President's Letter

Matt Jennings
January 7th, 2009

The holidays had come and gone, but the cold gray mind clogging Chicago winter weather had enveloped me. I have so much to do for Gary Borger TU, the mountain seemed insurmountable. To state it clearly I was feeling burdened, beleaguered, blue, and burnt-out. It was beginning to feel like too much to heap on top of a very busy but bland mid-winter personal life.

I moped around for a couple days after the New Year, ignoring my email which was full of my responsibilities. Nothing could break the wall of despair, and I thought why do I volunteer for this stuff? Right about then a phone call came in saying that someone had bought seven one-way tickets to Mumbai India on my credit card, and I thought I wonder if I can get one of those switched into my name? I bet you throw big flies on the Ganges?

Coming back to reality I said "Yes" I do want those taken off my card, and "No" I did not authorize them, and "Yes" I did know that my mailbox was full, and "Yes" I would be emptying it post haste so they could contact me in the future, as I waited for my new card to be rushed to me. Great, more unwanted responsibility.

The first email I saw sitting on top of the enormous pile of 247 unread emails, the last one let in, was one that read "Jim Tingey, Rainbow In Arizona.", and it had a paper clippy out to the side of it. I double clicked and there it was, the reason that we do all this. No, not the rainbow, which was nice, but the man with the smile in the picture. The man that had carved out time in his busy, burdened, over-full life to spend some of the first of the new year finding fish where he could find them. The man that looked like, in a couple of days I'll be back in Snowy Illinois responsible for a whole class of fourth graders, but today I want to be about as responsible as a fourth grader.

This spoke to me, and I thought that's it, the answer is this is my life. We just bang away at life over and over and when I need to I just chisel out a little niche for myself using fishing as my refuge. If I go back over my life this last year, it's full of great GBTU memories, from workdays, meetings, phone calls, trips, and even bowling parties. It's not all good, but in the balance it's far skewed towards having a fun and positive affect on my life and others.

So, it is with renewed optimism that I embark on the New Year and I ask for your help in making this year even more fun and successful for GBTU. We have a fund-raiser to plan, Youthcamp to work on, an Arkansas trip to go on, Fennimore will come in short succession. Speakers to arrange for future meetings, a new brochure to finish up, lots of workdays to plan and attend, fly fishing shows to work at... but together, with your help we'll get it all done, and we'll have fun doing it.

HAPPY NEW YEAR GBTU!!!

Now who's going with me to Arkansas?

Matt Jennings
President Gary Borger Chapter of TU