[group-organizers] Yesterday may have been my mother's last birthday

Wed Dec 20 22:35:00 EST 2017

Sent something out really raw with a promise to tie things up with a
follow-up post.

Yesterday my mother likely spent her last birthday ever. The certainty of
death, I learned ten years ago when my father died in my birthday. Now my
mother is teaching me a refresher course. All things end.

Bummer year end message dood!

My point is not to highlight my personal plight. I want to use my example
to highlight PuPPy could perish. Currently we’re okay. New members walking
in brand new may believe PuPPy’s very successful. Currently we track to
count 5000 members by 2018. Our monthly meetings turn out as many 220 in
the room. Miles Erickson highlighted during our meeting at Galvanize this
month, we had some event going every night of the week except for Friday.
Two events were held on Thursday. Thank you Miles for your kind words for
me.

Next month, PyCascades will convene. Earlier today we sold out of
registrations. Guido will speak for the regional conference that we as
PuPPy are a big part of its success.

Is our glass half-full or half-empty?

The average Chinese dynasty lasted about 150 to 200 years. I assume that
most folks will be surprised how short of time dynasties lasted. Walls
don’t work. A wall large enough that astronauts can see from the moon don’t
help. Mongols successfully conquered China. Manchus did the same less than
300 years later.

Once during a year end message when we met at Google for our monthly
meeting, I asked members to be Mongols not knights defending castles. What
I mean by this is that principles, process, and attitude is more important
than protecting a physical asset. I ask the principle that survives my
tenure with PuPPy is kindness.

PuPPy has no clubhouse, we have no castle. Our most important strength is
the attitude of our members. I ask that this attitude be one that defaults
to kindness. The armor against our demise is you. Repeatedly I have said we
will not have a real culture until we have more contribution from each
member. Currently we depend too much on my availability, energy, and ideas.
My taste drives too much of our events.

Things are better though. Miles highlighted this. Though he remembered the
goal of having a PuPPy event every night of the weekday as last year. I set
the goal during our anniversary meeting two years ago. When building
community, deadlines may slip. Now, we have amazing projects generated by
our members, where I have nothing to do with the success or content.

We need more. We need more volunteers to bring diverse views to bear. All
centered around being kind as the base attitude.

Mortality for me became clear as I waited for my father to breathe his
last. My younger sister and I waited for him to flatline. When the fluids
hospital staff filled him with depleted, his heart stopped, that death held
heavy in the room was palpable to me. No deaths of friends or relatives
proved to me my own mortality better than the death of a parent. My father
gave me life. If my creator is dead, I will certainly die. It was
liberating. I was initiated into the natural cycle of things. I am at peace
with death. Also now I expect all will end someday.

Someday PuPPy will be no more. My job is to make sure that’s a date that
outlasts the capacity of our own memories. Before PuPPy was SeaPIG. As
SeaPIG ran out of gas dependent on its sole organizer, BayPiggies where
Guido first spoke when he moved to California, also nearly perished. PuPPy
could end without you.

I wanted to get this message out as the feeling was fresh for me. I promise
a revision that includes highlights of the great programs that are running.
We should take a moment to recognize members who are giving of themselves.
Currently, I’m corresponding with organizers of groups around the world to
create a guideline for community participation.

I am used to high permission, highly creative environments. Problem is many
of our members have never experienced this. PyCascades is a pleasure to
organize because everybody involved has individually put a lot of effort
into building community in the Python world. What I struggle with is some
form of tutorial to get members acculturated to an environment of high
risk, high reward, extreme self-accountability.

Fragments, I know and I apologize. But hopefully I’m convincing you my
sincerity and care for you and our community is very real. Some have
ridiculed my dedication to PuPPy. Those aren’t my friends. You are my
friends. My honor is to serve all of you and our global Python community.

Promises that I will to tie everything together with some practical
measures.

ᐧ

On Wed, Dec 20, 2017 at 6:50 PM, Don Sheu <dinaldo at gmail.com> wrote:

> One thing I like with BayPiggies is a volunteer tracks turnout.
>
> On Wed, Dec 20, 2017, 6:48 PM Ned Batchelder <ned at nedbatchelder.com>
> wrote:
>
>> Sure, take the parts that seem useful.  Share yours, maybe I'll find new
>> things to use! :)
>>
>> --Ned.
>>
>> On 12/20/17 6:18 PM, Don Sheu wrote:
>>
>> That's a good list. May I steal aspects of it with attribution?
>>
>> I am very transparent about myself and personal stuff. I really hope that
>> PuPPy can be like your group Boston Python or Brian's group ChiPy, where
>> association in the group can inspire folks to contribute meaningfully to
>> the global Python community and build the tools that will bring about a
>> future we all want to live in.
>>
>> The personal stuff sharing ship sailed long ago. By being frank, clear,
>> and open I hope that I can help our members find their motivation.
>> Mortality is a motivator. Many of our members are young and running out of
>> time is a fantasy.
>>
>> There's a reality to the finite availability of time though.
>> ᐧ
>>
>> On Wed, Dec 20, 2017 at 2:45 PM, Ned Batchelder <ned at nedbatchelder.com>
>> wrote:
>>
>>> Don, I'm sorry to hear about your mother's struggle.  You didn't ask for
>>> advice on this, but: I don't know how close-knit PuPPy is, or how personal
>>> you have been with them over email in the past.  I wouldn't be that
>>> detailed about my personal life in an email to Boston Python members.
>>> Maybe I misunderstood what you were going to write.
>>>
>>> About getting volunteers: it is difficult.  I sometimes send out a call
>>> for help, but it doesn't usually yield results. Sometimes I just pick
>>> someone and propose that they do something. Sometimes it works, sometimes
>>> it doesn't.
>>>
>>> I've tried to be clear an explicit about what there is to do:
>>> https://docs.google.com/document/d/1-5UNh5NB1UuVMiLXBqkfyVcgqltksSf
>>> _HDchZXp4iCk
>>>
>>> Let me know if you come up with anything else...
>>>
>>> --Ned.
>>>
>>>
>>> On 12/20/17 1:48 PM, Don Sheu wrote:
>>>
>>>> Working on a holiday-ish message for my PuPPy members. I do want to
>>>> frame
>>>> my mother's stage 4 lung cancer diagnosis with something positive about
>>>> activating members as volunteers and organizers of our group.
>>>>
>>>> Tough trying to bridge the fact that yesterday was likely my mother's
>>>> last
>>>> birthday with a message that Rome rose from the ashes of Troy.
>>>>
>>>> Before PuPPy, in Seattle there was SeaPIG. A few years back, I remember
>>>> BayPiggies almost stopped functioning as a community user group. I'm
>>>> always
>>>> anxious about making sure my group continues after I'm no longer active
>>>> or
>>>> I'm not able to contribute any longer.
>>>>
>>>> Wonder if anybody has tactics and strategies to share about activating
>>>> members to volunteers and organizers.
>>>>
>>>>
>>> _______________________________________________
>>> Group-Organizers mailing list
>>> Group-Organizers at python.org
>>> https://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/group-organizers
>>>
>>
>>
>>
>> --
>> Don Sheu
>> 312.880.9389 <(312)%20880-9389>
>> - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
>>
>>
>> My Python user group convenes every month 2nd Wednesdays
>> http://www.meetup.com/PSPPython/events/232708762/
>>
>>
>> *CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE*: *The information contained in this message may
>> be protected trade secrets or protected by applicable intellectual property
>> laws of the United States and International agreements. If you believe that
>> it has been sent to you in error, do not read it. Please immediately reply
>> to the sender that you have received the message in error. Then delete it.
>> Thank you.*
>>
>>
>> --
>
>
> --
> Don Sheu
> 312.880.9389 <(312)%20880-9389>
> - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
> My Python user group convenes every month 2nd Wednesdays
> http://www.meetup.com/PSPPython/events/232708762/
>
> *CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE*: *The information contained in this message may
> be protected trade secrets or protected by applicable intellectual property
> laws of the United States and International agreements. If you believe that
> it has been sent to you in error, do not read it. Please immediately reply
> to the sender that you have received the message in error. Then delete it.
> Thank you.*
>

-- 
Don Sheu
312.880.9389
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

My Python user group convenes every month 2nd Wednesdays
http://www.meetup.com/PSPPython/events/232708762/

*CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE*: *The information contained in this message may be
protected trade secrets or protected by applicable intellectual property
laws of the United States and International agreements. If you believe that
it has been sent to you in error, do not read it. Please immediately reply
to the sender that you have received the message in error. Then delete it.
Thank you.*
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