This is wonderful. This packing foam recycling BIN appeared at our recycling center a couple of weeks ago. But, until today, I had NOT noticed that it was a ‘Rotary International‘ initiative. That made me very happy & proud.
Though I am, YET AGAIN, (temporarily) NOT a Rotarian — Rotary is dear to my heart. I just need to find another Club that doesn’t try to force me into PRAYING! Smile.
Not sure which Club is doing this, but it looks like a Global project. This is wonderful.
It always bothered me that we couldn’t recycle packing foam. Seemed such a waste. I always kept some at home because the thought of throwing it away seemed wrong.
Now, thanks to Rotary we have a great solution. Bravo, Rotary. Thank YOU, Rotary. I am so proud of you.
Up until now, i.e., August 2023, religious prayers were NEVER an issue at the Laconia Rotary Club — where I WAS a member as of TODAY.
All of the Rotary Presidents I have had the honor of serving under, until now, understood & appreciated the NON-RELIGIOUS aspect of Rotary.
Not so now. The new leadership (as of July 2023), under the cunning influence of a Club Elder, has started to use the God prayer. The Club Elder had the AUDACITY to have LAMINATED card printed with that prayer! This is 2023.
I really STRUGGLED over this.
Very unlike I, who prefers not to mull too much about decisions & actions, I wrestled with this for weeks.
I finally decided that I cannot …
Just cannot.
NO, I WOULD NOT ask for the Club to rethink its stance. I strongly believe in majority-rule & democracy. I THINK I am the ONLY non-Christian in the Club. Yes, some may not be practising Christians now, but I think they were all born Christian. I can’t think of any that may be Judaic. I am also the ONLY NON-WHITE. The bulk of the Club is made of up retired males. They don’t have to change their ways for I. I would NEVER expect us.
This is why Darwin gave me LEGS. I can walk out — & I will. SMILE.
I also appreciate that the God-centric prayers, still referred to by SOME as ‘Rotary Prayers‘, are from way back — having their roots in the 1920s.
Up until now, i.e., August 2023, religious prayers were NEVER an issue at the Laconia Rotary Club — where I am currently a member of.
All of the Rotary Presidents I have had the honor of serving under, until now, understood & appreciated the NON-RELIGIOUS aspect of Rotary.
Not so now. The new leadership (as of July 2023), under the cunning influence of a Club Elder, has started to use the God prayer. The Club Elder had the AUDACITY to have LAMINATED card printed with that prayer! This is 2023.
I have ONLY been to ONE meeting where I was subjected to this prayer. I WAS STUNNED. So stunned that I was not quick enough to walk out. Well I have had plenty of time to reflect on it. As I have told a number of other members the NEXT TIME I am at a meeting where this prayer is invoked I WILL WALK OUT — & it will be my last meeting. My days at Rotary are numbered anyway. Very unlikely that I will be a Rotarian in 2024 — & IF I AM, it certainly will not be at this Club that is RAMMING GOD down my throat.
NO, I will NOT ask for the Club to rethink its stance. I strongly believe in majority-rule & democracy. I THINK I am the ONLY non-Christian in the Club. Yes, some may not be practising Christians now, but I think they were all born Christian. I can’t think of any that may be Judaic. I am also the ONLY NON-WHITE. The bulk of the Club is made of up retired males. They don’t have to change their ways for I. I would NEVER expect us.
This is why Darwin gave me LEGS. I can walk out — & I will. SMILE.
I lucked out this week. We had a temporary leader. He knew that I was all set to walk out. So, he, very astutely & KINDLY, did a ‘minute of contemplation’. That was VERY COOL & I am very grateful for his gracious act (so much so that I treated him to lunch).
Smile. Well some of you know my feelings about prayer — never mind God.
Laconia, New Hampshire, a dowager mill town, established in 1855, & with a current (year round) population of around 16,000, is always quaint — but in the winter, once the cold sets in it becomes even more attractive in that it assumes an air of lanquidity & laid-backness. The sidewalks are near empty & everything looks & feels unhurried.
When I lived in ‘Gilford’, which is basically next-door, I used to spend a lot of time in Laconia. But now living 40-minutes away I hardly ever visit — other than on Thursday, IF I am attending a ‘Rotary Club‘ meeting. Well today was Thursday & I did attend Rotary. After the meeting I ambled about, happily, for an hour taking in the sights. Didn’t really meet or bump into anyone on the sidewalks. I didn’t venture into any of the establishments after I had bit adieu to a friend at his Realty Office. I like my ambling to be tranquil — & it was. If you have never been, visit Laconia — ideally on a semi-warm, winter day.
| All taken with my (June 2022 (2nd))Google Pixel 6 Pro. | Post processing limited, at most to just adjusting brightness, if & when required. | Attribution will be strictly ENFORCED. |
