Third Term

It was rather uneventful when the new Masonic year started on Sunday. The long weekend was coming to an end when I received a rather exuberant text message from the outgoing Worshipful Master. It was at that moment when it really became clear to me the nature of my office. When I took the oath and stepped in as Secretary in 2013 I did so not to simply serve a year and move on. I made the commitment to myself as well as other brothers in the lodge that I was going to serve the lodge for the foreseeable future with six years being my goal.

When I made that commitment I knew that I would see officers move through the chairs and Worshipful Masters come and go. I wanted to be the constant that the brothers could count on being at my desk in the east year after year. And while I didn’t fully understand what I was getting myself into when I agreed to take the office, I have come to appreciate both the rewarding and challenging aspects of the job.

And that is what this office really is… a job. I work month after month not just to keep things running as smoothly as possible but, at time, I am also serving as mediator among the brothers, adviser to the officers, and, on occasion, ambassador of our lodge. This is both a behind the scenes position and one that calls for me to be in the spotlight. I guess you could say that there is a certain amount of politics that one has to accept when they decide to sit at this desk.

It is with this at the forefront of my mind that I make the conscious decision each and every month to do the best job I possibly can to try and make a positive impact, no matter how small, on the lodge. Obviously, this has not gone unnoticed and I have been honored to have been reelected for a third term. And the confidence that the brethren have shone in me is certainly something that I appreciate and carry with me each and every day and why I am determined to really make an impact this coming year.

This year, as I mark my third year in office I will also be celebrating my third masonic birthday. It is certainly an oddity to have assumed this level of responsibility so quickly and it is something that I am proud of having accomplished. Three years ago I was still waiting to hear back from the lodge about when I would be receiving my degrees (I ended up participating in a one day class in April) and now I am on the other end of the conversation inviting potential candidates to join us for dinner before our meeting.

Thoughts While Preparing For The Next Meeting

For the past couple of weeks I had been fretting a bit not knowing if I could work through the long list of tasks that needed to be accomplished before the stated meeting. Of course, I didn’t help myself out by forgetting to take care of a few things earlier in the year. However, somehow everything seems to be coming together and I should be able to breathe a little easier heading into next week.

This isn’t to say that everything is done. As any lodge secretary can attest, there is still a mountain of work, tasks to be checked off, phone calls to be made, and general logistics planned out before the official visitation takes place. It is both a stressful time and also a highly enjoyable time of year. The latter usually occurring once the meeting is concluded and a minimal amount of complaints are fielded at my desk once everyone is walking abut afterward.

I will say that it is a much better feeling having this particular meeting take place in the spring rather than the fall as it did last year. It is a push to coordinate the night and afterward there is a feeling that we all need a break. With only one more meeting following this one before we go dark for the summer, this is the best timing that we could have to keep all of us going for the rest of the year.

So, with much of what has to be taken care of now out of the way, I am finally able to turn my attention to a number of lingering items that seem to never get crossed off of the list. While a week isn’t a lot of time, it should be enough to get these things finally removed to free up the space for countless others to take their place. However, hopefully a new routine in the coming months will alleviate some of the delays that have been hounding me so far this year.

It is interesting to think about all these things from the perspective of the office I hold at the lodge because when I step back for just a second it hits me that this whole process is still new to me. I have only been a Mason for two years… two years and two days to be exact. I am still taken back by how things have changed over that time and how much I have been fortunate enough to be a part of during that time.

I knew very little when I joined the one day class at LuLu Shrine in the spring of 2013 only having been able to talk to a few brothers at length and enjoying the fact that my uncle was able to welcome me as a brother. Now I find myself welcoming new brothers with the same love that was shown to me during those initial months and one day experience. This fraternity and this office are part of my life, my routine, and a huge part of my early masonic experience. It is drastically different from the experiences of many but I wouldn’t change a thing.

Investing Again

When I started at my current company there were many things that were discussed. The firm was newly formed when I first walked through the door in September 2013. In fact, the owner of the company was still waiting for the cable company to arrive later that afternoon to set up the internet. It was an interesting experience and much different from the previous conversation I had with her.

It was during that initial discussion when we talked about the clients, my role in the company, and many of the other benefits that would be part of my employment including healthcare, profit sharing, and a 401K (among others). Every salary position I have ever had, and then some, have offered healthcare so that was not a surprise to me. However the other two piqued my interest and were really bonuses to the position that I was not expecting.

Since that time over a year and a half ago, she has been true to her word. While none of us expected any sort of profit sharing at the end of 2013 we weren’t really holding out for 2014 either. After all, we are a new company. However, we were all pleasantly surprised at the end of the year when we each received an extra deposit into our accounts (which was particularly useful at that point in time).

Toward the end of last year we also continued our conversations regarding setting up a 401K. It had taken some time but things were progressing and as the calendar turned over we all started contributing to the future. While we don’t have much extra at the moment, I started with a small contribution from each pay check.

While I have had investment accounts in the past, this was my first time having a 401K. Previous accounts have long since been liquidated to pay for graduate school and other expenses. Many would consider this a tremendous loss but given the fact that I finished graduate school in the spring of 2008, it wasn’t a bad way to use the funds.

Since that time, my ‘investments’ have been on a much smaller scale and consisting of hard assets. I honestly can’t recall how many times I bought silver (and a tiny bit of gold) over the past decade but it is safe to say that I didn’t lose money or break even. A coin here and there can add up especially before the market shifted and the prices began to spike.

All the small items were nice and served a purpose when we needed that little extra. Now, it is a great feeling to be contributing to our future even though it may be one small deduction from my pay every couple of weeks. It may not seem much at the moment, it never does, but it will certainly add up in the end (especially when I start decreasing my take home pay). And it sure beats flipping coins.

Looking Back On A Bipolar Year

2013 was an interesting year. It was a twelve month period of highs and lows that, fortunately, ended at the highest point on the calendar. We had our struggles but pushed through them all and came out stronger than before. And, most importantly, we took whatever time we had to appreciate what we have and looked forward to what could be rather than commiserating about what was the reality at the moment.

The year began in promising fashion as I added a day job with a financial services firm to immediately follow my night shift working the front desk of my apartment building. At the same time, I was slowly increasing my Rotary involvement and was beginning to line things up to join the local Masonic lodge. While all of this was going on, my wife was continuing to work in her chosen field and hating my hours at the same time.

As the first couple of months passed, I was struggling to establish myself in my new profession while trying to stay conscious after working all night and having to commute to Delaware daily. It was a struggle but it also helped me to figure out what my body and mind was capable of and has continued to help me throughout the year. It was also around this time that I began to increase my political involvement by voicing my opinions, showing my support for my party, and attending various events in the area.

By the beginning of April it was time to move on from my day job and really look for an opportunity in my chosen profession of public relations. It was a good thing that I did not give up my night job. By the end of the month, some significant changes had occurred as it was that by the end of the month I was no longer a man, I was a Mason. That seemed to be the turning point that served as the drive that was beginning to waver. It was with this new found self respect, confidence, and motivation that I entered May.

The month of May was one that saw many new endeavors and responsibilities. As you know, this was the month when this blog was created and, so far, has been a daily exercise to keep me writing and motivated. It was a month of fortuitous introductions as it was during this 31 day span when I made initial contact with the woman who would eventually become by boss. At some point I also officially accepted the honor of becoming president elect of my Rotary club come July and also the month when the miles began to add up as my wife and I started our Pennsylvania exploration (this travel was in addition to the New Jersey trip we took to support our friend as she received her doctorate).

The summer months all blended together as the blog posts began to rack up and the formation of the secondary Phillies related blog began. Additionally, I began doing some freelance writing for a Red Sox publication pulling together game recaps. Travel occupied much of our free time during this period as we traveled around much of the eastern part of the commonwealth. Many of the interviews, meetings, and events around this time tend to run together but I vividly remember a few of them as I was finally able to meet my current boss face to face, I was able to meet and talk to Governor Corbett, I was able to watch my niece graduate High School, attending my mom’s much deserved retirement party, and I slowly began taking additional steps in my Masonic journey. Of course, Rotary remained a grounding mainstay during the sweltering months. This was also a month of tremendous change as the level of our religious observance shifted not because of a faltering faith but because the faith and passion burning inside of us needed a way out that better fit us and our life.  

 

September was the month when much of the hard work from earlier in the year began to pay off. There were many great Rotary events and meetings, a professional turning point when I finally sat down for another interview (in a different location at a different company) with my boss, and I began taking on additional duties at lodge by assisting the Secretary which later turned into me accepting the honor and responsibility of stepping into that role at the end of the year. This was also a huge month for my wife as she started at a position in her field that was no longer a job but the beginning of a career. This month of holidays and reflection also served to reassure our previous decisions and confirmed that we were on the right path.

The past three months have been busy. I have been working hard at an amazing company, working with great people, doing the job I love (my only job as I was finally able to resign from the night position). While not as extensive as over the summer, my travel continued as I was able to see Arizona for the first time. During this time I have had to drastically cut back on my Rotary involvement because of the timing (I still graduated from RLI and attended the foundation grant training), my Masonic journey has been one of incredible growth and contained many moments that I will never forget from attending a meeting the Academy of Masonic Knowledge as well as the quarterly and annual communications, to my initiation as Secretary and receiving my 32^nd degree through Scottish Rite.

 

Throughout much of the year this blog has remained a constant and will continue to be a daily log of my life so long as I am able. There are many things for which I am thankful as I look back on the year. There are also many things that didn’t quite come to fruition but that will be achieved in the coming year. Things are looking up for a change as the calendar turns and we all begin the annual routine of figuring out what we can do better with the next twelve months. While not everything was accomplished in 2013, I wouldn’t change a thing. While it had its rough spots, it was an amazing year overall and one that will have a positive impact on the rest of my life.

Not Your Usual Forbes 400 Gripe

Yesterday I was reading about the newly released list of the 400 Richest Americans as reported by Forbes magazine. Shortly after browsing the countdown of the usual suspects I started reading comments across the web about the state of the country and the “greed” that is supposedly pervasive in our society. It never fails, every time a list like this is compiled, especially the annual Forbes edition, the same comments pop up.

Before I go any further (and really get into my rant) lets go over some of the broad strokes about the list. First, let’s briefly go over how the list is compiled. According to Forbes, they prefer to meet with potential candidates in person and, during this year’s process, spoke with nearly 100 billionaires (interviews with those in their inner circle and employees were also pursued in this annual endeavor). When calculating the bottom line they looked to numerous public sources including (i.e. Securities & Exchange Commission documents, court records, probate records, federal financial disclosures and Web and print stories) and took into considerations all assets including stakes in public and private companies, real estate, art, yachts, planes, ranches, vineyards, jewelry, car collections and more. Finally, just like anyone’s balance sheet, debts were taken out at the end to calculate the final figure.

I don’t know how I would feel having to calculate those gargantuan figures knowing the salary I would potentially be making as a columnist or editor but kudos to the people that put forth the considerable effort.

What made this year’s list particularly interesting, and which might account for the increases venom in some of the responsive commentary strewn about, is the tremendous growth that the overall list has experienced over the past year (approximately $300 billion). With a current total of just over $2 trillion, or roughly the equivalent of the GDP of Russia, the average net worth of the 400 currently stands at $5 billion with the cost of entry being a staggering $1.3 billion. The last time the average was this high was in 2007 and 2008 before the financial meltdown. Unfortunately, the list was limited to 400 which meant that 61 American billionaires were left out in the cold licking their wounds.  

Many people have read these figures and voiced their bitter opinions about these people whom they’ve never met. My view is very simple, good for you. The vast majority of the people on this list worked their tails off to reach that level of wealth paying more in taxes along the way than most of us will ever make in our lives. Good for them.

Despite what may have been preached to some, life isn’t fair and we are not equal. Some people are more fortunate than others, some get lucky breaks along the way, and others are never able to reach the one percent let alone achieve top 400 status. The majority of these people worked hard for what they have and have been smart with their money. The top two, Buffett and Gates, are prime examples in that they started with very little, worked hard, and were smart with their business and financial decisions. Good for them.

Maybe the problem in this country is not in the one percent, it is in those members of the 99 percent that lack a good work ethic and expect someone to take care of them. I am far from the one percent and I don’t expect to ever fall into that category (it would be nice though) but I want to work and I chose to earn my money rather than collect the same exact amount in unemployment. This is not to say that unemployment is a bad thing, sometimes it truly is needed, and sometimes it is unavoidable. But many people have the choice.  

Sometimes reality stinks but you have the chose to either accept it or work your butt off and change it. Many on that list did just that. So, to all of you out there complaining about the “one percent” in this country, stop it! The problem is not in those who chose to work and are successful in their endeavors, the problem lies in those choosing not to work. Let this free advice be your last handout.  

SIDE NOTE: If you have enough time and energy to protest, you have enough time and energy to work. All too often I have found myself watching reports on protests (on a variety of topics) which took place in the middle of the day and found myself wondering why those people weren’t at work. And many times those protesters have prevented others from getting to work and doing their jobs. You have the right to your opinion and you have the right to share it but, come on, this is getting out of hand.