If two weeks ago was my first meeting as president, last week
was my first (and certainly not my last) meeting to
lose control (as if I ever really had any control).
Some would call directing a Rotary meeting "managed chaos"
-- I’d probably relate it more to "herding cats".
But according to Ralph Waldo Emerson's quote from last week’s
Ending Thought: "Finish each day and be done with it!"
Thanks to pP John Burke, I now consider myself
educated on the Rules of Bell Thievery. As
long as the bell is considered to be in my possession (from
the time I arrive until I leave the meeting), the sacred
bell is fair game. For those who missed last week’s meeting,
I will give $25 to The Rotary Foundation if
my bell is successfully stolen during the meeting (which
is peanuts compared to NCS President Charlie Litton's $100).
But if I thwart a robbery in-progress, the intended assailant
will be expected to donate $25 to The Foundation
(please excuse the pseudo-legalese; I just wanted the explanation
to pass muster with Jim Young and Harvey Diemer).
Speaking of “no respect”, the new guidelines for
monetary provisioning went over like a lead balloon. Nonetheless,
I hope today's demonstration of positive reinforcement
will be more widely appreciated (well, that and me talking
half as much!).
Today, we have a great program lined up. Literacy
just happens to be a topic of great interest to this year's
RI President, Bill Boyd. At the same time,
we also have some presentations to make today. In fact, one
of the presentations has been in the works for a few weeks and
has been completely Top Secret. The only hint
I can provide without giving away too much is that we'll have
a special guest.
Finally, the Children's Festival is tomorrow
(Friday, July 21) from 9am
- 12pm and 5pm - 8pm.
The Festival is an annual Renaissance Faire for kids set in
Pioneer Park. There will be over 20 arts &
crafts tables, as well as jugglers, storytellers, and wandering
musicians. And all of this for only a $2 admission!
Like last year, our club is sponsoring the event. We have several
NC Rotarians who have volunteered to setup before, work during,
and clean-up after the event. But it's not too late to help.
Take a look at the "Club News" section for more information...
In Service Above Self,
David "Kidd" Kenitzer
