15-Jan-08 9:00 PM CST

From the Editor

From the Editor
by Mike “Lionman” Leone

Greetings to all, and I hope you had a great holiday.

A few years ago I shared with my I-Group that I had managed to do most of the things with my life that I wanted to do, which was not bad for someone only in his early 50s. I still had three things left on my list and one of them was to do more traveling. I have indeed gotten to do a fair amount of travel during my lifetime, and just about all of it has been related to what others have wanted or expected of me. Nonetheless, some of it has been really great, such as the four-and-a-half months I spent in Ft. Lauderdale for my job back in 2005, an experience I wouldn’t trade for anything. Still, I knew it was time I started doing some traveling for me.

I’ve started out slowly with a couple of trips to my beloved New York City during 2007 with more trips planned for this year. My first trip was to keep a promise to reward myself if and when I passed the bar exam (another I-Group suggestion) and it also gave me the chance to relive and do differently my unsuccessful experience of trying to live there back in 1980. I have only been to New York once in the years between 1890 and 2007, a great loss I now realize. Last winter I visited the streets on which I once lived, particularly West 71st in Manhattan, which was a more emotional experience for me than I expected, especially since I visited it immediately after seeing the simple but beautiful John Lennon memorial in Central Park, not far from the Dakota on West 72nd. By taking that long-dreaded walk back down West 71st, I was finally able to see that entire experience back then no longer as a failure in my life, but rather as, inexperienced and fearful as I was, still having the courage to fulfill what had always been one of my big dreams.

While the thought of traveling and being away from home for extended periods of time still frightens me to an extent, repeatedly going someplace that I know fairly well and love so much at least is helping me to prepare to visit some of the other places on my list. And in the meantime, there is more than enough for me to do in NYC to keep me busy for a lifetime.

As you will see from reading this issue of the DRUM, our Houston New Warrior community has some exciting things planned for the year 2008. At the top of the list is the intention to become more involved in missions of service. I hope that many of you will take advantage of some of the great mission/service opportunities that will be coming our way in the coming months. If you will check out the interview with Ken Rogers, you will see which men are spearheading this effort and with whom you can get in touch so that you too can get involved and the benefits we anticipate you will get by doing so.

Also, we are finally just about back on schedule with the DRUM, so, starting with the Spring 2008 issue, each of the four quarterly issues should be out about the time that the season changes, so that the spring issue comes out around March 21, the summer issue around June 21, and so forth. With that in mind, please check the back page of the DRUM for the deadlines for submission of articles, notices and ads. Essentially, the deadline will be the 15th of the month before the season changes, so that the deadline for the spring issue is February 15 and so forth.

However, we can’t have a DRUM without articles, so please send me your articles about community events as well as articles about your journey as a man or expressing your creativity. We can of course have a DRUM without advertising, and it will make it easier for us to begin and keep expanding (this being Texas, bigger is better) with the financial support of the community. You can contact me at lionman499@yahoo.com or at 281/452-3040 (home) or 281/787-1617 (pager).

Please take this opportunity to become more involved in your New Warrior community. There are exciting things coming up and I hope you will avail yourself of some of them. Enjoy the rest of your winter and I look forward to talking to you next issue.

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Source: Mike “Lionman” Leone
http://www.mkphouston.org