Some of us are extremely lucky because we get to live out our dreams every day. We are
able to find joy in our chosen profession, our friendships, our families and the opportunities to be creative.
I count myself extremely lucky. I am able the make a living doing exactly what I want to do without compromise.
I have friends, both old and new, that stick with me regardless of my idiosyncrasies, I have family that more that
tolerate me and the opportunityto share my thoughts with others via this medium. In order to illustrate this I
am going to share with you parts of a day in my life, Friday October 1st.
First and foremost the passing of my Aunt Florence Fowler marked the day. `MeMaw’ (as she was known)
was 88 however, she neither looked nor acted her age as all will attest (including her boyfriend). My cousin Shirley
Davey, 10 grandchildren, 15 great-grandchildren and three great great grandchildren survived her.
Aunt Florence was always very excitable and as a small boy I took great joy in playing jokes on her because
(like all the females on the Sikes side of my family) she had a tendency to wet her pants when overly excited.
I think I was about 7 when I purchased a wooden snake at Finkels one Saturday afternoon. You know the kind
that had cuts all along the body that allowed it to wiggle and look real. Something like this one. Anyway, we were
going to her house after church on Sunday and I took my new toy with me. After lunch we were all out around her
front poach and MeMaw was setting on the first step. I went around to the back door, snuck through the house, out
the front screen door and lay the toy snake down beside her. Needless to say, when she became aware of her visitor
she jumped about 5 feet into the air, screamed at the top of her lungs and darted down the sidewalk leaving a wet
trail indicating her passage. Once she calmed down she was able to talk my Pop out of another of his lessons for
me about cruelty to others.
I have not had the opportunity to see much of her the past several years because my trips back to Paducah have
been few and far between, however I did have the opportunity at the last Sykes-Sikes family reunion we were both
able to attend. As you can see – her smile was a pure joy and my hair color comes naturally. Friends and
family will lay her to rest on the 5th and I know that they will all rejoice as they recall the joy she brought
to all who knew her. Goodbye MeMaw – I loved you…
On the same day, the SCR Board of Directors was engaged in a workshop to consider aspects of the 2005 budget.
They had previously been given a white paper containing an overview of the coming year and a review of the past
four years. You see, 2005 would be the last year of a five-year plan where the Board had laid out several major
objectives and they wanted to be sure that the by the end of 05 all those goals had/would be actually achieved.
The workshop began an 11:30 with a lunch consisting of a Caesar Salad and sandwich makings. Just as I was getting
ready to fill my plate, I received a call indicating that Howard was in the lobby.
That would be Howard Nusbaum, COO of ARDA who had been in-the-house for a few days attending the
Lodging Conference down at the Arizona Biltmore. When I got to the lobby if found him checking
out and determined that he was just going to the airport and hang until his flight to Pittsburgh. I convinced
him to join us (Board and Staff) for lunch. Now all that have been around Howard for any time, know how timid
he is and can envision him sitting off in the corner of the boardroom having a quiet lunch. Not this time…
Almost all of the SCR Staff knows Howard because he had been in-the-house several times in the past and
all of the Board members knew who he was because of the predominance ARDA has in the day to day lives of anyone
involved in Timesharing. Needless to say, it was a pure joy watching Howard doing his thing. In the 45 minutes
he was able to spend with us, he made those Board Members (and other volunteers like them) the most important groups
in timesharing. He stressed how important a grass-root effort is in the protecting Timeshare Owners from
unfair legislation and the part ARDA-ROC plays. He thanked them for providing the opportunity for SCR Owners
to make their annual contribution and for allowing so many members of the SCR staff to be active in ARDA
both on a Regional and National basis. Shortly thereafter, he excused himself and was off and running to catch
his flight. Needless to say, his short visit paved the way for the next parts of that budget workshop.
Earlier that morning I had received an e-mail from Holly Epright of the Sedona Main Street OPC Taskforce
advising me that the City Council will consider the OPC Signage Amendment to the Land Development Code at
its regular session on October 12th at 7:00 PM. As you will remember from With Regard to Community,
the Timeshare Industry in Sedona has been working with the local Chamber of Commerce, the Main Street folks, and
the city to resolve the OPC situation there. If all goes well, everyone involved including the Sedona P&Z Committee
will recommend passage of this Code amendment to the full City Council. Given that the Council does in fact pass
the amendment, this effort (including the companion OPC Code of Ethics) will be the standard for other communities
where Timeshare Marketing entities seek to solicit. It was a joy working with those who represented Sunterra,
Fairfield, Hyatt, ILX, Sedona Pines and the other Timeshare entities in that community. Competitive advantages
were set aside in order to achieve a common objective to keep Sedona a place where people like to visit and developers
can market their product without negative impacts.
During the week leading up to Friday, several members of Mrs. Gerry and my extended family were in town for
our annual ‘bonding session’. Last year, several of us had spent Christmas together in Orlando with Rene’
and Mark playing host in their hometown and the year prior we went to Gatlinburg Tennessee for a week. In
other years we had ‘bonded’ in Freeport, Captivia Island, and northeast Arizona (Monument Valley, Canyon de
Chelly, Lake Powell etc). Simone, Dewaine, his mother Bunny, grandsons Justin, Josh and
Josh’s significant other Kelley all from Marco Island + Rene’ and Mark made up this year's
out of town contingency then you have to add Clark, Eric and Hanna to complete the group. On Thursday night
we had gone up to the top of Humboldt Mt. for fruit, cheese and drinks in a couple of Johnny Ringo’s
Tour Jeeps then to Harold’s in Cave Creek for dinner and entertainment. Friday night was special
because the Florida group was leaving on Saturday. We all went over to Julio G’s for a Mexican Fiesta then
back to the resort for a rip-roaring game of 31. During dinner we had finalized our plans for this time next year
in Maui. It’s always a joy to see the kids and grandkids and to have them enjoy themselves with us old folks.
Before going to Julio’s with the extended family, Lori had arranged a reception for the Board Members
and their spouses upstairs in the Ristras Room. Chris, Michael and Mike (mostly Mike) from
the Grill had created this special spread that including a Pumpkin Soup, German Meatballs, Potato Pie and sparkling
Apple Cider. After the reception the Board Group were going over the Casino Arizona to see a show
and place a wager or two. Prior to their departure I had the honor of making a toast to all those gathered.
I expressed my joy of being able to do a job that I truly loved and to have the support of a staff like that at
SCR and to have a Board of Directors that actually devoted their efforts toward the best interest of all the Resort
Owners. I ended my comments and proposed a toast to the spouses for allowing the Board Members to volunteer
so much of their time to Resort affairs.
Final Thought
Well that was my Friday. A day where I was able to rejoice in the things that life brought me and, while I found
no joy in the passing of Aunt Florence on that day, I did find some joy in sending her a copy of With
Regard to Father (her brother) and know that she shared it with many people during her last few days. I also
know that her grandchildren brought her great joy all the way to the end of her days on this earth. It was
nice that I had many of mine around me when I got the news.
I am sure that my Pop had some of the benefits of joy in mind as he began teaching me many of the life lessons
that I have referenced in past With Regard’s. He successfully taught me to find joy in the small things
like finding a stick for a walk in the woods and just listening, simple things like learning how to plowing a field
and enjoying the smell of the fresh turned earth and the exciting things like the ride on a carousel for its own
sake rather than the reach for a brass ring. I know that there are many ways to measure success and I thank God
that my Pop taught me that success also comes from doing things that brought me (and others) joy. Way to
many individuals use the accumulation of the dollar as the only measure of success and they find no joy in doing
those things that produce those dollars for them. They often use the dollars to buy things to use in search of
that joy like cars, boats, houses (not homes) and other status symbols and when they don’t find any joy it these
objects they just go out and purchase bigger and bigger one’s. If you are living a life that doesn’t bring
you some joy every day, take my advice and find something that does.
In closing these thought, I am reminded of the title song from Tim McGraw’s recently released album.
That song is “Live like you were dying.” The words to that song mention several things that brought joy
in the last days of someone’s life like mountain climbing, sky diving, bull riding, how to love and give forgiveness.
Don’t let your time run out without finding joy. You too can find it in your chosen profession, your friendships,
your families and opportunities to be creative.
Walt Whitman may have stated it best in his Poem of Joys: “O, while I live, to be the ruler
of life—not a slave!”
