Late To Lodge

As I wrote yesterday, time has not been kind to me and last night was the perfect example of that. For an extra meeting I usually try to get out of the office between 5:30 and 6 but with a major presentation scheduled for Thursday, I was in the midst of a meeting throughout the afternoon and into the early evening. 6 o’clock came and went soon followed by 6:30. When I walked out of the door at 6:40, with a pile of work that needed to get done later that night, I knew that I was going to be cutting it close for the 7:30 meeting so I texted the Worshipful Master and let him know of my delayed arrival time.  

Pulling into the parking lot there was only a minute left before things where scheduled to get started and I still had to get in the door, head downstairs to my office, change, and grab a Bible. I have missed a couple of meetings in the past, only one since becoming Secretary, but this was going to be the first time that I would be arriving late. So I prepared as fast as I could and made my way up the stairs and continued resisting the urge to reply with “land shark” from behind the closed door.

Thankfully, when I knocked into the meeting the candidate had yet to enter and I was granted a few minutes by the Worshipful Master to collect myself and get situated at my desk. As soon as I sat down, we officially started the degree portion of the night. I am glad that my brothers waited a little as the candidate last night is someone that I was looking forward to seeing take the next step. Many of us have been impressed with both his eagerness to learn and his ample participation thus far (even before he officially became a mason). I look forward to seeing him thrive in the lodge and in Freemasonry in general.

The evening came to a close with the brethren converging on the newly raised Mason to congratulate him and sign his Bible. Soon after many sought me out to remind me of a variety of things that needed to be taken care of and ask for my assistance with others. At this point I have pretty much gotten used to this routine after meetings. However, as we walked down the stairs one of my brothers, knowing all that I am juggling at this time, made good on his countless offers and removed one of the small but still time consuming tasks from my list. Yes, I actually took him up on his insistence this time.

We all went our separate ways once we ventured back out in to the bitter cold. A few headed off to the brewery across the street, several went home to enjoy some down time with family, and I made my way back home to tuck my wife and son into bed and get a few hours of work done before passing out. By the time I went to bed it was 2 in the morning which was only made worse by the fact that the week wasn’t even half over. Just one of those weeks but at least I was able to forget all of that for just a little bit last night.

A Conference Room Full Of Random Thoughts

For much of this past week I have been in and out of meetings at all different times of day and every imaginable length. Given the time of year it really isn’t a surprise to have these kinds of days. The summer months are a time for planning and strategy in addition to our usual ongoing efforts. However, it is during these long sessions in the conference room when the conversations tend to veer off course.

One of the common culprits is a when a simple reference is made and only half of those in the room know the origin of the term or word. It’s like when someone knocks on the door and says “Land shark” or “Candy gram” there are going to be people with grins and others with blank stares. This inevitably turns the discussion into a back and forth about what we remember growing up and what may have been missed by some.

It is fascinating how much you can relate to your colleagues just by recalling random memories from childhood and during the early parts of your life. Not the major events just the small moments, songs, television shows, movies, and the other things that passed by without us giving them a second thought. Even the way that certain streets used to look or department stores that we used to visit. These are the conversations that make me wonder if I have really gotten to that point in life when we look back and wonder how things have changed so much.

Of course, what doesn’t help in this self-evaluation is the fact that I rarely get references to current pop culture and I frequently find myself giving directions according to old stores and landmarks. Heck, I still prefer writing notes by hand, reading paper copies of books and documents, and paying by check. And, what really throws off my oldest niece, I still text in complete sentences with all the words spelled out… I don’t know if that is more my age, a little OCD, or both.

In the end, time moves forward, life happens, and changes occur. All we can do is keep our perspective and appreciate all that we have seen and done… everything it a memory. While we can see, feel, and sense our memories that is all that they are. It is interesting how those present events can awaken the thoughts of the past merging the two into a new experience that makes you wonder how old you really are. It makes you think about how long it will take before you look back at today in the same way that you look back to memories from childhood. Is that even possible? I guess we will have to wait and find out.