How do you sum up the completion of a five year mission? And what comes next?
Star Trek never got that far in the original series, so they didn't have to explore what comes after. The Next Generation was smart enough to change its lead to a continuing mission and that turned out well because they went seven seasons.
But I always knew that this mission had a shelf life and a termination date and that is actually a good thing. There's nothing like a finish line to really get you sprinting.
I think that everyone else's expectations of the finish though, are more strange than the finish itself. Here's what I mean.
I got back from Grand Chapter exhausted, but I was expecting that. At least the drive is under three hours. We got all the cars (yes, plural) unloaded and everything mostly in the room of the house in which it belonged. I unpacked the suitcases and dress bags, stuck the multiple boxes of gifts in the craft room for later opening and cataloging, put the boxes of paper in the living room for unpacking and sorting, etc.
Then I started a list of the after tasks. It looked something like this:
Unpack gifts, catalog, write thank you notes.
Send thank you gifts as needed.
Send final thanks and e-mail address changes to GOs, DGMs, WMs.
Sort papers into keep for me, keep to use for GM (now AGC yay!), give to GM, trash.
Clean off calendar and set up for 2017 to give GM.
Sort and book up photos from year(s).
Mount pictures and quilt on wall in place of calendar and pin map.
Clean house - Clean house - Clean house!
Write Final Blog.
I would love to say that I am on the last step and everything else is done, but that would not quite be true. I did completely fill my recycling can with paper, which I have never managed before, so that I would be ready for tomorrow, when my GM will come to my house to get the calendar and pin map - yay some more! - and boxes and boxes and boxes and the all important flash drive with all my spread sheets, mail merge letters, databases, outlines, time lines, workshop sheets, etc., etc. The reinvention of the wheel just has to stop!
I hope to have plenty of time to do all those other things in the next couple of months, but as it happens, the November calendar seems to be filling up, which I confess I did not expect, and that is where what others thought would happen and what is happening aren't quite meshing for me.
I had heard plenty of stories about Past Grands who think that they're phone's been disconnected or their e-mail turned off because everything just STOPS! And it is true that my fifty e-mails a day have dropped to about five or ten, but five or ten is not zero. I had heard stories that no one wants you anymore when you are done, but November is filling up. It will be nice though to do just a FEW installations instead of two dozen. I had someone tell me that I should expect that no one would want to speak with me after Grand Installation was over, but I got stopped so many times trying to get out of there that my Worthy Grand Patron and I were probably among the last to leave. So what's up with that? I mean, I certainly don't mind and some stuff is better than both TONS of stuff or NO stuff, so I do really feel like I am getting into the sweet spot, but it is not what I was told to expect.
But maybe since I came at it from a different place, I have ended up in a different place. Before I got in the Grand Line, I used to get stopped and asked questions constantly at Grand Chapter because I was on, or Chair of, Jurisprudence and everyone always had questions. There were times that I would hide in friend's suites to get a few minutes to eat lunch. It got a lot worse after my mentor passed away because then I started getting her questions and my questions. But for some of my now fellow Past Grands, they weren't really in the question and answer loop before they went into the Grand Line so why would they be afterwards? Maybe we do get to go back to being who we were before, only with Grand Honors added and I am told that I get to sit behind the flag for a year, but can't fall asleep even though I have "cover." We'll see how that works.
I am also still wrestling a bit with what I want to do next. My medieval group has already put up a clamor for me. They knew that I was done this October and I understand that my name is already being passed around for two different Kingdom wide offices that want me. That would sort of be the moral equivalent to going back to being a state officer again - I was the SCA equivalent of Grand Treasurer for three years before I became Grand Warder back in 2007, and the offices for which I am being kicked around as a possible "volunteer" are that one and well, I guess the closest equivalent would be Grand Lecturer with a full cadre of Assistant Grand Lecturers. But I don't know any of the new people anymore, so maybe I can beg off for a while so that I can see and learn the new faces first. I have been warned though to be careful when I start attending events again. They say that you should never go to the bathroom while there is a discussion of needing someone to volunteer because you'll come back and find that you said yes - that's true in Chapters too, isn't it? :-)
I have also been suggested to become the state head of one of my business trade groups. That has some appeal too, since there are only quarterly meetings and four between meeting conference calls. However that all happens during work hours, so I would have to make up time. But I think I may do that since it would be a nice addition to my CV.
And of course there are still the residual obligations of being Worthy Grand Matron to get through. I have a dozen or so events on my calendar already, either to support my little sister who is now Worthy Grand Matron (Yay for her!!!) or to support those who served in my year. I've already got four GO and DGM receptions to attend for which I need to write remarks and am already starting to get questions and calls from Grand Representatives about my 2014 calendar, so there is all of that to do, along with all the support things for my Grand Marshal, who is now Associate Grand Conductress (yay some more!).
Summing it all up, I don't see that anything is really going to be QUIET! It does seem that it will be less busy and less rushed and I may even get back in the practice of going on a real vacation every year. That will be really nice! I am going on a little five day getaway in December, but next year, I want to go for a whole week without it being a road trip to attend Official Visits - Yay multiple times!
Thank you to everyone who came along on this journey with me. I hope that you have found this blog occasionally interesting, funny, informative or useful. I have enjoyed writing it and wish that I had been able to write as much this year as in previous years, but two full time jobs, the one that I am paid for and serving as Worthy Grand Matron, really does barely leave you time for sleeping, eating and showering, let alone much else. Now I have to try to remember what I used to do before all this started and put together another future. Wish me luck!
Friday, November 1, 2013
Friday, October 11, 2013
Loading Them Up, Moving Them Out
Fifty-one weeks done, one week left to make a difference.
Busy does not begin to describe how the last month or so has gone. We had our reception, with all its related events, and that was great! But most of the heavy lifting for that was done by others. My job was mostly to show up dressed, made up, hair and nails done, with a speech in hand. I managed that much. :-)
Then the next weekend was the revealing of the 2014 Grand Family. That was a little strange. For the past six years, I've known who the people were before I went into the event and this time I didn't, so you'd think that there would be more excitement involved in sitting there with the rest of the crowd, waiting to see who had been chosen. But much to my surprise, I found that it was really only of an academic interest to me.
To be sure, I am thrilled for the members who have been chosen and hope that they have as fabulous a year as I had when I was an appointive officer. On the other hand, from a personal perspective, I am not going to be traveling with this Grand Family. My time for choosing officers is over, so I was not eagerly awaiting the names of those chosen to see how many of the people I might have wanted were taken and had to come off my list. I could certainly enjoy the excitement of those chosen and the crowd watching, but it was a little more disconnected than it had been for the past six years. And I could tell that it was hard on my officers. They are, I am sure, very happy to know who is following them, but it also drives home to them that they are almost done and that is tough. I wish that I could make that transition easier for them, but I don't know any way to do that.
That weekend was a breeze, but the weekend after was more of a high stressor. We put on a welcome tea on the first day of the Grand Lodge of California's Annual Communication for all the ladies who were attending and since the event has never been done before, it sort of had to be created out of nothing. I had a fabulous Sister as the chair and she did trooper work getting the refreshments and place settings together, but she told me up front that vision is not her strongest suit, so imagining the event was my responsibility, also getting the door prizes, working out logistics and arranging table hostesses.
It was a total ton of work, but COMPLETELY worth it. The event came off incredibly well and the Grand Lodge Brethren were very happy and grateful. They've even asked us to do it again in the years to come. We served over 140 ladies and less than a third of them were already members. In fact, many of the ladies had heard of us, but never really spoken with any of us and many of their husband's lodges met at halls that no longer had Chapters so they were excited to find out about us. We had a fair number of them go to our booth the next day and we had our web site up and running to let them find Chapters closest to their home or work. I hope that we get a nice batch of petitions from the tea, but even without knowing how many we get, it was totally worthwhile for the goodwill it helped generate between our Grand Chapter and the Grand Lodge. Positive relations between us can only help all our Chapters and all our Lodges.
Once that was over though, my head had to get back into the game of getting ready for Grand Chapter. Writing my Worthy Grand Matron's report was tough - I think that it will be the longest speech that I have ever given at an Eastern Star event and the longest combined time that my Worthy Grand Patron and I have ever spent talking, since his report comes after mine. At Official Visits, we would do thank yous and each speak and the total time for that was usually around fifteen to twenty minutes. These two reports we are doing will probably go a collective forty-five minutes, but thirty or so of that is mine and he's only got ten or fifteen, if that much.
Looking back at other sessions though, I have to admit that a combined forty-five is not terrible. I've seen single reports that were that long before. I hope they find the material interesting. I cut out all the routine stuff and only included the important stuff, at least what I think is important. But for better or worse, it is written and the headers sent to the computer operator to prepare the slides.
Then I had to write the Farewell Address. In some ways, that one is worse because with the report, you know that you are reporting on your actions and your recommendations, so the subject matter is pretty well laid out. But for the Farewell, you know that you are going to do a bunch of thank yous, but then what comes after that and before "Farewell." It's the last meaningful message speech that I will probably ever give in this Order. After this, it will be remarks at people's receptions, which will be happy stuff about them, praise speeches when I present a gavel or act as a hostess or something like that, no real speaking opportunities where a viewpoint or message should be included. But by the same token, it is not a speech about what we are going to do, because I will be done after that, and it isn't a speech about what we did, because we do that in our reports. So what do you put in such a speech.
I don't know if the answer I came up with is the best one or even a good one, but again, for better or for worse, it is done and I hope it ends up meaning something to someone.
All that is left now is to shop and to pack and to go. A week from right now, I will be enjoying my last State Dinner and a week and day from right now, I will be going into the Arena to see my little Sister installed and a week and a day and four (five if I am really unlucky) hours from now, I will be the next Junior Past Grand Matron, at the end of a six year journey. But the Session should be the cherry on top of the magnificent cake that this year has been.
Next weekend I am done with this phase of my Eastern Star Life. I should have plenty of time to tell you about it when I come back and put a close to this saga of Fraternal Life on the Way Up.
Busy does not begin to describe how the last month or so has gone. We had our reception, with all its related events, and that was great! But most of the heavy lifting for that was done by others. My job was mostly to show up dressed, made up, hair and nails done, with a speech in hand. I managed that much. :-)
Then the next weekend was the revealing of the 2014 Grand Family. That was a little strange. For the past six years, I've known who the people were before I went into the event and this time I didn't, so you'd think that there would be more excitement involved in sitting there with the rest of the crowd, waiting to see who had been chosen. But much to my surprise, I found that it was really only of an academic interest to me.
To be sure, I am thrilled for the members who have been chosen and hope that they have as fabulous a year as I had when I was an appointive officer. On the other hand, from a personal perspective, I am not going to be traveling with this Grand Family. My time for choosing officers is over, so I was not eagerly awaiting the names of those chosen to see how many of the people I might have wanted were taken and had to come off my list. I could certainly enjoy the excitement of those chosen and the crowd watching, but it was a little more disconnected than it had been for the past six years. And I could tell that it was hard on my officers. They are, I am sure, very happy to know who is following them, but it also drives home to them that they are almost done and that is tough. I wish that I could make that transition easier for them, but I don't know any way to do that.
That weekend was a breeze, but the weekend after was more of a high stressor. We put on a welcome tea on the first day of the Grand Lodge of California's Annual Communication for all the ladies who were attending and since the event has never been done before, it sort of had to be created out of nothing. I had a fabulous Sister as the chair and she did trooper work getting the refreshments and place settings together, but she told me up front that vision is not her strongest suit, so imagining the event was my responsibility, also getting the door prizes, working out logistics and arranging table hostesses.
It was a total ton of work, but COMPLETELY worth it. The event came off incredibly well and the Grand Lodge Brethren were very happy and grateful. They've even asked us to do it again in the years to come. We served over 140 ladies and less than a third of them were already members. In fact, many of the ladies had heard of us, but never really spoken with any of us and many of their husband's lodges met at halls that no longer had Chapters so they were excited to find out about us. We had a fair number of them go to our booth the next day and we had our web site up and running to let them find Chapters closest to their home or work. I hope that we get a nice batch of petitions from the tea, but even without knowing how many we get, it was totally worthwhile for the goodwill it helped generate between our Grand Chapter and the Grand Lodge. Positive relations between us can only help all our Chapters and all our Lodges.
Once that was over though, my head had to get back into the game of getting ready for Grand Chapter. Writing my Worthy Grand Matron's report was tough - I think that it will be the longest speech that I have ever given at an Eastern Star event and the longest combined time that my Worthy Grand Patron and I have ever spent talking, since his report comes after mine. At Official Visits, we would do thank yous and each speak and the total time for that was usually around fifteen to twenty minutes. These two reports we are doing will probably go a collective forty-five minutes, but thirty or so of that is mine and he's only got ten or fifteen, if that much.
Looking back at other sessions though, I have to admit that a combined forty-five is not terrible. I've seen single reports that were that long before. I hope they find the material interesting. I cut out all the routine stuff and only included the important stuff, at least what I think is important. But for better or worse, it is written and the headers sent to the computer operator to prepare the slides.
Then I had to write the Farewell Address. In some ways, that one is worse because with the report, you know that you are reporting on your actions and your recommendations, so the subject matter is pretty well laid out. But for the Farewell, you know that you are going to do a bunch of thank yous, but then what comes after that and before "Farewell." It's the last meaningful message speech that I will probably ever give in this Order. After this, it will be remarks at people's receptions, which will be happy stuff about them, praise speeches when I present a gavel or act as a hostess or something like that, no real speaking opportunities where a viewpoint or message should be included. But by the same token, it is not a speech about what we are going to do, because I will be done after that, and it isn't a speech about what we did, because we do that in our reports. So what do you put in such a speech.
I don't know if the answer I came up with is the best one or even a good one, but again, for better or for worse, it is done and I hope it ends up meaning something to someone.
All that is left now is to shop and to pack and to go. A week from right now, I will be enjoying my last State Dinner and a week and day from right now, I will be going into the Arena to see my little Sister installed and a week and a day and four (five if I am really unlucky) hours from now, I will be the next Junior Past Grand Matron, at the end of a six year journey. But the Session should be the cherry on top of the magnificent cake that this year has been.
Next weekend I am done with this phase of my Eastern Star Life. I should have plenty of time to tell you about it when I come back and put a close to this saga of Fraternal Life on the Way Up.
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