The Hard Decision

To close or not to close…that was the question plaguing me all week long.  As President of our synagogue, I looked towards President Truman for guidance when he stated that “The buck stops here.”  As with all organizations, there are boards, advisors, officers and others in leadership positions – as was recently put to me, we all report to someone - I never felt such a weight as what to do.  “The choice is easy,” was what I had heard.  True, when it comes down to yes or no, then I have only two options to select from.  Easy, but not so simple.  When there are a large group of people that you are responsible for, when there is a perception about your organization, when you wonder about the long range impact of the decision, and, when you wonder how it fell onto your shoulders, the simple yes or no makes you feel like Atlas with the entire world on your shoulders.

Two weeks ago, there was only a threat of the Novel Coronavirus impacting the United States.  People began avoiding certain beers (with a similar), avoiding ethnic foods, etc., which all made for good jokes…at that time.  However, when the media made the decision to have the Coronavirus the most important story of all time, politicians used this as fodder for their attacks and positioning, we the people had no where to turn.  I merely scan the headlines, and I do not listen nor watch the news.  If there is something that impacts me, or is really important, I will find out about it.  The Covid-19?  There is no way, unless you live in a hole in the middle of nowhere could you miss this.  Separating fact from fiction, the origin, who is responsible, etc. is enough to make me close and lock my front door just to keep it all out. 

Back to having a level head, not falling victim to mass hysteria and taking things in their proper perspective:  The CDC on their website states that “…some people are at higher risk of getting very sick from this illness. This includes:

·         Older adults

·         People who have serious chronic medical conditions like:

o   Heart disease

o   Diabetes

o   Lung disease”

At 57, I am one of the younger people in our congregation.  Which means that we have members falling into the CDC’s classification for higher risk. 

Which brings me to the decision at hand.  The synagogue is supposed to be, as all religious institutes, a safe place to congregate, pray and socialize.  We come together in good times and in bad.  A part of our community’s lives revolve around that place of brick and mortar.  But, if one person, no matter how remote, became the “Typhoid Mary” of our community, we are left with the single question, “Did we do enough to protect our people?”  Leaders lead and at the end of the day, must make decisions for the benefit of all, not him or herself, not for one group, but for everyone.  That is the hard part, whether there is a pandemic or just choices that are needed for the future.  Though the building is dark for today, we are still here for those in need and look forward to when the doors reopen for a brighter tomorrow.

Sacrificial Wayne?

With new responsibilities comes new sacrifices.  This is true in so many areas of our lives.  I remember back to a time when Debbie and I were living in an apartment in Montclair.  We were a young couple starting a life together, still learning the ways of the world.  We had recently talked about how nice it would be to stay home, sleep late, lounge around and just watch TV / movies with no responsibilities and not a care in the world.  26+ years later, owning a house, having two daughters (and two dogs), raising a family, being involved in our community, having hobbies / interested, etc., we have accumulated a life filled with activities.  Do not get me wrong, these are good things, but interesting that we “romanticize” a simpler time in our lives.

Life is always about the choices we make.  With each choice comes the responsibility of following through (taking action) and striving to do or be the best at the choices we make.  To achieve that objective, one is either all in or not.  Being all in means doing whatever it takes to reach our goal(s), including prioritizing activities and making some personal short term sacrifices.  These are thoughts that should go into the thought process prior to making a choice.  I had one opportunity where I never went all in.  I did it for years, hoping that things would click and I would obtain the successes I was looking for.  Truth is that I just dabbled – I treated the opportunity as a hobby, sacrificed the wrong things and had little to show for the effort.  I was clearly not all in.

As I take on the new role of President of an organization, the amount of time required is not trivial.  There will be times where I will have to make sacrifices to achieve successes.  However, balance is important – Family still comes first, though the timing of things will be different.  For me, it is important to remind my family of the changes (setting expectations).  Based on past experiences, anything worth doing should be done the right way.  Knowing way in advance what the sacrifices and time commitments will be, can help, even if it is a jolt when it actually occurs.  As with all things we are involved in, there will be an adjustment period until this becomes part of the fabric of life…then the term will be over!  Here’s to change, sacrifice and the successes ahead.