with a huge smile when I told him that I was Cody’s friend and we talked for a while about my background and interest and his researches. He is also a very enthusiastic professor, those who believe in the students potential and support for all the needs. Professor Kreuter is specialized in Human Dimensions and Socio-Economics of Rangeland. We talked a bit about how difficult is to change realities, does not matter if we are here in Texas or back in Rio Grande do Sul, cultural influence and tradition is a huge factor that lingers the changes (but really good in some other aspects, please, don’t get me wrong) that some times needs to be made. We got to a point that we realized that often the problem is the approach of the person trough whom the changes will be made, the presentation of the proposes, the way that we try to show the advantages of the new concepts.

After that, we went to meet Dr. Mort Kothmann, and old professor from TAMU in the area of Range Management Systems. Meeting this professor was, I am not afraid to say, one of the best moments that I had here in Texas. Enthusiastic and passionate about his profession and with a contagious interest in the area. We had and amazing and pleasant conversation about my life here in Texas, my background, objectives and about his researches and career. I told him about my interests in forages and grassland and rangeland management, and we end up talking about books and how expensive they are now a days and how lower value people are giving to them as times go towards the e-books era. I told him about that “old book”  from 1948 that I read and how impressed I was for finding so many updated subjects and concepts there and he told me that we that want to learn about this subject (and I guess this is valid not just for forages) should go to those old master pieces, because there we can find several answers for questions that we are being asked today. He also told me how important is to write things down in order to perpetuate the knowledge.

Dr. Kothmann, liking my interest about the subject, stand up from his chair, went to the shelf and grabbed a book and told me: “this is a book that you have to read”  and I asked him for the name of the author so I could try to find it in internet and buy in and he told me “you don’t need to write it down, this book is for you”. I was moved by his act, giving a completely stranger one of his best book. Not happy yet, he grabbed another book and also gave me. He told me that he needs to pass ahead the knowledge for those who are interested in it. I had no word to thanks him but I am sure that I will honor his confidence in this young guy that out of the blue just showed up in his office.

Thanks to all those people that have been helping me to build my way. Those who, with me, are responsible for my achievements, my conquests and happiness. Once I’ve read that success is when the preparation line crosses the opportunity line, so preparation is along your life that we get and opportunities is a matter of create them (we create our opportunities), so is just up to us to find the way and meet the success, no one else. We have to desire and fight for that. This is not something that we decide and from one day to the other we just have it. Being prepared takes long and I think I am being lead to towards the right way.

 

Lubbock, Texas, March 10th, 2010.