Column: Thoughts from Dr. Joe: Thursday Club embraces Emerson’s view on the value of enthusiasm
The 250 Marine officers waited for that last bit of wisdom that might be the magic bullet for what was ahead. It was our last lecture at the basic school, the Infantry Officers’ Course in Quantico, Va. The speaker, a colonel from Headquarters Marine Corps, obviously had been to the brink — as evidenced by the decorations he wore. For some reason, I never recorded his name. Instead, I recorded his thoughts.
After briefly assuring us of our capabilities and reminding us of our duty, the colonel emphasized the most important weapon in our arsenal: “Be enthusiastic,” he urged us. He then quoted Ralph Waldo Emerson, “Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm.”
At the time, I was 23 and didn’t grasp the colonel’s contention regarding the importance of enthusiasm. But today, at 70, I readily see that the nuances of this simple word are woven into each morsel of life.
Sunday evening at the La Cañada Thursday Club’s fall dinner to welcome members and their spouses back for the new club year, I was exploring the ambience of the clubhouse. The trickling sounds of the fountain strategically placed at the front were inviting, and yet I saw deeper metaphors, symbolic to wells, water and knowledge. On the inside walls hang pictures of past years’ debutantes. I stare into the eyes of the girls in the portraits and it’s apparent they are enthusiastic. Both of my daughters were debutantes and have a place of history at the Thursday Club.
I perused the handbook laying atop the table in the atrium. It contained a brief history of the club, but I was immediately attracted to the motto. “Nothing great was ever accomplished without enthusiasm.” I thought of the colonel, but as the evening evolved, I understand that the phenomenology of enthusiasm is alive at the Thursday Club.
Club President Sherri Morton’s spirited remarks opened the evening. I read the printed “President’s Message,” and noted Sherri’s zeal for “finding philanthropies, working hard, playing hard, and making friends.”
Sharon Combs, the vice president, enthusiastically spoke of the upcoming gatherings, and her remarks gave perspective into the club’s blessing: “that here we find a good companionship of mind with mind; and that the food we share is doubly blessed because warm friendship is our constant guest.”
I am typically reluctant to attend such gatherings, and that was especially the case after surviving the middleweight fight between Canelo Alvarez and Gennady Golovkin on Saturday night. For true fans of the “sweet science,” it was reminiscent of Marvin Hagler and Tommy Hearns, the greatest fight ever. But my wife has a way of getting water out of a rock, so after donning my best jeans, shirt and boots, I accompanied her to the venerable old clubhouse on Woodleigh Lane. Besides, I love Cuban food, which was on the menu. The fish and chicken were to die for.
The traditions of the Thursday Club are living and active. Understanding these traditions do not form automatically, one must look closely to understand it. Its links to the past are histories of service, friendship and women coming together to honor what is specific to their gender. By its very nature, tradition is old, yet at the same time it is new, and the club’s traditions are born again in each new generation of the members, to be applied in new and different ways.
The evening evolved, and I wanted another serving of fish, but since I didn’t want to embarrass myself (not that such a thought has ever stopped me before), I decided to make up for it with dessert. I’m typically nervous in the presence of so many women. Dessert soothes my rattled nerves.
I enjoyed every moment of the evening. I hung with old friends, Anita Brenner and her husband, Leonard. I met new friends, Joani Bartoli-Porto and Carmen Porto. At the Thursday Club, tradition nourishes life fueled by the enthusiasm of the ladies.
JOE PUGLIA is a practicing counselor, a retired professor of education and a former officer in the Marines. Reach him at doctorjoe@ymail.com. Visit his website at doctorjoe.us.
