Leaving the sidelines

Annual general meetings are usually pretty predictable and - yes I'll say it - sometimes even boring, but this definitely wasn't the case at the recent such gathering of our local businesspeople. Tensions at this particular meeting were somewhat higher than normal since the advertised item on the agenda was the contemplation of a resolution proposing the dissolution of our association.
On the date of the meeting I agonized all day long trying to think of what I could say to avert the demise of our association. When I finally stood up to have my say that evening, it was to sum up what I saw at that meeting: people who had contributed so much to our community in so many different ways over the years.  All I could say was that it's not an accident our small town has such a big reputation - a reputation we often hear echoed back to us from far and wide; "There is always something going on in Vankleek Hill."
It just didn't seem possible to me that our business group could cease to exist.
As a newspaper publisher, jumping in and being part of what is happening always gives me pause. For one thing, once I am involved, I can't report on it as an impartial journalist should do.
But as communities and local economies change, it is a test for all business owners - including me - to find the time to risk our reputations and business relationships by declaring where we stand or by pushing forward actions which, heaven help us, may not have an immediate, visible "bottom-line-dollar" benefit to everyone and may invite criticism.
At the Friday evening Club Optimiste supper in St-Philippe, I was a stranger to the Brownsburg-Chatham councillor who tossed off a five-minute rundown of the new council's plan to get the municipality back on track. As the French-Canadian music started up and the meal wound down, people asked where I was from. As a 50-50 draw took place, one man at our table joked that I had better not win, because people in Ontario were already rich enough.
And then the emcee of the evening pointed us out as visitors and everyone applauded.
When the line dancing started, I was tempted to get up, but felt rooted to my chair. I kept thinking that all I had to do was stand up, but I couldn't do it.
I finally did join the group and was greeted with smiles all around. I didn't know the steps, but others were learning, too. I felt less conspicuous than I had sitting at my table.
And then: the point of no return - square dancing. There were only eight of us at first; then, two "squares" were on the floor.
My concentration was broken when a lady came spinning out of control from behind our group, crashed into a table and then landed hard on the floor, sliding forward with considerable momentum. People rushed to help her up but the musicians played on and with a minor pause, we all kept  dancing.
I overheard someone say she must have been dizzy. Dizzy?
Within a moment, we were changing partners and I myself was being spun out of control. The room was tilting and I thought, I, too, will soon be hitting the floor in a most undignified way.
But in a show of strength that must have been akin to that needed to keep a drunk person upright, this stranger kept me on my feet and the dance went on.
It was then that I thought of how this Friday night dance compared to the previous Saturday evening merchant meeting.
We have to constantly remind ourselves to be part of the dance, to learn how to be part of a group, how to lead and when to follow.
Making that decision to be part of the dance means you might wow the crowd or you might make a fool of yourself.
But when you're part of a group and you discover yourself going down, there's a pretty good chance someone will be there to hold on to you until you get your feet back while others around you concentrate on keeping the dance going.
So, even if it was just a simple square dance, it was reassuring to know that a group of strangers could come together to make it all work.
It is much the same as our own circle of businesspeople, here in our own little town, where many are already up and dancing and the distance between the sidelines and the dance floor is not that great a distance at all.