book club 101 61/366

I am in a book club this year
I have read countless books and have four or five full bookcases at home
so you would think this would be old hat for me,
but it isn't-
this is my first and I am intimidated

not by the reading, 
that part is easy peasy,
but by the subject matter
and yet at the same time I have to laugh 
because the genre is so far out of my normal reading range

I major in reading "fluff" 
you know, books that follow the same plot, 
kind of like Hallmark Christmas movies
books that are an escape, 
not ones that make you think

the only exception to this rule in the last 20 years
was when I took some classes at KCU with Andrew
and non thinking reading material is the path I intended to keep following 
unless it was my Bible or commentaries 
at least that was my plan until January 11,2020

that morning I attended an event that led to me joining a book club,
but not just any book club
a leadership book club
that meets on Saturday once a month 
at 8:30 AM 

as I left the conference center 
I was shaking my head, 
literally, 
wondering,
"WHAT IN THE WORLD DID I JUST AGREE TO?"

First off:
meeting with a group of people, most of whom I don't know
secondly: 
at 8:30 AM on Saturday? 
those of you who know me know the abnormality of this choice
third:
me reading Leadership books?
that was Bill's thing, not mine
fourth:
and talking about them with aforementioned strangers?
what would I have to say?
fifth:
how many of the books we are going to read did I give away?
Bill had a lot of leadership books that I passed on to those who would actually use them
because I had no intentions of doing so
why keep books that held no interest to me
books that only reminded me of the man I was missing?
books that would benefit my sons?

the first book on our list was a short, easy read
I missed the discussion on it because I had a funeral to go to
and that did not necessarily make me feel upset
more like relief because I felt like I'd dodged a bullet
the second book, Maxwell's 5 Levels of Leadership, is a little longer
and when I first started reading it I struggled hard
I almost put it down, but my stubbornness kept me from quitting

I have never held a position of leadership
my life has mostly consisted of being a stay at home mom
and I had a difficult time translating the material and terms to my situation
then I got to the second level 
it was about the importance of building relationships
and I was able to relate 
the third level put me off balance again
production, 
because what have I ever helped produce
other than kids 
yesterday I began reading the fourth level information
and I am surprised because, 
gasp, 
I like this book 
and I am beginning to understand leadership in context

as I read each section about Level 4 Leadership I kept thinking
"I have done this...
and this makes sense, I have seen it work...
I have implemented this..."
I haven't completed reading Level 4 info yet,
but I have decided that I am no stranger to Leadership after all
I have been doing it for years
only instead of leadership
I have been calling it parenting

I just realized something else
I have been involved in Book Clubs,
actually I've facilitated several, 
but we called it Bible Study 
and now Saturday's meeting seems a lot less intimidating