Final Preparations

We are now in the final couple of days, hours really, before the final stated meeting of the year and, as always, there are a few things that I am scrambling to get done before tomorrow night. Mostly this consists of printing out a fresh pile of paperwork, doing some final revisions to the minutes, and making sure all the bills are organized and included in my monthly spreadsheet. It isn’t a time of trying to figure out what to do but rather a period of setting aside the time to do the things that need to be done every month.

Of course, there are always one or two new items every month and the preparations for this meeting are certainly no exception. With elections and installations taking place tomorrow night, I have to make sure that I have all of the corresponding paperwork and lists readily available. There are also a few extra meetings that I have to have on the side throughout the night that require some additional time and planning. And, finally, I need to make sure that the annual donation totals are ready to be calculated and the attendance numbers updated.

However, what might be the most important thing that I have to do personally is to prepare for another year in office. While I took my oath two years ago expecting to stay on as Secretary for a number of years, there never really is certainty when holding elected office. It has been a learning experience to say the least and while I have been far from perfect (really really far), so far the brethren have been supportive of the work that I have done at the lodge and knowing that I have their support is really what keeps me going.

I am also getting ready to hit the reset button after this meeting. Not because I want to forget anything or ignore what has happened but as a means to move forward without either thinking about any past issues of relying on the successes of the previous year. It is a new year with a new slate of officers. While many things remain the same, the masonic years must remain independent from one another for just that reason. What happened in the past, good and/or bad, should remain there. What we learned from those experiences, what to do and what not to do, are the only things that should impact the present and be part of the future.

Last Day at Double Three

It has been quite the year and now, on my last day at double three, it is amazing how fast and slow the past twelve months have been. Every year I can’t help but ask myself whether this is where I was hoping to be at this stage in my life. There are always some great things that result in a resounding yes and there are also some things when, if I take an honest look at them, I am lead to another question asking myself why those things weren’t achieved in previous years.

This year, I am probably the most content than I have ever been. There have been some great things that have happened lately and there are things for which I am very excited on the horizon. Most importantly, I am able to celebrate my change in demographic for the first time as a father. With all of the bad things that have happened over the past year this fact, by far, outweighs all the sadness, anger, and disappointment. This present from my son is the best gift that I have ever received.

With so much having happened over the past couple of years I am thankful that I have been able to stick with this blog. Being able to revisit and remember those good moments has been a tremendous tool during the tough times. While I may have been writing the posts, the gift that my wife has given me is truly what has made this possible. She has allowed me the time and energy to focus on these words and given me the ability to remember life, in detail, no matter if it was a good day, bad day, happy or sad moment. She has given me the space and the time to continue with this project and that is a gift that I can never fully show my appreciation for.

Maybe the biggest difference between this and all previous years is that I have gained a greater appreciation for all the intricacies of life and I have been given a completely different perspective of the world. Most importantly, I have been able to really focus on what matters and not put my stock in about what other people think. I will continue to love, protect, and do what I think is best for my family… don’t get in my way. I have my views and am happy to discuss them with people but damn me for them and I will write you off. There are more important things in life to which I will continue to devote my time, attention, and energy.

This is what made this past year a good one. It could have been great had some things not happened but we can’t change that. Maybe by the time I hit the residential speed limit next year, I can look back and see that this, the year to come, was a great one. Good bye double three, I wish we had more time together but I am also glad to see you go!

Passing One Thousand!

Last month I was able to mark the 500^th post on this blog. Today I was able to mark a slightly different but very similar occasion in that, between this blog and Getting Your Phil, I have published one thousand blogs since this all started in late May of 2013 (of course, there were a few blogs before that point as well). Obviously, the Phillies-centric blog came a little later and there were a few days missed here and there.

It’s interesting to think about all the different things that have been said, statements that have been made, and questions that have been posed throughout that plethora of posts. While there have been many occasions when I have repeated myself and even the entire subject matter of the post but there have been a wide variety of things that have been said. Some have been good, some bad, but they are all out there just for the heck of it.

Tonight I ran into the new guy working at the front desk of our apartment building and over the natural course of introducing ourselves we found that we had the common interest of blogging. However, it was interesting to hear the different perspectives that we each had for doing this. While I write this largely rambling posts for the sake of writing and attempting to maintain my creativity, limited as it may now be, he has diverged into the for profit model.

It was this shift in his perspective that has caused him to lose the passion he once had for sharing his art and perspective to his community. The graphic arts, like writing, requires a passion for the practice rather than a desire to get paid. If the money follows that is just a bonus, but it cannot be the motivating factor that keeps you posting blog posts day after day.

I really hate when I see this same thing happen to creative people over and over again. The money gets in the way of the passion leaving them grasping for anything that they can get a hold of and doing all they can to maintain an ember burning. All too often, I have seen heat within them completely extinguished. We must maintain our passions and focus our energy on the creative process not the possibilities of monetary gain.

Money is not the means by which to measure the creative process. If we lose focus on that which we are creating we can no longer truly commit ourselves to our art (regardless of media or genre). One thousand blogs and that remains my motivation… that and providing proof that yes I did exist. But you already read about my true motivation in keeping this daily blog.