[Ansteorra] Fwd: [CAID] To Hug a Pelican

Lady Einin Ciarnait little_dragon_0861 at yahoo.com
Thu Mar 9 18:28:59 PST 2006


Had to share this one :)
  Hadassah

Jeff Lee <jeff at njr.net> wrote:
  Date: Thu, 09 Mar 2006 14:17:52 -0800
From: "Jeff Lee" <jeff at njr.net>
Subject: [CAID] To Hug a Pelican
To: "Caid List" <caid at sca-caid.org>

      
            Greetings All,
   
  One of the wonderful things about the Society is that no matter how long you’ve been a member or how much you think you know, there is always room for enlightenment.  I have recently experienced such a wonder.  Everyone knows about the Peerages.  It is one of the first things you learn about when you join the SCA.  There are the knights who have proven their worth through great knowledge and skill at arms.  The Laurels, those Masters and Mistresses of the arts and sciences whose knowledge and skill are all but dumbfounding to the rest of us.  And then there are the Pelicans.  You know, those volunteer people.
   
  I’m not going to say how long I’ve been a member because it really doesn’t matter.  Let’s just say I’ve been around the block once or twice.  When I first joined I was full of all of that newbie energy.  I’m sure that you all know what I’m talking about, serving at banquets, manning the phones for the local PBS fund raisers, going to baronial council meetings, etcetera.  Then it happened, complacency.  The Society turned into a place for me to party, drink, and be generally lazy.  Tournaments, wars and events turned into a place for me to gather with my friends for a good time.  I just went to have fun and knew someone else would make sure that there was a place for me to play.  A great length of time passed where I enjoyed myself at the expense of the hard work and sweat of others.  For this I will be eternally ashamed.
   
  In recent years I have had cause to become more involved in the workings of the Society.  Part of this comes from acquaintances with newcomers who have all of that energy and excitement that I somehow lost.  Part comes from old friends who have needed help with this or that.  It is through them that I have discovered how wrong I was to think all this time that Pelicans are just “those volunteer people”.  Perhaps my misconception was also due to their seemingly limited vocabulary.  Words and phrases such as “yes”, “of course I will”, ”no problem” “I’ve got it”, “it’s done”, “I’ll take care of it”, “what else do you need”, are all that one seems to hear from them.  To my shame, it is only recently that I have realized just how valuable their vocabulary really is.  It is only through the generous giving of their time and efforts that the Society even exists.  They provide us with the arena that we need to follow our dreams.
   
  It is with the above in mind that I would encourage everyone, be they the grand duke with every award known to the Society to the newcomer who just joined today and is filled with the dreaded “peer fear”, to do this.  Next time you see one of those little pelican medallions hanging around someone’s neck, give them a great big hug.  I doubt that you’ll ruffle any feathers.
   
  In service,
   
  Fearghus MacCulloch
   
   



		
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