Lately, it has occurred to me that my life revolves around meetings. That’s probably true for most of us, but it’s especially true for me. I’ve belonged to a wide variety of organizations, most of whom believe getting together is one of the critical goals of their existence. The truth is, I love meetings! That makes me a little weird.
My wife and I attended our second meeting of our new homeowner’s association last weekend. Since we were new to the neighborhood, I thought it would be a great way to meet some of our neighbors. Our first meeting was a few months ago, and it was a “special” emergency call.
There had been a couple of dog-on-dog attacks, which understandably raised concern among the neighbors. We shared that concern. The attendees reached a consensus, leading to the outlawing of certain dog breeds for new residents. The offending pooches were grandfathered in with stern warnings to the owners about muzzling and leashes. The dogs were also required to utilize said muzzles and leashes.
Keep in mind this is the same community in which my lovely spouse and I have witnessed huge black bears meandering within a few feet of us as we relax (?) on our screened-in porch. Maybe they had a different meeting about those non-dogs.
The meeting last weekend was the regular scheduled gathering. More households were represented at the head table than those of the other attendees. Our agenda contained about ten items for discussion. Plants, fences, speeding – the common HOA concerns were all there.
However, when we reached Item #7, some members of the head table glanced our way. Then, one officer leaned over to the other and said, “Let’s just skip that one.” That’s too bad because we wondered what Item #7, “Game-Day Flags,” concerned.
When the meeting ended, I asked the president why we didn’t discuss the flag issue.
He said, “One of the other officers told me to skip it. So, I did.”
I said, “Well, we’re Bama fans, and we keep our flag up all season, not just on game day. Our next-door neighbor has an Arkansas flag. Do you think there is an Auburn fan that complained? Heck, I’d even be okay with a non-SEC flag flying!”
He laughed and said, “I don’t see a problem. We don’t meet again for six months.”
I love meetings.
In my former life, I spent a lot of time speaking to groups at meetings all over the country. The Jaycees gave me many opportunities to learn how to present myself positively to audiences throughout Alabama. As president of the Alabama Jaycees, I traveled from venue to venue to promote the qualities of our leadership training organization.
One of my more interesting meetings was a membership recruiting event in Florence, Alabama. The District Director organized the event in a local Applebee’s-type restaurant. There was a misunderstanding between the Jaycees and the restaurant management. Our folks thought the restaurant would have a separate section for our function. Not so.
I gave my humorous, motivational recruiting pitch to a nice-sized crowd. Unfortunately, my audience included several people seated at the bar who were oblivious to my purpose.
“Who the #@$% is that guy?” yelled one lady to the bartender. “Who the #@$% are you?” she loudly directed at me. She continued her own little meeting with her bar-mate as she and I increased our competitive decibel levels. We signed up several new members that night!
Sometimes, you get to speak to a special group, one you definitely want to impress. I was the guest speaker for the Coast Guard Wives’ Auxiliary. They had a lovely pre-speech reception with a beautiful variety of hors d’oeuvres.
After a gracious introduction, I began speaking. I had their rapt attention. They hung on every word. I ended my talk to enthusiastic applause and approached my adoring listeners afterward. The leader of the group pulled me aside, I assumed, to further congratulate me on my excellent delivery, or something.
“I’m sure you’re not aware,” she said, “You have a big piece of spinach on your tooth.” She handed me a napkin to take care of the problem.
“Has that been on my tooth all through my talk?” I asked.
“Yes, I’m afraid so. But, your speech was excellent, even so!”
I went to bed that evening, revisiting how many times I witnessed ladies rubbing their tongues over their teeth in the audience. I don’t know why I never picked up the signal.
I’m looking forward to another meeting once I’ve retired from my current job in November. One of my McGill Institute high school classmates started a bi-weekly coffee meeting for the class of ’73 graduates. I’ve only been able to go to one session. That was Labor Day, 2023, three days after the death of our fellow alumnus, Jimmy Buffett.
Sitting in the coffee shop with a guitar-playing classmate, we sang Buffett tunes. Singing along with Jimmy has never required vocal skills. As we began our third rendition and our expert harmonica player warmed up, the manager informed us that patrons were busily working on their laptops. We hoped they had some particular parrot-head musical requests.
Only one! “Please stop!”
For crying out loud, it was Labor Day!
Still, I may be one of the few who love meetings!
God Bless,
Tommy
P. S. – If you enjoy these columns, I would appreciate you asking friends or family to subscribe. It’s free, and I certainly appreciate your support. Here’s the link to send – Subscribe to Tommy’s Blog