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Life, the Universe, and Everything*
Musings from Linda / LUE-42 Enterprises
Issue #111, May 2020
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The kind words and coloured-in Fluevogs I received after my last e-zine really warmed my heart throughout the entire month of April. Thanks and virtual forehead kisses to all of you.
In our new world, the on-line courses keep on coming and I've had to be more discerning (i.e., pace myself). An excellent one was on being more productive with Outlook. There is so much I didn't know, and so much I now know but will never get around to implementing. I took away 2 things that should help, but I still can't replace my paper Day-Timer. My Dance Moves class has moved on-line and I'm also learning the basics of Bhanghra dancing. As more people are out walking in the nice weather, I need to close the blinds when I dance lest the neighbours think I'm having a seizure. To top it off, the neighbour kids have learned to juggle and that revealed an empty space in my life. So thanks to Dollarama (balls) and Youtube (technique), I am also learning to juggle.
If you feel alone in Covid-19-land, you're not. I'm enjoying reading disclaimers from companies who just have to throw up their hands and say, "I dunno. We'll figure it out on the fly." Here are two of my favourite disclaimers so far:
COVID-19 is an unprecedented event which has brought great uncertainty. This is no different in the insurance industry. As a result, our advice at this time is not definitive as each case must be evaluated
on its own facts by the applicable insurer. AND
Pluto Living Legal Disclaimer
After a few nudges, I finally did an audio recording of my Lightening Talk from the 2019 CSAE national conference. If you want to hear
.30-30.: Rapid Fire Association Lessons From 30 Years in The Trenches
, you can find it on my home page
HERE
.
There is so much you can see online, but I have been enjoying John Krasinski's "Some Good News" series. My favourite episode so far is when SGS visits the International Space Station and he DJs a virtual prom for kids. Check it out
HERE.
You've probably also spent a ton of time on video conferences and getting the hang of Zoom, Skype, WhatsApp, and the rest. I prefer to keep my camera off, but the point is to see each other (especially during virtual cocktail parties). So don't be afraid to try something different. Hey, I even shaved my legs for one. Whatever gets you going, right?
In addition to tons of emails, your phone has probably been ringing, too. That's the only way I can keep in touch with many of my "senior" friends (I'm not talking 65, I'm talking 98, 99). A commentary by Leah Rumack in the last issue of Chatelaine made me laugh because over time I've lost the knack of the phone conversation. Check out
"You Had Me At Hello". In addition to the phone, you can always send a card or letter. Over the years my mom and I bought hundreds of postcards from everywhere we visited. If you've set an isolation goal to sort through photos and travel memories, you probably have some postcards too. Why not send them to friends? It doesn't matter that you're in your living room and not in Boston, Scotland, or Peterborough -- just send them out. It's pretty fun. Please stay well and try to keep your glass half-full.
/lmwe
"You're as welcome as the flowers in May." -- Hank Snow
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Question: What will happen to our AGM if we can't meet?
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ANSWER: You've probably already solved this problem, but just in case here is some information.
Bottom line: you need to find a way to do the business of the Annual General Meeting. If an AGM is done properly (i.e., the agenda includes only the business that it must do, by law) then it is probably a brief affair. Unfortunately, many organizations and their members think "brief" means "without value." This simply isn't true. The value in the AGM is in the board being able to tell members about what happened in the last year on their behalf, and for the members to receive that information.
I think taking an hour, or 30 minutes, or 8 minutes to do this has value. It is an essential piece of our work in associations and it is our right as members. However, many organizations add training or golf or other activities to provide an incentive for members to attend the AGM. I believe more members would attend AGMs if they were done properly and didn't waste time with posturing and blathering on. Case in point: One association AGM took 1 hour and 42 minutes just to get the AGM agenda approved, and that was with the assistance of a Parliamentarian. That's just garbage.
So if we want our AGM to be simply an AGM (and I hope we do), then it can probably be easily accommodated virtually (video conferencing) or technically (via email/website) or manually (via Canada Post). First, check your legislation (e.g., Canada Not-for-Profit Corporations Act, Societies Act, etc.). Many of these acts permit other than face-to-face meetings. BUT! Your organization's bylaws also need to permit this. In the last twenty years or so, bylaws I have worked on include a way to meet other than in person. We may not always have gotten every word perfect, but the intention to meet legal requirements without meeting in person, for me at least, has been around for a long time. A pandemic wasn't expected, but we did anticipate a desire to someday conduct business in other ways.
You can request permission to delay your AGM, but why bother? If you can get your financial information completed, there is no reason you can't meet the other requirements. If you do not have the capability for "virtual meetings" in your bylaws, then you should propose an amendment (special resolution) as soon as possible. You may also want a resolution to waive notice in order to get this rolling. There are many model bylaws clauses floating around out there. If you find one you like and want to know what I think, please just ask. I'll let you know if there are any land mines.
You will want to have really clear support materials and ensure everyone can access all the information they need to make decisions in a timely manner. If you are doing elections, then include bios and photos and information on whether they are new or returning directors. Reflect on what you've provided at past AGMs and anticipate the questions that could arise if you were meeting in person. Put all that into the package.
One of the best articles out there on the subject is "Canada: The COVID-19 Pandemic: Key Considerations for Charities and Non-Profit Governance" by Natasha Smith and Katrina Kairys of Miller Thompson LLP. Have a look HERE. These articles from Lawyer's Daily HERE, McKerchers HERE, and Nasdaq HERE are also pretty good.
If you want a reminder about the real business of the AGM, refer to your bylaws. If you stick to that, you may discover that much of what you did at previous AGMs was just habit ("tradition"). Tell the members what you did, tell them how the year went financially, and tell them about your plans for the future. And stop voting on things that don't require a vote! If, after that, you still feel like you need to "add value," then I implore you to end the business of the AGM (record the time) and stay on the call to do whatever else you want to tack onto it. Good luck!
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MAY 2020 OBSERVANCES AND OCCASIONS
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Shout Out
to s
ome people who made my life better in April: MaryJane Alanko, Marg & Bill Carmichael, Susan Carmichael, Shelley Carmichael Silins, Brian Edwards, Gilles Essiambre, Ildiko Fashoway, Mandy Foster, Liz Garratt, Carrie Habinski, Joe Howdle, Kimberley Hunter Lee, Isaak at Tier3, Marcie Kiziak, Lynn MacAskill, Kelly McClung, Andy Northrup, Judy and Leland Stelck, Dave Sutherland, Theresa Tsoukalas, Brian Wawryshyn, Lil West
"And once the storm is over, you won't remember how you made it through, how you managed to survive. You won't even be sure, whether the storm is really over. But one thing is certain. When you come out of the storm, you won't be the same person who walked in. That's what this storm's all about."
-- Haruki Murakami
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Pluto Living (Shnauzer insights help us with COVID-19 isolation)
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Wish I'd Said That
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"Love is a friendship that has caught fire. It is quiet understanding, mutual confidence, sharing, and forgiving. It is loyalty through good and bad times. It settles for less than perfection and makes allowances for human weaknesses." -- Ann Landers
"Every garden is unique with a multitude of choices in soils,
plants, and themes. Finding your garden theme is as easy
as seeing what brings a smile to your face." --
Teresa Watkins, Gardening With Soul
"Live by this credo: have a little laugh at life and look around you for happiness instead of sadness. Laughter has always brought me out of unhappy situations." R
ed Skelton
"The midwife considers the miracle of childbirth as normal and leaves it alone unless there's trouble. The obstetrician normally sees childbirth as trouble; if he leaves it alone, it's a miracle." --
Sheila Stubbs
"The bird, the bee, the running child are all the same to the sliding glass door." --
Demetri Martin
"Always laugh when you can. It is cheap medicine."
-- Lord Byron
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Robert Waldinger of Harvard University has been studying "What makes a good life"
for years. He is the fourth director who has overseen this study for over 75 years (724 men
in two groups, starting in 1938; and now their descendants). Recently Heather Matthews (Manifestation Miracle) summarized the study's latest findings in an article. Here article is good but has a bit of "woo woo" (as does Heather), so I'm just giving you the quick-and-dirty results. It's this: The good life is built with good relationships. These are the lessons.
- Social connections are really good for us, and loneliness kills.
- It's not just the number of friends you have, and it's not whether or not you're in a committed relationship, but it's the quality of your close relationships that matter..
- Good relationships don't just protect our bodies, they protect our brains.
I recommend Waldinger's Ted Talk (12 minutes) on the subject HERE. Heather Matthews' article it HERE.
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10 MUST-HAVE PANTRY STAPLES
Emily Sennebogen (How Stuff Works, April 2020) says every pantry should contain:
- Olive Oil
- Garlic
- Stock or Broth
- Spaghetti Sauce
- Dried Pasta
- Dried Beans
- Rice
- Canned Tuna
- Peanut Butter
- Canned or Boxed Tomatoes
I have all those things, so why do I feel like there's never anything to eat?
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| Old Movie Stars Dance to Uptown Funk |
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LUE-42 Enterprises #StayHome #BeKiind
* with fond acknowledge to Douglas Adams and The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy
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