Masonic Groundhog Day?

Many of the brothers with whom I speak on a regular basis see that there is a repetition at the lodge every month. When I look at my monthly duties I sometimes find myself using that poor choice of words. This usually happens when I am putting together the initial outlines for the notices or minutes and sometimes when I am filling in the ledger or stuffing envelopes. However, that misguided feeling is fleeting.

While I can see why those words are chosen, I tend to disagree with that Groundhog Day assertion and look at the same month over month consistency as the rhythm of the lodge. There are enough things that happen in our lives that come seemingly out of the blue, the same can be said of the lodge as well, that it is rather relaxing to have this annual pattern in place. Each month offers something a little different. Sometimes those differences are obvious while other times you really have to slow down and look at the details.

And that is sometimes what we have to do and what we should do every month… we need to slow down, look at the details, and enjoy the moments that we have together as brothers. Things are constantly changing around us and the slow progress can easily go unnoticed if we keep running through things as fast as we can and assume that every day, month, year is simply just another appearance by Phil. But, even if things stayed the same, it doesn’t mean that we should settle and go through the motions.

There are boundless opportunities for all brothers to enjoy different events, appendant bodies, or simply other lodges. When is the last time you visited another lodge in your district? Jurisdiction? Another state? Another country? And I don’t know about those reading this post but there are a hundred thousand masons in Pennsylvania alone and I certainly haven’t met all of them. I have met a lot of brothers since being raised but certainly not that many.

However, the main thing is that there are some brothers who get into a routine of simply showing up or not showing up. Don’t get me wrong, if you just want to be at the lodge and enjoy the fellowship that is fine but there are many such brothers that see the lodge as unmoving and sometimes stuck in a rut. Honestly, that thought crosses all of our minds at one point or another and I felt the same way at times before I decided to make a personal change and get involved.

That is what it takes. We should have a passion for our fraternity and enjoy our times of fellowship. No mason should feel unwelcomed and no one should be afraid to speak their mind or introduce something new to their fellow brothers. We learn from one another and this is the constant that I seek every month at the lodge. Know your brother as thy self; know your lodge as thy home. This is how we combat that sense of repetitiveness.

An Ornery Little Woodchuck

I went to bed last night with the snow falling probably as hard as it has all year and about two total inches having already accumulated on the ground. By the time I woke up for the third or fourth time during the night, I could hear that the precipitation had changed to a liquid state. It was going to be a messing morning no matter what was falling from the sky. All we could hope was that the ice wouldn’t develop as predicted but I’m not holding my breath either way.  

While still in bed and occasionally smashing the snooze button on my phone the meteorologists were all prognosticating and letting us know that, once again, Armageddon was just around the corner. Of course, a smaller and furrier one was also getting up early today… actually his process is more akin to being abducted from his home. It is that time of year when Sonny and Cher fill the airwaves and we all go out of our way to avoid Ned Ryerson.

That’s right, Phil is back and as ornery as ever predicting another six weeks of winter. However, when you think about it, it makes you wonder just how accurate a prediction he can give as he seems to be a pampered, agoraphobic, temperamental little rodent. It’s safe to say that this woodchuck wouldn’t chuck wood if his life depended on it. I’m pretty sure his handlers wouldn’t let him do any kind of physical labor anyway.  

Just like last year, he emerged from his little hole and glanced at his shadow causing a groan to flow throughout the crowd. This should be no surprise as since 1887 he has only been able to avoid the glance 17 times… maybe Bill Murray didn’t relive the same day over and over. Maybe it just seemed like it as he went through the same routine year after year.

So, if his prediction stands we will be stuck with this mix of snow, ice, and sleet for six more weeks. The worst kind of winter season. Hopefully, there will be a few good deluges here and there so long as they don’t happen at the same time as our son’s arrival. Any other time would be fine especially after we take him home as it would be kind of nice to be stuck in the house with our baby despite the possibility of having a close encounter with a blowout.

Phil doesn't like blowouts either!

Punxsutawney Phil Fallout

The day after Groundhog Day and what do we find? Snow. And not the granular white sand like snow that buried the pavement last month. These flakes were big and heavy, sticking to anything that got in their way. I hope this is not what we should expect over the next six weeks.

 

I woke up this morning with every expectation of heading into the office and getting things moving for the week. Twenty minutes into a slow and slippery drive, I had no other choice than to try and made it back to the apartment. While there wasn’t a large amount of snow on the ground, it was just enough that the traction control kept flashing on the dashboard every time I gently presses the accelerator when the light turned green. Thirty minutes after my decision to head back, I finally arrived at the apartment building and pulled into a parking spot.

The snow continued to fall all day as I worked from the dining room table. Occasionally I would stop and clean off the cars trying to stay ahead of the mounting weight pressing down on the suspension. Throughout the day, the view of the parking lot from our window remained fuzzy like a television with misaligned rabbit ears. It wasn’t until about four when the air began to clear and the real clean up began.

It didn’t take long before the low scratchy groan of the plow began echoing off the compacted parking lot and the slow blowers filled the air with the unmistakable sound of a gasoline engine with the arch of snow breaking up in midflight before slamming into the freshly plowed pile on the side of the driveway. The staccato of the chunks of snow hitting trees and fence, combined with the vibrating metal of the plow bouncing off the speed bumps in a dull winter drumroll.

With all of these things happening in the background, the ticking of the computer keys served to keep me focused on the screen and the projects that seem to be backing up by the moment. Throughout that time I kept thinking about that darn groundhog. It seems as though he is mocking all of us just like he did Bill Murray. Some winters are not so bad but then there are ones like this year when six weeks seems like a very long time. Six weeks of this will not be fun but maybe things will turn around. However, look at the forecast for the next ten days all I have to say is… screw you Punxsutawney Phil!