Awakening

 

In Kafka’s story Metamorphosis, Grega Samsa starts out as a man and changes into a large bug. In my story, I would prefer to liken my change to a caterpillar metamorphosing or awakening into a beautiful monarch butterfly. My awakening applies to my positive self- image and sense of self, my makeover.

I was a volunteer on the Board of the Friends of Kew Gardens Hills library.  The Board dwindled to three members when two moved and sadly, one passed away. This left Helene, Trudy and me. Helene was the president and assumed all the major responsibility. Trudy had an important role writing and arranging the Board’s Newsletter. My role as treasurer was ludicrous since our Board’s math never resembled the financial math Central Library accounting department seemed to come up with. Our Friends Board held a monthly meeting which turned into a social meeting between Trudy and Helene. I was virtually invisible and sat at these meetings angry, sulking and hurt. I felt my absence would not even be noticed, so at one point, I rose, walked to the door and announced I was quitting the board. Helene convinced me to stay with the Board. She announced she was moving shortly, and we would need a new president. Trudy, as very busy volunteer at the American Ballet and would never accept more responsibility. Much to my dismay, I became the new president. In the past, I had never had a role as a leader of anything.

From my angry sulking role, I assumed a major positive force on our Board. I blossomed; I was dynamic; I was an authority figure who instinctively had leadership skills unbeknownst to me; a complete makeover. My first undertaking was to find other people using our library to come and join our Board. We quickly grew from two Board members to ten. My style as a leader was to share the limelight and to shower praise on my Board members for any and all their efforts; this Friends Board functioned as a democracy.  I emailed my members a reminder of the upcoming meetings and requested any agenda suggestions. Each member at the meeting was handed a copy of the agenda. As a Friends Board, we became actively involved in increasing the number of Friends of Kew Gardens Hills Library and shortly doubled the dues paying membership. We used this money, as well as a $5000 endowment from our councilman to sponsor lectures, exercise classes, musical presentations and arts and craft workshops. Our workshops were so popular that we had to turn people away. The Community Affairs Manager at Central Library considered us one of her favorite Friends Boards and began to attend our Board meetings. The staff at our Library saw our Friends Board as such a positive force in the library that they became involved in attending our monthly meetings. They honored our recommendations and suggestions. We were a team.

More importantly, my Board members appreciated me and we appreciated each other. My role as president of the Friends Board of the Kew Gardens Hills Library was a labor of love. From the insignificant role I had previously played, I thrived in my metamorphosis and my awakening from the lowly caterpillar to the beautiful monarch butterfly. 

Ethyl H.