Highlights of January 21 Zoom Meeting

Prior to the meeting actually starting, the members who gathered early enjoyed some casual conversation.  At least one member was enjoying a beverage in a can which was sporting a Four Way Beer Test koozie.

 

Allan and Polly were still enjoying time on their boat in San Diego, but the latest COVID restrictions had really quieted activity in the area.  They planned to meet friends at a Joe's Crab Shack near their dock.  Allen had even checked ahead to be sure they would be open.  When they arrived at the restaurant, they learned it was only open for take out, so they walked back to their boat with their friends and ate on the boat.  

 

At Noon, President Dan Coonsofficially called the meeting to order, introducing himself and welcoming everyone to the meeting.  After reciting the Rotary Theme - "Rotary Opens Opportunities," he called on Ray Smith to offer the invocation.

 

 

Tom shared a few paragraphs from Jim Boyd when he served on the Rotary Membership Committee:

 

What does it mean to be a Rotarian?  Chances are this question in one form or another will pop up in discussions between a Rotarian and someone who is thinking about becoming one.  It is the sort of question a Rotarian should like to have asked.  Whatever is said in reply almost certainly will be drawn from the Rotarian's own personal experiences as a member of a Rotary Club.  

 

A Rotarian believes in Rotary and in what Rotary stands for.  What Rotary stands for is stated in the Object of Rotary.  Above all, Rotarians believe in "Service Above Self," Rotary's international motto.  Rotarians believe in sharing Rotary with others.  Being a Rotarian means more than the sum of what a Rotarian believes about Rotary; it means maintaining high ethical standards in one's business, one's profession, and in one's personal life.

 

Being a Rotarian means having the opportunity to experience the warm fellowship of a Rotary Club which can greatly expand one's circle of acquaintance, foster lifelong friendships, and help one do for his or her community what he or she might never accomplish alone.  Being a Rotarian means to be actively involved in the affairs and service projects of one's club.  Rotarians look for ways to get involved.  Rotarians demonstrate the strength of their commitment to Rotary in the service they render to their club, through their club to the community, and through the Rotary Foundation to people throughout thee world.  Being a Rotarian is a way of life and can be a satisfying lifelong adventure for those who are willing to give of themselves to enjoy and benefit from all that Rotary has to offer.

 

After sharing what Jim Boyd had to say, Tom added, "Some days you need a hand and there are other days when we're called to lend a hand."  He asked if anyone would be willing to share their "Rotary Moment," - something from their own personal experience about when they moved beyond being a member of a Rotary Club to truly becoming a Rotarian.  Pam Cohen said it was working with RYLA participants and transporting students to the camp.  John Pennypacker said he first joined Rotary in 1976 when he was young impetuous captain in the Army and was invited by a Colonel who was a survivor of the Bataan Death March.  Two years later, John was transferred away from that assignment.  He did not rejoin Rotary until he became a charter President of the Rotary Club at the Boeing plant in Mesa.  He said when he witnessed the difference Rotary Youth Exchange and RYLA makes in the lives of young people, he had his moment.  John sais there are no strangers in Rotary - just friends who haven't met yet.  Dan Coons said it was a trip Don LaBarge invited him to go on with Rotarians to a city in Mexico to provide polio immunizations.  He said "Seeing the need while experiencing the graciousness and kindness of the poor residents showed the value of Rotary to that community and the world."  Polly Cady said Youth Exchange did it for her.  She hosted before becoming a Rotarian.  After she joined, she stayed involved with Youth Exchange.  Bob Zarling said the Caborca immunization trip did it for him.  Lola McClane said she met Lucinda General and the rest is history. 

 

 

 

Wendell Jones introduced the speaker.  He bikes with Layne almost every week.  Layne helps people excel through adventure.  He has his own unique  leadership development program.  CLICK HERE to visit his website to learn about The Breakthough Mindset - Discovering your untapped superpowers by learning to change the game.  He and his wife and their eight children live in Mesa.

 

Growing up in Idaho, traveling the world was something Layne believed that would never happen for him.  Many of us feel like we are pawns in somebody else's game.  We do our duty, moving through the world feeling like we are chained and shackled.

 

An early international adventure for Layne was a bicycle trip from Portugal to Vatican City.  The trip lasted two months and he covered 2,500 miles.  There were occasions where he and his bike rode a train or bus.  He did some camping, occasionally staying in a hotel or cabin.  Many times, he stayed with good people.  It was both exhilarating and exhausting.  It was tough.  Since then, he has taken people all over the place.  He has seen everything from remote and rustic to enchanted.

 

To give an example of how messaging and identities can allow others to define us, Layne got us all involved in playing a game.  Those present were divided into teams:  The Pirates were Dan Coons, John Pennypacker, Warren Williamson, Jeanie Morgan and Bob Zarling.  The Thieves were John Benedict, Pam Cohen, Allen Cady, Wendell Jones and Ray Smith.  The Heroes were Lola McClane, Tom Yuzer, Pai Bethea, Jack Rosesnberg, Jim Schmidt and Greg Okonowski.  The rest were The Underdogs:  Bert Millett, Ron Thompson, Steve Ross, Don Boucher and Chris Krueger.

 

The goal of the game was to make the most money possible.  Each team had a spokesperson who was to hold up a piece of paper - on the count of 3 with an X on one side and a Y on the other.  The team could provide input via text, private chat, but ultimately the spokesperson had to decide whether to hold up an X or Y to help their team make the most money.  There were six rounds played.  There were higher weights to the scores in some of the founds.  The scores shown in the score box were cumulative, and that would help the team and spokesperson decide which letter to hold up.  

 

In the first round, every spokesperson held up a Y.  In the second round there were 3 Y's and 1 X.  In the third and fourth rounds, there were 2 Y's and 2 X's.  In the 5th Round, it was all X's, and in the final round, all Y's.  

 

After it was all finished, some wondered if there was any significance to the naming coincidence of the pirates and thieves winning equal amounts of money and the underdogs barely being in the black while the heroes were the only team with a negative final score.  And we learned that if everyone would have held up a Y every time, we all would have made more money.

 

The primary point to be made was that we all have story tellers in our lives - parents, media, clergy, instructors... We receive definitions of what is important and what is not, what pleases others and what does not, and we try to fit the mold that those messages provide about acceptance and success.  All of that can become who we think we are supposed to be and can be very limiting.   It is important for each person to find ways to push past those boundaries and discover their true self in order to live a rich, fulfilling life.