Eagles, Elks, Moose, Masons, Rotary, Kiwanis, Lions, Yacht, and special interest clubs. These organizations have in the past been a vital part in our society, providing tremendous benefit to their members and localized assistance to the communities in which they were active.

A couple of generations ago Americans were joiners. Membership in clubs large and small was widely sought out, and one must assume greatly appreciated. We seem to have largely lost that desire with the baby boom generation, and those generations that are following it.

I fear that this is a negative trend.

I fear that we are becoming more and more a nation that interacts with our electronic gadgets more than we interact with our fellow human beings. Man is a social animal, and I wonder what will become of man if due to neglect the ability to socialize with others becomes extremely limited.

Its been said by others that the baby boomers are the generation that refused to acknowledge that they would ever grow old or ever die. That refusal notwithstanding they are getting old, and they will die. I fear that process given that so many have not forged the social bonds needed to have a wide and strong support network.

My grandparents are in a Retired Kiwanis group in their local town. I've been dragged, kicking and screaming to a meeting or two through the years. Each weekly meeting begins with a check for who is not present. If someone knows why they are not present it is reported and if they are sick or otherwise in distress people volunteer to go and check up on them, rendering comfort and assistance as needed. If no one knows why they are not present, especially if they live alone, steps are taken to quickly get people to the house in order to ensure that they have not been hurt or had some kind of emergency. No member of this group will spend years in a nursing home waiting in vain for visitors who will never arrive.

I fear what happens instead to the person who, in his or her younger days, did not become an active member of such a social network. Who might, someday, be left elderly, and utterly alone.

Creating a social network for our older days is I think very much like financially planning for our retirement. We can't put it off to do when we get old, for then it is too late. It may require some sacrifices when we are young that we would rather not make, but if we wish happiness later those sacrifices must be made. Both things, financial and social planning are I think vital to the success of our later days, and I am concerned about the fact that social planning seems to be neglected by so very many in this time.

Perhaps it is just a continuation of poor financial planning, the savings rate in this country is dismally low, but I do believe that both of these needs must be planned for if we are to expect joyous and fulfilling lives as elder adults.

Posted by Milliscent at 8:35 AM | Permalink | Comments (16)

It was beautiful here in the mountains today! I managed to enjoy nature a bit, and completed a new project, which always is a wonderful thing. Last summer we created a new water system for my house and my dungeon, today we were able to perfect it.

It seems that every year some major improvement takes place here, while it would be fun to get to relax some summer, the changes this property has undergone these past seven or eight years are amazing. Someday I imagine that I'll have it all done.

As I type this the sun is down behind the mountain and I'm looking at my tulip tree, it's in full bloom. The beauty we get to experience every day in this part of the country is truly awe inspiring. I hope that you got find as much pleasure in this Sunday as I did.

Posted by Milliscent at 6:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)

It seems that from the moment I purchased my Airstream a bit over three years ago I started joining clubs. I'm not the kind of person to join clubs, so it is odd behavior for me, but alas each of the clubs I've joined offers something of value to me and I've deemed each of them worth the cost.

In the Airstream world the big club is the WBCCI. Membership in it is what results in those big red numbers on the front and back of Airstream trailers. I joined the club because doing so allows me to visit club facilities, one of which is extremely convenient for me. I also joined because the club was founded by the inventor of Airstream, Wally Byam, has existed almost as long as the iconic trailers themselves, and is a good way to celebrate the heritage of the brand.

WBCCI is not however for everyone. It is an old club, run primarily by elderly folks, and is steeped in tradition and rules, most of which seem to bother just about everyone under the age of seventy. For that reason it is shrinking at an alarming rate. Older members, who enjoy the club as it is, are dying. Younger members seem to join when they purchase their first Airstream, but are quickly turned off by the formality of it and don't seem to renew. It's gone from 28,000 members to 6,000 members in a strikingly short period of time.

Online, Airstream owners have a superb gathering place. Air Forums which is 40,000 members strong and from which one can learn everything there is to know about Airstreams and the people who own them.

In the years of my membership there I've been reading a virtual flood of complaints about the WBCCI. I've read countless posts about what is perceived to be wrong with the club, why people refuse to renew their membership in it, and how it should be run differently in the poster's opinion. It seems though that the thousands of complainers never take the initiative to either work within the club to bring about desired change, or to start a new club that better suits their vision.

Very recently there has been a bright spot in this sorry state of affairs. A well-respected member of the Airstream community started a new club. TAC. The only stated purpose of TAC is to 'have fun.' No hierarchy, no rules, no dues. Any member can simply post online about an event he or she is planning and folks can attend or not as their whims dictate. TAC is to be a completely volunteer organization.

I've been watching this with a great deal of interest. Last night, on the forums I read a most interesting series of posts about TAC.

One particular woman in the Midwest, let's call her C, is a WBCCI member, but through my years reading the forums she has been a extremely frequent and vocal poster about all that is wrong with the WBCCI. I've always felt some of her points to be valid, others not so. As a result of reading her posts for three plus years now, I wasn't surprised to see her extremely excited by the formation of TAC, and not surprised to see her name among the very first people to join. TAC is of course a blank slate, a new club for its members to make in their own vision; I presumed it perfect for someone with such strong opinions.

A few days ago one of the organizers of TAC mentioned on the forum that web hosting costs a few bucks, and that while he had paid for the first year, in future years it might be necessary to ask for donations to cover that cost.

Well, that was the end of C. She publicly asked to have her membership dropped in TAC, citing the perceived fact that the club was sold as a dues free, pay as you go organization, but that it might ask for donations to cover the few costs involved. She decided that the founders had deceived her into joining, and lied about the costs for doing so.

Of course one can give a donation or not, so her arguments are spurious at best.

This story is I suppose my way of making a couple of points, one more important than the other, but I think both valid.

I think that the best clubs are the clubs in which one must be approved for membership. Such policies keep the deadbeats and lunatics out.

Secondly, and more importantly, while C is an extreme example, I think her story can remind us all of a fundamental lesson in life. One can either sit back and complain, leading a negative life or one can enjoy the good in everything and lead a positive life. The second is much more fun and will bring forth joy for oneself and others. It is too bad that extremely negative people such as C exist in our world, but if we remain positive and have fun, we can certainly limit their influence in our lives.

Posted by Milliscent at 9:58 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Today is a most beautiful Easter day. The sun is shining, the birds are singing, the land is greening, and the river flows by a beautiful shade of blue. Above me the mountains are all of the purest white, sheathed in new snow.

I hope that you have a most wonderful holiday today.

Posted by Milliscent at 9:59 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)