They got me. Like trying to escape the Mob, I thought I was clear, and they sucked me back in. I told myself that now the big summer fundraiser was over, I was going to coast at Rotary for a while. I thought I'd just show up for lunch on Tuesdays, and socialize like 80-85% of the members. I planned to take the rest of the summer off, and then jump back in to volunteering in September for the Palisade peach sales. Alas, my cunning plan was foiled. Weeks ago, the president elect asked me whether I wanted to take over the PR duties for the woman who was moving up into the pipeline to be president in two years (called the "president elect nominee"). I delayed, saying that I needed to talk to her, and see how much work the job entailed. I am somewhat leery of taking on too much, remembering how seriously being the president of the spouses club in Charleston hindered my recovery from diverticulitis. (Granted, the lupus probably factored in there heavily, had I known that it was the underlying problem.) Today was the transfer of leadership, and all of the other board members were recognized and gathering for photos. The new president mentioned to the club that the PR position was still unclaimed, and the woman who was vacating it came to discuss it with me after the meeting. She swears it really isn't that much work. Maybe half an hour a week to put together the newsletter, a little bit of website updating, and then social media updates as needed. She says it really isn't more than one day a week of work. I caved in and said I would do it, if she would provide me some training wheels at first. Since I dragged my feet on it, I have to wait for the rest of the board to approve me for the job. I don't know that any one of them would refuse, but I make no assumptions.
Driving home today, I marveled at how far I've come in two years. When we arrived in Colorado exactly two years ago, I knew that I wanted to move to this town, and I only knew one person from my old life who lived here (and at the time, I didn't quite realize he was here--I don't see him very often anyway). We picked a house, and hoped that the neighborhood was good. (It is, mostly, but it gets dodgy a few blocks in any direction.) I chose the real estate school in Fort Collins because it seemed more direct to drive north than to drive down into Denver to other schools. I didn't really want to go down through Aurora or Arvada traffic, which were the other two options I saw. I lucked out and ended up working for the instructor, and feeling like his brokerage was absolutely the right fit for me. But finding leads was still a problem. I didn't know very many people in town, after six months at that point. I knew my next door neighbor, and that was about it. The boss said farm your friends and contacts for your first deals. I didn't know anyone here, and I certainly didn't know anyone who was looking for a house. Boss also said talk to professionals in related fields, like title agents and mortgage brokers. So when I signed up for a bank account to use for my business, at the bank a few blocks from here, they said they would have the mortgage broker from the main office on the other side of town call me. We met at a coffee shop downtown, and in a flash, my life changed. She took me to Rotary the next week, and within seconds of witnessing the group stand and recite the Four Way Test, I knew I had found my people. If I keep down this path, not only am I going to be in tight with my eight or ten good friends in the group, but everyone will know my name. I am on track to know all the movers and shakers in this town, and to be in a position for them to view me positively, as someone with volunteering in her soul.
I don't know any other way to behave in a group like this except to volunteer often and throw my all into it. I share my time, experience, talents, and passion liberally in these situations. I am uncomfortable being recognized for it, so I gladly do it behind the scenes, not out front. I feel like a board position will be more visible than I wanted to be, and specifically being the Public Relations person will be painfully visible. But if they need me, I can't say no. I just can't. Thus I find myself waiting to hear whether I'm approved. So much for taking the summer off.
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