Spring 2005: There was one — and only one — reason Jill and I agreed to serve as co-presidents of the parents association: we were asked by parents who had already worked hard to support and improve the program, and we understood the need for someone who would be dedicated and conscientious about the responsibilities. Our commitment was not based on any need for prestige, reward, or power; it was based solely on our strong belief in community service.
January 2006: It was the first board meeting of the new year, and only half-way through our term. Before we moved ahead with the agenda, I needed to share something. Jill half expected that I would announce we were resigning. Instead, I told the board, "I wouldn't wish this job [co-presidents], the way it is now, on my own worst enemy, much less on someone whose good will and cooperation I'd have to count on for the next one or two years."
There were only two reasons I didn't resign that day. The first reason was simply a dogged determination to live up to a commitment we'd made, because we assumed the other board officers were counting on us. However, that reason alone would not have been enough.
The second reason was not, as some might have thought, the concert tour to Brazil. Jill and I would have been far better off, financially and emotionally, to have simply paid our own way — or to have forgone the trip entirely.
Fast-forward to July 2006: Despite many marvelous moments in Brazil, I'd begun describing our tenure as "the year from hell" and "the most thankless job I've ever had." Believe me, with a 20 year military career under my belt, I've had some truly thankless jobs. This was the absolute worst.
February 2007: After four months of serious, renewed deliberation — a full 16 months after I first considered resigning — I finally did. Flat, outright quit! I am "resigned" in another sense, too: I don't harbor any illusions that this decision matters to anyone else outside my family. While it will be cathartic for me to chronicle my journey elsewhere, all I will say here is, "Good bye."
Mike