Don’t Forget to Write!
Paul Moore
We all were tasked with writing from an early age. Whether it was printed or cursive, we were expected to address a topic, often one not of our choosing. Some of us loved that, some hated it, but it was either that or stay in First Grade forever!
As the years went by, something called a term paper arose. It might have begun in junior high or high school but the expectations grew substantially. We were taught proper techniques for researching, creating an outline, arranging our thoughts on index cards etc. We were even taught to diagram a sentence! Where was Chat GPT when we were struggling through that?
By college, for those of us who went that route, it began to feel like we were writing an entire book. At that stage of life, my wife and I were dating. She was quite dismayed to discover that I didn’t follow the rules of writing a term paper. I read up on the subject and the thoughts somehow fell into a logical pattern in my head. I then sat down at my typewriter (I know, what’s that?) and cranked out the finished paper. I could produce 20 pages in a night. (My wife was and is a rule follower. I am a law follower but not necessarily a rule follower. It’s a subtle difference, right?)
Graduation happened on schedule and I was out in the world supporting a family. And I still had to write! I wrote fundraising letters, grant requests, a newsletter, a million thank you notes, and a weekly newspaper column for a very long time. And I have been a serious reader all my life, enjoying the efforts of other writers.
In retirement, I thought I might write a book. Actually, I did write one, following a question and answer format, to leave some of my wisdom for my grandsons. But so far I haven’t gone any further….yet.
Now, on the subject of Rotary. I have enjoyed writing Reflections columns a couple of times a year for a long time. And the reason I am writing this is to encourage YOU to volunteer for this committee. It is a great opportunity for other members of our amazing but very large club to get a glimpse of who you are, outside of meetings. However, if this just isn’t your thing, find a committee that sounds interesting and ask to be part of it. As President Lance said recently, committee work is where it all begins!
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