Life Lesson: Don't let your Frisbee get stuck on a Roof!

When you were a child did your parents ever tell you not to touch fire because it was hot? Maybe you were more of a light socket enthusiast and your curiosity got you zapped. The funny thing about life is regardless of your age you are never too old or too young to learn a lesson here and there. My newest life lesson came when I least expected it but maybe at the perfect time as I begin this journey being your International President.

Anyone who knows me knows that I am a complete dog lover. I have two dogs Bear and Buddy Lee. I treat my dogs like complete little princes. When holidays come around you bet you'll see Bear running around with jingly reindeer antlers or Buddy Lee with a red bow tie sewn to his collar on Valentine's Day. The two of them even have pairs of boots for the winter time so their paws don't get cold. So as you can imagine with classes quickly approaching and my time at home with them slowly winding down I have been spending an unusual amount of time playing ball, going for walks down by the river, and taking my dogs to the park. Most recently though instead of an evening walk I opted for a nice game of frisbee in the backyard. If you are a visual person I would also like to add that the frisbee was of clear blue color and had the KEYLEADER program printed on it.

As any of my Potsdam State friends will tell you I'm not the best frisbee player in the world. I can play a fun pick-up game for the most part but I steer clear of any Frisbee Club meetings or the intense games. Also, never invite me to play a game of frisbee by a body of water unless your a swimmer or don't mind rolling up your jeans to get your feet wet! In the middle of my evening frisbee game with my two pups I decided I was going to make them work jusssst a little bit harder and run farther for the frisbee. To prepare for my far throw I aimed once, I aimed twice, and I put all of my weight into my throw and released the frisbee. Being at the the time it was after supper and the sun was going down I had a beam of light get in my way at the very last second. I moved out of the ray of sun and looked around to see which one of my boys brought back the frisbee. When I opened my eyes I saw my dogs with their tails wagging staring up at the roof above my backyard patio. My thought pattern after that was literally "What? Huh? Oh man the frisbee is on the roof!"

After my realization that I, although in high school was a 1st place stellar discus thrower, still have failed to master frisbee throwing I began to think of ways in my head to get the frisbee off the roof. I glanced over to my garage and saw a large metal rake leaning against my fence. I grabbed the rake and reached up to the roof hoping to get the frisbee stuck in the gutter then flip it out. That idea ended up being completely bogus because I'm only 5ft 1inch tall and that rake could have been 10ft long and I still probably wouldn't have reached the frisbee. But you know what they say, "If at first you don't succeed...try and try again!" So being the genius I am I grabbed the next best tool leaning against my fence - AN ICE PICK! I thought it was absolutely genius because after all it was a lot longer then the rake. Nope - still no frisbee and just for the record swinging an ice pick above your head trying to hit a roof to get a frisbee really just does not look good when your neighbors peak over the fence. So after two tries I couldn't help but think that the third time would be the charm and then it hit me. GARDEN HOSE! I figured I would grab the garden hose and aim it up on that roof and with enough water pressure I could blast the frisbee down. Just my luck after I grabbed the garden hose I found myself enjoying a small summer shower because when I lifted the hose to shoot the water onto the roof the water pressure wasn't strong enough to push the frisbee down. This latest solution to my problem only resulted in me having a wet shirt and my dogs looking at me very strangely from afar terrified that I'm going to spray them. Although reluctant to do so because my dad had just come home from a busy day at work I finally bucked up and marched into the house to ask my dad for help. He, being much taller then me, grabbed the rake, scooped the frisbee into the gutter, and flipped it out in a matter of about 10 seconds.

So what's the life lesson from this story and how does it affect your CKI club? Well aside from breaking the age old myth that the third time is in fact the charm I now have a new appreciation in asking for help. Think about it for a second, had I asked my dad for help in the first place I probably would have saved myself a lot of embarrassment with my neighbors and a lot of time. In addition, my rake idea wasn't necessarily a bad one and in fact in the end worked I just needed help executing it properly. As the Fall 2008 semester begins and your club starts meeting remember to use all the resources you have around you and seek help in tasks from your fellow officers and members. You may have the world's greatest idea but may need just a little bit of help to help you execute it. Be sure to utilize your Kiwanis Club, Faculty/Kiwanis advisor, and use your friends too by inviting them to a meeting to check out CKI with you.

Good Luck this Fall 2008 semester and remember it's okay to ask for help! After all, you don't want your frisbee to be stuck on a roof now do you? :)

Live to Serve -- Love to Serve,

--Kristen