Chair Bob Baker called the meeting to order, led our “breathing” exercise, and also the Pledge of Allegiance. He also handled the “thought of the day” by referring to quotes from his favorite book the “Book of Love” which were —“Love doesn’t guarantee you a good life, but it makes the ride worthwhile”—“Never go to bed mad, stay up and fight”! There were 14 members present and Fred was on Zoom.
ANNOUNCEMENTS: Deb Campbell has satisfied the requirements to become a Club member and Bob took the required steps to welcome her as a full-fledged member.
HAPPY BUCKS: Scribe Reed gave in honor of Deb joining our Club (she was a past Club speaker on “stress”, was sponsored by Liz Taylor and is a close friend of Keith’s sister-in-law.) Keith also gave in recognition of the great job Moha did in supplementing the recent Club minutes on his experience and knowledge of his home country Morocco. Bob and others reported being pleased with the New Trier Choir last week and Bob said that those members who did not pay the $20 for their lunch will not be billed, but need to reimburse the Club directly on their own. Barb was complimented for the great job she has done in having some of our lunches provided by the Honeycomb restaurant which has served us well.
Bob mentioned that our Dec. 28th meeting will be held at the Alvi restaurant in downtown Winnetka—there will be no speaker or program that day—instead Rich and Robert will be there around noon to socialize with the Club members who show up. Everyone will pay their own bill, but Rich would appreciate that those planning to attend notify him to help him save the necessary spaces.
Patti announced that the applications from not-for-profit organizations for one of the Club’s Foundation grants should be filed before the end of this year and she should be contacted with any questions.
Amy announced that the WCH food pantry is full—Moha and Barb volunteered to take the box to its final destination.
SPEAKER KELLY MCGONIGAL—(TED TALK ON “how to Make Stress Your Friend”)—Kelly started her presentation by saying we “should not believe that stress is bad for us” but instead we should consider ways to make “stress our friend”. Her suggestions included developing/participating in a breathing and/or meditation program; be involved with other people in showing that you care for them and are willing to help them with their problems: don’t try to solve your stress problems by yourself; and consider taking the stress hormone oxytocin with your doctor’s advice.
Kelly’s presentation was about 14 minutes long and you can get the link to it upon request to Rich or Keith. Heidi ended the meeting by stating that she has found that attending our Rotary meetings helps her deal with stress—in addition to a nice meal and conversation with interesting people, she has the chance to discuss and do something about other people’s problems, community/world projects and what other organizations are doing to improve our World’s living conditions.
Bob led the group in the Rotary 4-Way Test and the meeting adjourned at 1:30.