Michigan strawberries are the best-especially if you live in Michigan. I wonder if Ohio strawberries are best if you live in Ohio and California strawberries are best if you live in California. I am on my way to the farmers market to get strawberries right from the farmer that grew them at least that is what they told me and I believe them. It is possible that they went down to Ohio or over to Illinois and bought strawberries and then then are telling me they grew them. That can happen with sweet corn ya know. We currently have Florida sweetcorn available here in Michigan. Michigan sweet corn won't be available for a while. I broke down because of a crave and bought some Florida sweet corn knowing it would be inferior to Michigan sweet corn. Well it was really good. So what do strawberries and sweet corn have to do with massage. I love metaphors and by nature I am a story teller. I tease that I can make just about anything profound. My analogy here is going to be about continuing education. So what are the advantages of local strawberries vs strawberries from some place else? I asked the farmer where I get strawberries where his farm is and the location just happens to be not far from away. So I drove by. Sure enough there really is a strawberry farm there. I was able to actually see and confirm what I had been told. I had asked the farmer if they used organic practices and he was honest and said no but they keep the chemicals to a minimum. I asked when the strawberries were picked and he said they pick everyday and I was pleased that i found no spoiling strawberries. When I buy strawberries from another state I do not have the ability to get up close and personal with the farmers and build a relationship. Strawberries from another state also have a longer lag time between harvest and me eating them. I will say that I was in Pittsburgh this week and stopped by a strawberry farm and talked with the owners and bought some strawberries and have to admit that those berries were as good as the ones I get in Michigan. Continuing education is important and the point I am making is that local educators can be as good or better than those from another area. There is an ability to build a relationship with the educator and hold them accountable for quality. Time and cost are really a concern and can become prohibitive for obtaining quality education to enhance your career knowledge. Now at the farm market there were four booths selling strawberries and I checked them all out before I bought and I chose the one that could give me the most information, offered a sample and had beautiful berries. They were a little more expensive but the quality was evident.
This weekend Health Enrichment Center had a continuing education class offered. I was teaching and I am pretty well known. I am up to date with content so the content is fresh. The cost was reasonable and all the necessary approvals for valid information are in place. There is even inexpensive lodging available. The course enrollment is limited so I can get around to everyone unlike a course with many participants. It canceled for lack of enrollment. I would have run on 6 but only had three. Makes me wonder.
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