The past few weeks have not been profitable for the “smart money.” First, the Brexit vote was horribly miscalculated by bookies who had the “stay” vote the heavy favorite. Pandemonium ensued. Your RFA correspondent can now report that the bookies lost even more as the “over and under” bet on Yours Truly making it all the way until the end of his term was just as lopsided. For Rotarians willing to bet against the odds, BIG MONEY was made when we peacefully transferred power to new District Governor, Anna Mae Kobbe, on July 1rst. I won’t miss the Vegas crowd…that’s for sure.
The Vegas smart money crowd tries to cover their bets.
Another group that I will not miss is the District Governor’s secret service detail. You may not know that Rotary provides a security detail to provide for the protection and safety of Rotary’s biggest power brokers, namely District Governors. Rarely seen, but incredibly effective, the Rotary secret service does not like it when the entire District leadership team is in one room at the same time. (For obvious reasons.) I can now reveal just how stressful it was for Linda and I to put up with these guys for the entire year. I’m looking forward to going out to dinner without the stupid dogs sniffing for explosives prior to my arrival. FULL DISCLOSURE: I have to admit I will mess flying in Rotary One.
Rotary One hovers in the background prior to one of my club visits last year.
There is one other group that I won’t miss as I pass the District’s leadership baton to Anna Mae, and that is the paparazzi. While Rotary’s secret servants are annoying, the paparazzi that followed me around all year were downright rude. If I would have known how intrusive they would be as they tried to photograph every aspect of my personal and professional life, I wouldn’t have accepted the gigantic groundswell of support and adoration that forced me to me accept the DG nomination last year. Good riddance to all photographers. Hey pal, If you want a picture of me going forward, you will have to see my agent! Oh…and no more requests for autographs….please.
What WILL I miss? I will miss helping Rotary clubs achieve their goals as DG. I will miss the seemingly unending goodwill of Rotarians everywhere who seemed so appreciative of the time and effort it takes to do the job. I will miss representing RI President Ravi Ravindran, who’s theme for the year, “Be a Gift to the World,” was a gift to the rest of us. As was his choice of class tie. (Just sayin) I will miss working with the leadership team in my District. I will also miss working with my Club Presidents. As the year progressed it was impossible not to be impressed by the collective good that is done by our Rotary clubs. I will also miss working with our Area Governors. They made me look good, which was quite a feat. And of course, I’m grateful to our District 7620 Rotarians. They do all the work and they do it because they truly want to make a positive difference in the world.
What’s left for me, now? Well first, its time to collect on my Rotary stock options. On July 1 my options on Rotary’s stock, symbol BGIFT, vested. BINGO! Next I have to speak with my Rotary agent about my upcoming worldwide speaking tour. (sigh)
Here’s a few photos from Anna Mae’s big night. Enjoy!
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