most def the blanched almond in the fudge...

It takes a lot to make me feel like I don't belong somewhere.

This ZOOM meeting definitely had me rethinking being part of the group.

All was well with the first few parts of the AARP GA volunteer session.

Gabrielle led it for us, though she did say that she's looking for one of us to step up and take that duty.

Only five of us - me, Wanda, Lillian, Carolyn, and Jennifer - were there for this odd 11 AM meeting on a first Thursday.

We're supposed to be meeting at 1 PM on the last Thursday of the month, but the June meeting was canceled for this one.

However, we will be meeting again on the last Thursday of July.

I wonder if we will have a higher turnout for that one?

Anyway, she began as before with an icebreaker: "share a vacation memory".

I talked of playing chess on a giant chessboard with my two great-nieces on our trip last year to Florida.

John Strong, the head of the entire Georgia group, spoke of taking his 16-year-old daughter on a week-long cruise and how nice it had been to spend so much time with her.

Lillian told us about taking her grandkids on a cruise a few years ago.

Good times!

Then Gabrielle had us watch a twenty-minute training video titled "The Strategy Before The Strategy".

It was all about listing people who would be helpful for a project, as well as those that might be harmful.

Then we were to make a graph, kinda sorta, placing the people in order of how much influence they might have on a project.

I just know it sounds like a lot of work, though I understand that proper planning can prevent issues later on.

All of these meetings at the Two First Posts has made that clear!

Anyway, after the video, there weren't enough of us to break into chat rooms on the Zoom, so we stayed together as Gabrielle brought up the list of possible events we might want to work.

She had one highlighted: "Virtual Workshop with GABWA".

That acronym is the Georgia Association of Black Women Attorneys.

Um... okay.

I thought we were trying to increase our diversity???

Just how was I to figure in with this event???

And just who would be expected to attend this event???

That's okay, I would see how it shook out if, or when, Connie showed up at the next meeting.

Gabrielle had chosen that event because she recalled that Connie's daughter was a member of that organization, so she could be 'leveraged' to help out with planning such an event with us.

Gabrielle asked that we think about what topic we would want the event to be centered upon, though 'estate planning' was mentioned.

I admit, I was pretty quiet.

I guess I will hope for the best at the next meeting.