I just got off the phone with my favorite niece. She and her husband, a Paraguan native, are leaving Sunday for a one month trip back to his home in Paraguay. Aside from that celebration, she just got the results of her exam (I think it was an exam) that gave her permanent status as a teacher in Texas. She is an exceptionally bright young woman who, if she chose, could get involved in a field which would richly reward her financially for her contributions. But, she has chosen not to measure her worth on the basis of her income but on the basis of how happy her work makes her and how much she contributes to society. I admire that enormously. Hearing about some "issues" involving "rich" people from the USA visiting the country getting robbed, I am concerned about her and her husband, but I know they are both very bright and can deal with uncomfortable situations if necessary.
I withstood a board meeting today with people who have yet to learn what governance means and still behave as if they were managers. It's tough for me. I don't like being told how to do things, much less what to do, and I abhor people giving me directions based on their understanding of "the way things are" when, in fact, their understanding is flawed. But, that is the business I am in. Shit. Why have I chosen to be in a business in which Board directives are so important? I should have been a REAL entrepreneuer. I'm an aging idiot...a goddamn geezer! Well, there's that I can fall back on...
I wrote this paragraph considerably later in the evening...and before the following paragraph. Just to mention... I did a bit of searching on of real estate in the Lake Chapala area and found that, if the listings are any indication, real estate continues to skyrocket. Almost nothing less than $150K. That's scary. I don't know if we'll ever be able to retire to in the reasonably near future. But I did find some nice places...if only I could find some money laying about. Maybe I can find someone who wants to buy something on a shared basis...not likely. I keep looking.
I hope I can engage in some soul searching this weekend. What do I want to be when I grow up? At 52 and a half (a sister-in-law started that habit), I still have opportunities to start anew. Maybe I should sell polka dots. Maybe I should MANUFACTURE polka dots. Perhaps I should offer my services as a polka-dot therapist. Or maybe a polka-dot hypnotist. I could change entirely and become a polka-dot ombudsman. It doesn't even have to involve polka-dots. It could focus on something entirely different: cement statuary, threshing machines, theatrical taxidermy, erotic populism...almost anything but association management. 'Nuff said.
My tomorrow (including Sunday) will have to involve some time writing minutes from an April meeting...GGGGGGGGGGGGRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!! I hate writing minutes. But I havfe to be prepared for Friday, when those minutes will be reviewed for approval. This will be my second trip out of town with my Australian staffer...more relaxed, this time, as she is more comfortable with her job. And my meeting planner will be along, as well, for a wierd meeting. Would that I could have them handle it all...and let me stay home enjoying the warm weather.
I am finished for the moment. Please pass the Pom-Pilot (you wouldn't understand...it's a drink shaken in ice, with pomegranate juice, a citrusy rum, and muddled orange...wonderful!
No comments:
Post a Comment