As long-time readers know, I am an enthusiastic square dancer.
I go dancing several times a week (in addition to keeping up the blog). At my peak, I danced five nights a week, though in a major metropolitan area like San Diego you can go seven nights a week if you want to.
Lately, I’ve pulled back and have also focused on learning to round dance.
Over the summer, I pulled back to the extent that I didn’t regularly go to the club I’m formally a member of–the Alpine Squares–which meets on Friday nights. So I hadn’t been there in a while.
But I got a letter telling me about an important club meeting that was coming up on November 17, and I went.
After we were done dancing for the evening (and square dancing is MORE FUN THAN YOU CAN IMAGINE–join your local club AS SOON as they start a new class!), we held the meeting, and it became clear that the principal thing the club needed was to elect a new board that included new blood among the officers.
In most social clubs, people don’t want to put themselves forward as potential officers, and so getting new officers is hard.
I would have been willing to serve in any office that the club needed filled, but I was embarrassed to put myself forward since I hadn’t been attending regularly of late.
The meeting began, and during it I asked a number of questions that I hoped were helpful.
I was trying to steel my nerve to volunteer for secretary or treasurer, though I was embarrassed to do so.
Then people who had served as officers in the past volunteered for these positions, and I thought, "Well, that’s it for me. Those are the only positions I could conceivably volunteer for."
And then a former president of the club turned to me and said, "Jimmy, what I want to know is: Would you be willing to step forward for the office of president?"
I was flabbergasted.
I said I was hesitant to volunteer for anything, given my attendance over the summer, but I like the club and want to do whatever it needs. And maybe I would be a good secretary or treasurer, but I was willing to do whatever the club needed.
So she said, "All in favor of Jimmy being president say ‘Aye.’"
And people shouted "Aye!" and raised their hands.
After we talked about it for a bit, I said, "I’m not sure there was a majority," and they shouted "Aye!" all the louder and more people raised their hands.
At the end of the meeting there was a voice vote on the entire slate of candidates, and it passed without opposition.
And then everyone congratulated me and my fellow officers elect.
So now I’m the president elect.
Come January, I will be the new president of Alpine Squares and will do my best to serve the club.
But it’s something I was not expecting.
Please pray for me and support your local (INCREDIBLY FUN!) square dance club.
