Commitment to Kiwanis in the beginning is very much like falling in love is at the beginning. We make all kinds of promises to do all kind of things. We say the love will never end and nothing will ever come between us. We go out of our way to do everything we can to show just how much we care - to show just how committed we are to the relationship. We do our best to please. We're not ashamed to let everyone know about our special love and how wonderful we feel. We live on a cloud, floating through the minutes and the hours and the days. In every sense, we have "a love thing goin' on"!
But then, time passes. We get comfortable with each other. The "best behavior" attitude dissipates. We let the "warts" show, so to speak. Publicly, socially, we're still singing about love being here to stay. We're still singing "Always and Forever" and "When You Call On Me, That's When I Come Runnin'". But, in all actuality, our actions aren't anywhere near there. And we leave our loved one to sing, "You're A Runaway Love - you keep runnin' in and out of my life", or "Practice What You Preach - tellin' me this and tellin' me that - once you were with me you'd never go back". They stand there -- waiting for you to decide whether you still want them in your life or if, in fact, it's all over. You leave them wondering whether the love you had was real or Memorex.
Honest commitment to Kiwanis can be extremely inconvenient. Convenience seems to be the rule of the day. We'll sign up to help with the food drive. But, if anything we're required to do takes up too much of our time, we cross it off the list - we don't show up, figuring that someone else will be there and we'll never be missed. Meetings, interclubs, divisional, conventions? - what a pain in the neck. We have more than enough to do working at our jobs and caring for our families and belonging to our religious organizations. And every talk show host will tell you that we all need time for ourselves in order to decrease the stress in our lives!
Ironically, honest commitment to Kiwanis work can be the best stress reliever around. True commitment - the kind of commitment that comes from the heart - that is made through the movement of our faith - does not tire us out. It does not inconvenience us. It does not get in the way of our lives. On the contrary, it energizes us. It empowers us. It revives us. It opens new and exciting ways of experiencing life. It moves that certain something within that wants to see God's work through Kiwanis succeed. It moves that certain something within that draws others into the Kiwanis family. It's real commitment - not Memorex.
If you really want to put the words "changing the world one child and one community at a time" into action because you truly believe that it can happen, now is the time to make your commitment real. If you truly believe in the Kiwanis mission and message, then show the world by living up to the commitment you make. Let the world know you are a Kiwanian by allowing them to see Kiwanis in your life - in your smile - to hear Kiwanis in your words - in your voice - to feel Kiwanis in your touch - in your acts of kindness. Let the world know that the love you have and the commitment you have made to serve the children of the world is real - not Memorex.
Column Posted on Web Site August 6, 2011
Kiwanis is a global organization of volunteers dedicated