Happy Mid Year!
A holiday letter from Dr. Rick
A Mid year Letter I know that may sound funny. But the Rotary year starts on June 30th. I imagine that’s a nod to a founding Rotarian who was also a CPA. Regardless, here we are. Being President of our Rotary Club, any Rotary Club for that matter, is a curious job. You would think it would be easy: there’s a healthy Club treasury at hand, eager and able Club members at the ready, traditions to follow – just flip the switch and go! And of course, it’s not like that at all. There’s a brushfire to put out every few weeks, and keeping your eye on the bigger picture can be difficult as you attend to the niggling details. And that’s why the midpoint is so important. Your vision is clearer than when you started, and you still know that you haven’t arrived at your destination. Maybe that’s why we have a “Presidential Theme” every year to serve as a guide. This year, the theme is, “Create hope in the world.” In a world that is so torn (maybe it has always been so), and in a community that has so many disparate needs, how do you “create hope?” I suspect the answer is akin to the children’s riddle that asks, “How do you eat an elephant?” *** Here’s my answer to that question, and it’s your assignment for this holiday season: call someone that you haven’t spoken with in a while. Simple as that. While you’re on the phone with them, ask them to do the same. The result can be exponential. The communication has to be verbal or in person. I’m not the first to espouse this theory, but our reliance on computers and written communication has taken a layer of our humanity away. Maybe it’s another reason why the world seems so cold and lacking hope these days. You create hope simply by interacting, in person or verbally – it changes the conversation in so many ways. It connects you with someone else in a way that nothing else can do. The subtleties are there to be explored and countless branches can be pursued. It’s a two-way process, and the benefits are felt by both parties. This midpoint has also made me realize the magic of the Rotary Club. When you break bread with like-minded people, it’s easier to work together. You find commonalities in ways that you may not have imagined. You have a group of like folks who don’t mind giving more than they receive. Even though the faces change, the general demeanor and spirit of the Club remains the same. I wish you all a wonderful year to come (non-Rotary calendar). We’re all in this together. We will have a wonderful Vines event (Better get cracking in those sponsorships and auction items), fun participation projects (Forging garden tools from guns! Planting pollinator gardens! Slinging hot dogs and hamburgers at Celebrate!) and an interesting program every week. Use our Club as your respite from the crazy week, and use it as a way to create hope for both yourself and the world. Thank you to all of you for accompanying me on my journey. I couldn’t do this alone. Happy holidays and Happy New Year! Very truly yours, Dr. Rick Liftig President West Hartford Rotary *** A: One bite at a time. |