Beware the Door You
Open...It May Just Lead to Your Future!
by Kateri E. Jordan,
PLS, PNPA
I just got back from my first Professional Development
Conference in Tulsa.
WOW, what an experience!
I arrived early Thursday afternoon, checked in and went
to register. I had gone to the conference in the capacity
of Membership Chair for the NALS of Tucson & So. AZ
chapter. At first I wasn’t able to find anyone else from
Arizona, either from Tucson’s chapter or the Arizona State
chapter. Going over the schedule, I realized there were
Membership sessions going on Thursday afternoon, so I hunted
down the room and walked on in. Inside was one of my fellow
chapter members, Joani Yingling, PP, PLS, CLA, CNSA, Misty
Lewis, PP, PLS (I recognized her from the Reno conference),
Saundra Bates, Linda Kelly, PLS, Marion Sarcuni, Rita Smith,
PLS, Marion Stone, PP, PLS and Debra Taylor, PP, PLS.
I was asked what color hat I wanted (everyone was wearing
Safari hats) and chose green. I was then given a notebook
with the committee information inside. The door opened
again and two more Arizona members came in, Dawn Miller-Lawrence,
PLS and Joanne Patterson, PP, PLS, CLA.
While I was glancing through the notebook, I realized
something was wrong...my name wasn’t on the member list!
Oh no! I realized I was in the NATIONAL Membership Committee
meeting! The state and local Membership sessions didn’t
start until the following day! I’d "opened" the "wrong" door!
I said as much and started to take off my hat and stand
up, but oh no...I was there and I was on the committee!
It was wonderful! I learned so much...and I had been so
afraid I "didn’t belong" on that National Committee.
By opening the "wrong" door and walking in, I
learned more than I had anticipated and made some wonderful
new friends. It’s going to be an exciting year. Membership
is something I’ve never done before, but with my fellow "sisters-in-law," I
feel I’m beginning a journey on both the local and national
level, a journey that will end a year from now. There will
be many, many things to learn along the way, new ideas,
new people to meet, new people to encourage to join and
take advantage of the educational and networking opportunities
of NALS. New people who can teach me new ideas and new
ways of doing things, ways I’d never thought of before.
And, hopefully, a year from now, it will be my turn to teach
someone else all I’ve learned. The most important thing I
learned? There are no "wrong" doors there’s an
adventure behind every one of them. It’s up to YOU to open
the door and step through into the waiting adventure.
