President's Message - Nov. 8, 2013

Can you believe it’s already November?  Thanksgiving is almost here but at home we seem to be talking about Christmas and the trip to Colleen’s mother’s house.  Winter has not started yet but we are planning for the Rotary International trip in March followed by the Rotary District Conference in April.  There are discussions around my house about spring break plans and next summers beach trip with my in-laws.  There’s graduation in May to plan for and don’t forget next year we celebrate Thanksgiving in Arizona at my parents house (every other year.) You can really lose track of the moment when stuff like this starts to pile up not to mention time starts to fly by.  You can’t ignore it because it does take planning with advanced reservations to get the unit you want or the caterer for graduation that will be booked by the end of the month for that special weekend in May.
 
My challenge to all of us as we head into the Holiday Season is to slow down and live in the moment as much as you can.  So much of the great stuff we do as club should be admired and reflected upon.  To do this we need to be present. To be present we need to have clarity of mind.  We all know not too long from now we are going to be taking a drink of the holiday season from a fire hose.  We swear every year the next will be different and its not.  Try and do it with a smile while you take a step back, a big deep breath and think about how many lives you have touched this year through the Rotary service you helped provide. 
 
It’s “Movemebr”  which means some men and no woman will be sporting facial hair to honor prostate cancer awareness month.  Unlike the commercial on TV it is impossible to have a “beard growing contest” in one sitting so bear with us.  We have several Holiday events planned this year so keep your eyes and ears open for announcements and various ways you can get involved as we roll into the last few months of 2013. 
 
Yours in Rotary Service,
 
Dan