Sometimes You have to let go – Even if They are Not Bananas.
My wife, Kris, in building her website business http://www.civicsitedesign.com/ (she does my website and is my IT department) has collected many books on entrepreneurship and self-improvement. One of them is “Letting go of Your Bananas: How to Become More Successful by Getting Rid of Everything Rotten in Your Life” by Dr. Daniel T. Drubin. Basically, it’s about getting rid of things that are holding you back from your goals in order to make room for what will help you.
But sometimes you have to let go of something good that’s not a banana so you don’t become someone else’s banana.
Last Monday, the president of GLAWS, Tony Todaro, called me to discuss the state of GLAWS before an advisory board meeting on Saturday. There were several ongoing issues to be discussed like the state of our critique groups during the shutdown, bringing in new members, what we can offer our members, finances, etc. He told me he needed me to step up as Vice-President to help identify problems and solve them before they become big problems. He is absolutely right. The first officer of a ship is in charge of making sure that everything is running properly so the captain can steer the ship to where it needs to go.
But after getting off the phone with him, I was troubled.
I have been volunteering at GLAWS events and Writer’s Conferences for years. Setting up, tearing down, helping with sound, assisting at our booth at LA Times Festival of Books, being on conference panels and even moderating panels. That’s why I was asked to take over as Vice-President (If you show up on time, do what is expected of you and help things run smoothly, you can fool people into thinking you’re a competent human being.) All have been great experiences and have been my way of paying back all that GLAWS has helped me with my writing career. But knowing the inner workings of GLAWS as an organization, I knew Tony needs a lot more, long-term help. Help I didn’t feel I could currently provide him.
Like most, I have a full-time job. I get home at 6:00 pm and get ready for bed at 10:00 pm. That gives me four hours. That includes dinner prep, eating, spending some time with my wife and writing from 8:00 pm to 10:00 pm. As instructor, Art Holcome would say, I try to guard my writing time. But even that is impinged upon when work kicks my posterior and all I want to do is come home, eat and crash. So as much as I like to help Tony and GLAWS, I don’t have a lot of time to do it.
I thought about it for several days. Prayed about it. Talked to my wife about it. And on Friday night, I called Tony and told him my concerns and said I thought it would be best if I stepped down from Vice-President and let someone else who had more time and ability take over the role. In the past, Tony has had a couple of people he entrusted with certain tasks that have let him down. I didn’t want to be one of those people. I didn’t want to be one of his bananas.
Fortunately, there is someone who has already been helping Tony tremendously, Nic Nelson of Wordsmith Writing Coaches. I recommended him, he was nominated at our Zoom meeting Saturday and he has accepted the position.
I assured Tony that I was not disappearing. I would still be around helping where I can. I love (and need) this group too much to just go away. I’ve enjoyed my time as Vice-President, but now it’s time to let someone else do a better job.
Dennis Amador Cherry
43rd article completed.
First Steampunk novel: 71,915 words, First Draft DONE – Chapter 7 – 9 out to critique group.
Frist Steampunk screenplay: Being updated with notes from the novelization.
What the what? A paperback edition costs $768.57?????
President of GLAWS Tony Todaro when I told him I was resigning:
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