I had to go to a meeting tonight.
In another life, I had at least one meeting almost every night of the week, and sometimes during the day. Meetings go hand-in-hand with volunteering, and I was pretty much a professional volunteer and community busy-body...
There were PTA meetings, PTA officer meetings, Room Parent meetings, Site-Based Committee meetings, City Long Range Planning Committee meetings, Education Foundation meetings, Education Foundation Grant Committee meetings, Parent Action Committee meetings, Library Board meetings, Cub Scout committee meetings, Boy Scout committee meetings, School Board meetings, Band Parent meetings, Band Board meetings...and then all of those little sub-committees and special projects that you have to get together for...theater programs, band programs, fundraisers of all kinds...and then different hats like Confirmation teacher and UIL Spelling coach. Plus all the kids' meetings and practices....
Whew. Now I'm tired.
Somehow, all those years, I managed to side-step the top job. Never the President, always the Vice-President, the Assistant Whatever... sometimes a minor sub-committee chairman, but usually just an eager and hard-working helper and supporter, letting as much responsibility slide off my shoulders as possible, because I had work to do in all of those other committees!
As the kids got older and the bills piled up (because we were pretty much a one-income family - volunteering doesn't pay well) and I started working more and more part-time jobs, I let the volunteering and the meetings fall by the wayside. I only had one volunteer gig left, and even though I was responsible for taking the minutes, we didn't meet that often.
Somehow last month I became Chairman of that Committee.
I could have said no, of course, but realized it would have left some ripples instead of keeping the waters flowing smoothly. Since this is an organization I care about, it was important to me to keep it flowing. And besides, I feel like I can do a good job.
So tonight I went to a meeting to show support for a cause that's important to us. I didn't want to go...I had things to do here (like finish decorating my tree!)... but I knew it was important, something bigger than me, and I think I've missed that. I will never let myself get pulled in a zillion different directions again and never fill up my calendar with one meeting after another, no matter how good the causes are. I have to have balance in my life now more than ever.
But I'm aware of that box I'm trying to fill up, and I want it filled with good things. Yeah, Roger's example is still on my mind... a full life of working hard, playing hard, and giving back.
And, besides it was just one meeting, for crying out loud.
