A Great Idea that Many People Have

So every year, for over 20 years, the region where I live sponsors a conference for single adults of the LDS faith. These events require EXTENSIVE METICULOUS planning. In the past several years, I've helped serve on three conference committees. One conference I was too overwhelmed w/my own life duties, so I just helped out in a very small capacity, helping serve drinks at one portion.

We just recently learned that our stake has been asked to be the lead stake in this year's planning, and we will share this duty with another stake.

Our stake representative invited me to attend the initial planning meeting. During the meeting, a comment was made that it would be good to invite the people that will be in charge of NEXT YEAR's Conference to attend the planning sessions...a marvelous idea, I mean this in all seriousness. It is important for early planning, as so much must be accomplished. The necessary details can be mind-boggling and probably headache-inducing.

We had some awesome Christlike leaders in last year's conference, and I learned much from observing their style of leadership.

So at tonight's meeting, some people expressed concern that we need to get the planning going, since it is nearly June. (And I remembered a recent conference, 2005 I think, where our planning didn't get really going until mid-October. We'd had a meeting in August but then that was it until October. But it all worked out and we had a great conference). And someone suggested having the next year's planners invited, so that they would be ahead of the game next year, instead of trying to figure things out as we are.

But as much as I respect the opinions of those at the meeting, it was kind of funny. Because it isn't fun to contemplate continuing to be single next year and thus having to help with these conferences. Thinking about planning a singles conference for NEXT year..not this year...just doesn't hold the same joy as say, planning a trip to Disneyworld.

Several years ago at one of the conference meetings, I remember someone making a very similar suggestion. As I recall someone had said the planning for the next conference- including calling of the chairpeople,etc- should be made immedietely following the current conference. In response to that comment, someone deftly quipped something like the reason people wait to plan is that "no one wants to be single the next year to be in the position of having to help plan the conference".

Anyway. Blah Blah Blah, my almost favorite words. Last year I had hoped would be my last year helping on a singles conference. To me it is one of those things you do and like many other hard things in life, you hope you never have to do again. And you hope that between the end of that last Conference and the start of the next Conference, Prince Charming will come rescue you so that you can avoid this aspect of life, and hang out with him instead of driving all over the area going to planning meetings.

But alas, no Prince Charming. So ready, set, here we go again..