Advice from masters of the art of writing is that you should write about what you know.  This is good advice. On many occasions, I venture into giving my opinions about things I discover later that I really know little about. However, the art of the essayist is to present timely information and opinion about what is going on in the world. My expertise on what is happening to me daily is of little import to anyone other than me or a little circle of people who are nice enough to reply when I hit a mark with which they are familiar.

Take this morning, for instance.  I could not sleep beyond 4:30 a.m. and, although I tried to go back to sleep, I left the bedroom and went to the den and picked up the book I had been reading last night.  I finished the book and found it was a quarter to six.  Therefore, I had breakfast and read the paper that had been delivered.  When I finished that paper, I heard the NY Times plop in front of the kitchen door, retrieved it and then read through it.  I didn’t see much that interested me for what was said was said well and I thought, why should I add my thoughts when I had worries about this evening’s Annual Building Meeting where who knows what might happen.

So, I tried to prepare by making up a detailed agenda of items that I thought might enlighten the owners who are voters in the election.  I really would like them either to applaud all the things accomplished during the past year or to simply turn me out.  I would like that.  However, I suspect that all of the Board will be reelected although there is one spoiler who is on the ballot.  Since most of our people have no idea how democracy works or their role in it, they may elect the spoiler.  This might not be bad for if he and I are both elected, he will be meeting with the rest of us throughout the year and he will be where we can see and hear what he is planning.  This might be good.

So, here I am at line 37 and there are nine more to fill before this essay is finished.  I could try to squeeze in the two pages of agenda that I finished before I attempted to write an essay this morning.  But, I doubt that anyone will be interested in the agenda in the same way that the owners of apartments in this condominium are not interested in the problems that I have had to deal with for the last three years.

I must say, however, that by the time I retire from this job or I am turned out by the voters, I will have learned the job.  It would be a shame to have all this experience and expertise lost for new VOLUNTEERS will come in unprepared as I once did. But, then, no one is indispensable.