Fellow Rotarians,
Every September, for somewhere north of twenty years now, four couples — including Father Ron and his wife — have headed to the beach for a week together.
At some point, we landed on the perfect formula: four couples who travel well together, are happy when everyone joins an outing or dinner, and equally happy when only one couple does. No pressure. No itinerary. No hurt feelings.
For many years, we stayed free in the same three-story house at North Topsail Beach after becoming friends with the owner. In exchange, we handled minor repairs, tended the flower beds and, on occasion, prepared the house for an incoming hurricane before evacuating.
There is one small flaw in this otherwise wonderful tradition:
I hate the beach.
In more than twenty years, I can probably count on one hand the number of times my feet have touched the sand. My preferred beach activity is sitting on a covered deck, looking at the ocean from a respectable distance, where nature is visible but cannot get on me.
And because "Cigars, Bourbon & Benefactors" almost always follows a couple of weeks later, that deck becomes my unofficial CBB office. While everyone else vacations, I finish spreadsheets, signs, volunteer assignments and whatever else I have procrastinated on.
That is once again my plan this year.
Maybe that's why traditions last: not because everyone enjoys the same things, but because everyone is comfortable enjoying them differently.
Until I see you again, may something good happen because you were there.
Ross
Trilogy Lake Norman
