by Jeff Thom, CCB President
Those of you who have read my messages and listened to my convention speeches during either my first go-round or my current tenure as CCB president know
that I can be very fervent about the need for commitment and hard work from each and every one of us as the only formula for the success of our organization.
As I pass the midpoint of what will be my final term as president, I have become even more passionate in that view, and don’t think for even a Philadelphia
minute that I don’t intend to make that point in the future.
However CCB isn’t your entire life and although it may surprise a few of you, it isn’t mine, either. In fact, when someone I know, whether a former colleague
with the California Legislature or a member of this organization, is, in my view anyway, overly fixated on his or her work, I feel rather sad about it.
We can be extremely proud of the variety of leisure and
lifestyle articles that have graced these pages over the years. From travel to gardening, from the birth of a grandchild to the joy of being a baseball
fan, and of course, the list could go on and on.
My wife Leslie and I are no different. One of the reasons I most enjoyed working for the Legislature was that it was a segment of my life virtually devoid
of contact with the blindness community. As for the two of us, we thoroughly enjoy having foreign exchange students who live with us for about a 10-month
period and attend the local high school. We’ve had approximately 10 students and this year we have a girl from the Ukraine. Of course we also enjoy cruising
to Hawaii and other similarly selfish pursuits.
In fact, when I don’t take a weekend off to spend some family time, read a book or maybe just watch some football, burn-out begins to set in. Conversely,
after I give myself a break, I find myself energized and ready to hit the ground running to fulfill my CCB responsibilities. I really take to heart the
message of those Kaiser commercials which focuses on doing those things you enjoy in order to really thrive.
From the perspective of a reader of this magazine, I urge you to keep those articles coming about those parts of your life that have nothing to do with
CCB. After all, the CCB family is just like any other family in that its members have both common and individual interests. Let’s continue to share those
things that make our life complete.
