Message from the Exalted Ruler

October 2018

Can you believe it is Fall already?!?!?


There is a briskness in the air, you can see the leaves starting to change colors,

and you can smell the fireplaces starting to burn —oh wait—this is Florida!! So it

may not be any cooler and the leaves all look the same, but we all know that the

change in the season is near. But soon we will have more colorful license plates

as our northern friends return. Welcome home friends!! We are glad to have you

back!!


As half of my term has passed, I can tell you the most important thing I have

learned is YOU CAN’T PLEASE EVERYONE. No matter how hard you try. Our Elks

Lodge is a lot of different things to a lot of different people. We are a charitable

organization, we are a club, we are a bar, we are friends. And being Exalted Ruler

means trying to organize all of the activities and personalities that go along with

them. This is NOT an easy job. I can tell you that I have spent a large amount of

time just trying to keep the peace lately.


Our main goal is to serve the community. But to do that we need to keep our

doors open. And that takes all of us. Not just the 20 or 30 that consistently show

up. They say 10% of the people do 90% of the work. Well in our case 10% of the

people do all the work and pay to spend the most time there as well. We would

not survive without our regulars. But think of how we would thrive if we had 20%

to 30% participation. We would be unstoppable!!


Most importantly, we are a FAMILY. And with any family, you will always have

those siblings that don’t get along. There are misunderstandings that can escalate,

feelings will sometimes get hurt, but at the end of the day, we all love each

other. Please try to remember that there are always two sides to every story.

And gossiping about what you heard from someone, who probably heard something

slightly different from someone else, can quickly turn into a game of telephone.

How would you feel if you were the one being talked about and lost in the

translation.


We all need to stick together to be successful. Please take care of each other!!


Fraternally,

Wendy Carns, ER