Returning To Rotary... For A Night

Ever since I began working ‘normal’ hours I haven’t been able to make it to a Rotary meeting especially at my home club which meets for lunch in the middle of the week. Logistically it just hasn’t worked out. Of course, there have been other activities that have kept me occupied but I have only been able to schedule so much before my wife gets that look in her eye. And, honestly, I can’t say I blame her. There is only so much I can do without burning out and I have to have time at home or else I will just start shutting down.

However, last night, for the first time in months, I was able to once again join my fellow Rotarians in Bala Cynwyd for a wonderful dinner and, as always, excellent discussion. On what would have been my induction night as President of the club, I sat at one of the four crowded tables in the back room of Aldar Bistro and watched as another Rotarian took office. It was interesting to think about what could have been but that moment was fleeting because, while I may not be involved in Rotary like I once was, there are a lot of other things that I enjoy in what I consider to be a great life.

Unexpectedly, the new president gave a bit of a hat tip to me as in the short time I was active in Rotary and at the club, I make what turned out to be a positive impact. As I have said before, sometimes work and life in general can get in the way of things like Rotary but what is really important is that we remain active in our desire to give back and do good work. After all, we each have the responsibility to bring light to the world because while one candle may only be able to make a pin point in the dark, if we each hold a candle we can turn night into day. Rotary is just one of the many places where you can old your candle high.

By the end of the evening there were many people I hadn’t caught up with, many to whom I was introduced, and most that I had a chance to talk with about the long time that had passed. While I doubt that there will be time in the near future when I will be able to attend another meeting, I look forward to the next gathering I will be able to attend and I am determined to do a better job in keeping the like of communication open with my old club. Regardless of what happens, I will never forget what my club and Rotary did for me during a difficult period, the welcoming receptions that I continue to receive whenever I am able to make it to a meeting, gathering, or event, and what it continues to do as it influences my daily life.

 

Thinking Back There Seems To Be Something Missing

Every week I am amazed at how fast time seems to be drifting by. Every once in a while I stop for a moment, look back, and think about all that I have been able to do, see, and accomplish. However, this time around, I noticed something missing from my memories.

Truth be told, I haven’t been able to attend a Rotary meeting since September or October and while I have done my best to keep up to date with everything going on (thanks in large part to the weekly phone messages from my club) there is still a gap in my memory. Obviously, there is a huge difference between experiencing something and simply hearing about it. And because I really only write about my thoughts and experiences, there has been a lack of Rotary related posts since the last time I was surrounded by my fellow Rotarians.

That is something else that I struggle with. While I am still an Honorary Rotarian, I am pretty far removed at this point from the goings on in my club and in my district. Personally, I don’t know if I should really be called a Rotarian. Don’t get me wrong, I take great pride in my affiliation, but I really can’t say that I am earning that honor at this point. That is how I honestly feel at this point. With that said, I still carry the Four Way Test with me as a reminder and I still have a plethora of pins that are used in a Rotary rotation but that has been about the limit of my connection over the past half year.

I’m not sure if my current situation is fair to my club and to all the great people that I have had the pleasure of getting to know since I originally became a member in August 2012. I consider them all great friends who have supported me during a difficult transition period in my career but, since getting things back on track, I have not been able to enjoy their company. However, that only accounts for the meetings. I have not kept in touch with the club as I should have been doing all along. For that, I really don’t have a reason or an excuse.

It just goes to show that for many of us if we are not present and active in a club, organization, or fraternity we gradually become a bit disconnected both from the entity and from the people. I saw everyone once a week for over a year and now I haven’t seen them for over 6 months. A group of people and organization that was once a large part of my recollection and reflection is not oddly absent. I think it is time to change that. At the very least, I should pick up the phone.

This Is Not A Disney Movie

Well, there's your problem.

Trying to get to work on Monday was an absolute mess. What is normally a direct route that takes me forty five minutes to get to the office took me two and a half hours and numerous back roads. That annoying B, Siri, was actually very helpful yesterday and I was able to get to the office by ten. Today was more of the same as I tried to get to a meeting in Malvern which took me double the travel time than it should have.  

The cause of my delays was something that is becoming more and more common as the roads and highways around the city become more congested… accidents. These are the moments of mixed emotions. On one hand I am absolutely pissed at the mess that someone has caused and the delays that they have incurred upon all of us behind them while at the same time I am thankful that I wasn’t the one involved in such a serious incident that would shut down a multi-lane roadway.

What probably doesn’t help my mood during these situations is the fact that I am a regular talk radio listener and some of the things coming out of Washington are both appalling and enraging as the changed that was promised to so many people is becoming a reality. Unfortunately, it has come with lies and deceit that make the previous administration look almost passive in their initiatives. Trying to shove an unwanted program down our throats is one thing but outright lying to do so is a whole other level of wrong. Someone needs to let Obamapoppins that a spoon full of BS does not make the government sponsored medicine go down.

The latest radio tirades, usually when taking a breather from the healthcare fiasco, have been swirling around the falsified jobs figures leading up to the 2012 election. This is something that from one perspective seems to be the false persuasion of voters but, frankly, if you really believed that the job market has been improving and unemployment numbers have been correct then you have had your head up a certain orifice all along and false figures really had no bearing on your opinion anyway. It is interesting to hear how many ways the same topic can be rehashed though and I do give some of the personalities credit for some original takes on the subject.

I guess it could be worse. It may not seem like it when sitting behind a 1988 Nissan that hasn’t had an inspection since Clinton was in office but the fact of the matter is that we are alive to gripe about these things and we have enough of a mind, granted not much, to have an opinion. I have a job I love, I have a wife I love, I have my family, I have my brothers and Rotarians, and I have this blog to rant about such things. Things are actually pretty good right now. Some things could be better but there is not much to complain about at the moment. On top of that, at least I don’t live in New Jersey anymore. See, things seem to have gotten much better already.

Let These Serve As Reminders

Even some unexpected moments can serve as perfect reminders of all that we have.

As we live our lives, go to work, spend time with family there are always reminders that pop every now and again that remind us to appreciate what we have and to remember all that we have done. The last couple of days have been accented by such reminders for me. It is both one of the privileges and trials of being involved in organizations that embrace such a wide variety of people of all ages and abilities.

The first email I received a couple of days ago was while I was working hard in Arizona completely immersed in the various meetings and classes I was attending. It was an email from the District Deputy Grand Master informing all the members of my lodge of the passing of one of our fellow brothers at an unexpectedly young age. I guess it hit pretty close to home as there is a lot more that I want to do in life and it is certainly going to take more than 15 or 20 years.

I don’t even know if all that I want to accomplish could even be accomplished in one lifetime but I at least want to give it a good shot and that is certainly not enough time to do so. It really is something that will make you think about things that you could have done differently, the time that you may have wasted, and the changes that you know you need to make but have been putting off for way too long. Essentially, why wait until the new year to make resolutions when, at this point, that means you would have let another two months simply pass you by.

Fortunately, the other note that I got was something completely different and, as a matter of fact, quite flattering. I keep this blog as a way of remembering and a means to allow anyone who wants to look into my life to do so at their leisure. I’m not the government and I am a pretty boring person so there is nothing really for me to hide. But every once in a while I will write something that has piqued some interest and that was the case today as one of my posts was reprinted in the Rotary District (7450) newsletter.

I had no idea that this was going to be done but I have also always had a standing policy that people are free to disseminate my writing so long as they give the proper credit and citation. That was the case this week and makes me think that maybe I am accomplishing some of the things that I want to do in life and maybe there is a chance that, when all is said and done, I will have made a positive impact.

Sometimes we get so caught up in going from one project or event to another and fail to see the overall arch of what is being done and the impact our actions have beyond our immediate reach. Sometimes we need these reminders, happy and sad alike, to allow us to step back and think about all that we have seen, said, and done in our lives. You may even be surprised by how far your voice carries.

Happy Unday!

For some, including many of my fellow Rotarians, today was one of celebration as most of the world celebrated United Nations Day. There were long speeches given and countless messages of peace and recollections of what the UN has done for the world. And I am one that whole heartedly agrees that the UN has done some phenomenal work to make this world a better place.

However, this international body is a shell of what it once was and the blind faith and loyalty that some have given to this misguided body is naïve at best. What was once a means to ensure the freedom of people around the world has veered so off course that now they are trying to strip United States citizens of their rights and their freedom like they have in so many countries in recent years. How sad it that?

What makes the situation even worse is the fact that this ‘impartial’ body of, let’s be honest, politicians refuses to enforce any real sanctions that would have a measurable impact on the nations of this world that have promoted and preached hate over the last several decades (and longer). Oh, that’s right, we can’t punish those who deserve it because they may not like us and that wouldn’t be nice. After all, if I make them mad they might break my rose tinted glasses.

However, what is downright shameful is the way that the UN has treated Israel while pandering to the Palestinian Authority. Almost every time, if not every time, Israel defends herself against countless attacks who is the one that gets blamed by the United Nations for the ‘hostilities’? That’s right; Israel is the one that is blamed because they gave a quick jab to the jaw of someone that was running at them throwing haymakers.

The UN has been diluted into a delusional CF comprised of castrated politicians that more closely resemble a fanny pack (those in Ireland will understand what is truly meant by the use of that expression) rather than a just delegation of international representatives. So, rather that celebrating UN Day, from now on I am simply going to consider it an unday. A day when we think about how far we have come and so far we have gone off track.

Hopefully, the United Nations can resurrect itself and realize that the utopia that rattles around in their heads is by no means reality and if you want the support of the people you must support and uphold the rights and freedoms of the people. The UN must be in opposition of those try and strip us of our rights. They must oppose those who serve as catalysts of conflict.

It is time to stop being pukes and start acting like a drill sergeant…

PR CPR

Get your club back into rhythm.

Just a few thoughts stemming from a district meeting I had last night in King of Prussia....

Public relations and communications are an important part of any successful company or organization and Rotary is no different. Too often, this is something that is overlooked both at the club and on the district level but that perspective is slowly changing and those of us in District 7450 are doing our part by encouraging our fellow Rotarians to make that mental transition. However, this is a transition that is going to take a lot of time and a lot of energy.

The mentality that exists within most clubs, particularly smaller ones, is that the focus needs to be entirely on the service side of things. Those items or tasks that are necessary to promote the club itself are secondary. This is why many of us struggle with both membership and fundraising.

Unfortunately, there is also the generational and technological disconnect that exists in the membership which hinders the adoption both of methods and strategies essential for growth. Obviously, things need to change and they need to do so in a big way. The question is how do we implement such change into a system and a population that is hesitant to embrace a new way of holistic service to the community, club, district, and one another?

Change needs to be a step by step process not a mandate. A perfect example is social media. Many members are uninterested in having a Facebook profile and don’t see the need for one. The task then becomes to create the need. Show them why it would be a good thing to have in their lives both personally and regarding their Rotary involvement.

Maybe they want to see all the pictures of their grandkids, maybe they want to meet new people, maybe they want to get more involved in their service but are unable to make a regular time commitment. Demonstrate the value it can have in their own lives and they will better understand the need for the club to have a presence as well. It is not a guarantee but you will, most likely, reach at least a few members with this approach.

Traditional media is also something that needs to be high on the priority list and while it may take greater effort it can also carry with it a greater impact on your club’s exposure. Most clubs, large and small, promote large events and service projects to the local main stream media but that is only part of the story. Clubs need to write about and disseminate information regarding the weekly guest speakers as well as the induction of new members at the very least. Remember, if your club’s name is seen one time it’s a good thing but when people see your club regularly then you are entering into the realm of PR. This is when you are seen as an integral part of the community.

There are numerous other topics and details that can be discussed around the subject of PR and communications and many of them I have either already covered (here and here) or will be covering in the future. But, for now, I will leave you with the above topics for consideration and I encourage you to get involved by finding new ways to promote your club and to promote Rotary. There is no question that we do great work as Rotarians but sometimes they can go by the wayside if no one knows about them so let your voice and your club’s voice be heard.

Schedule Shift

This week I missed my Rotary meeting for the first time in months. There have been a few close calls from time to time but I outright missed it yesterday. If you read my post from yesterday you can understand why.

This is not a unique problem. Many Rotarians have to adjust their schedules to find the time to attend a meeting. It is the commitment we made when we joined Rotary. Sometimes things work out and you can find a way to attend your home club meeting. But that is not always the case.

Given my new daily routine, I am going to have to find a number of clubs to fit into my calendar. I will do my best to occasionally attend meetings at my home club in Bala Cynwyd but, at this point, I can’t guarantee anything. It will continue to be my home club but most of my meetings will have to be beyond the confines of Aldar Bistro.

What does that mean for some of the projects I have undertaken? Nothing, I am still going to work as hard as I have been on them. This schedule shift may even be to my benefit as it will give my club, our projects, and our raffle greater exposure.

What I will miss are the people. These people are not just my fellow Rotarians or club members; they are my friends who have been there for me during much of this recent rough patch. They will always be dear friends and I will continue to talk to and coordinate with them regarding the goings on in the club and what they happen to be doing beyond the Rotary world.

You may not see as many posts regarding the speakers at my club, which should have been obvious by now. But I will write about all the events, conferences, training programs and visitations to other clubs that I experience moving forward. In fact, you will be (or maybe you won’t if you tend to skip over these posts) reading about a Rotary event that I will be attending on Saturday when I finally finish up with Rotary Leadership Institute (RLI).

So, some things are definitely going to change in my own Rotary world but many things are going to stay the same. Change is good most of the time and in this instance it has the potential to be great. Stay tuned for a different Rotary perspective.