Long Night At The Lodge

Simply put, yesterday was a marathon. 26 hours without sleep isn’t very good for the system but it is great for getting things done. What began with my night job quickly transitioned to my new day job. After that I was able to spend a couple hours with my wife before staggering back out the door and off to my stated lodge meeting.

I was already tired by the time I got into the car and the driving did not help the situation. However, as soon as I pulled into the parking lot my eye lids seemed to lift and the weight was removed from my sluggish legs. By the time I got out of the car I was ready to go for the rest of the night and it’s a good thing because it was a long night.

The crowd seemed a little light and everyone looked like it had already been a long week but we all took advantage of the opportunity to catch up with our brothers. It was also a great time to chat with the District Deputy Grand Master (DDGM) who was there in an unofficial capacity and so it was a much more laid back affair. Dinner always goes quickly and soon enough we all began making our way up stairs for the meeting.  The one problem… where was the Secretary?

I knew that the Assistant Secretary was out of town but I was expecting to see all the officers there for the meeting. If he didn’t show up it would have been my turn to sit in the chair and I had very limited experience and really nothing to work with as I don’t have access to the locked office. This had the potential to be very interesting.

With ten minutes to spare, all officers were present and getting ready to go. Our meeting got underway on time and we made a quick night of the agenda to leave ample time for the Shriners presentation to follow. With the meeting over and the presentation concluded it was time to finish up a few things in the office and head across the street for a quick beer.

A small group of brothers gathered around an upstairs table talking about the goals for the following year. It really isn’t too early for such conversations. There are a few great ideas and shifts in mentality that I am looking forward to being a part of when I take office in December. It really is shaping up to be a great start to what I hope will be a longstanding tenure at the lodge.

We all made our way back to the parking lot while still continuing the free flow from our earlier conversation until the only two people we left were me and the DDGM. Unfortunately for him, I can talk. By the time I got back in the car it was about 11:00 PM, dead tired, and excited for both the following day at the office and the following year in office. It was a long day but a great one!