Quick Stop At The Lodge

Most of the brothers were at the district school last night so I knew that this was one of the few weeks when it was possible to have a very quick meeting at the lodge. So I reached out to the Treasurer a few days ago and coordinated a time to meet with him so that we could pay the bills and keep things running over the summer. Having both arrived in Ardmore at the same time we met up in the parking lot, walked through the front doors (after a quick stop at the mailbox of course), and sat at one of the tables in the back of the hall to get things done as efficiently as possible.

Since we usually aren’t able to talk much before or after meetings, it was nice to have a brief conversation, just the two of us, without any of the other brothers around and without any other commitments of my time. It was a conversation between brothers, between friends, as we sorted through the bills and signed the required checks (the third signature will come later). It is a great feeling having this time to connect and share the experience of the fraternity and of many common personal and family commonalities and coincidences.

Overall, it was a nice return to what I had become accustom to experiencing during my first year in office. Two seemingly opposite personalities, one gregarious and the other reserved, but by no means at the opposite ends of the spectrum. The difference is something that just seems to work as it has in the past but, more importantly, we are being ourselves and slowly building on the trust that we need to have with one another to be successful in our offices. And now with many of the obstacles behind us I hope that this partnership continues for many years to come… or at least until I step down in a few years. After all, I am in this for the long, six year haul, and I know that this Treasurer can succeed well beyond my limited years.

So, with the sun still bright above the horizon and no one else present, we turned off the lights, locked the door, and parted ways in the parking lot until the next round of checks need to be cut. Getting in the car I realized that we might have set a record for the shortest meeting at the lodge as the clock told me that only 25 minutes had passed since we arrived. Efficient, productive, but not rushed… seems like a good formula for any meeting.