A LUNCHEON CONVERSATION

At the luncheon March 10, I was talking to a gentleman I hadn't met before. He said he was surprised that so many people would send in a reservation so long before the luncheon. He said that at this stage in his life, he didn’t even buy green bananas. I told him that these people wanted to support the luncheon to ensure that it could continue. (We all know when we sign up months ahead of time that circumstances might change for us and we might not be able to attend, but we also know that without our support there might not be a banquet to decide to go to. A down-payment has to be given to the hotel early to reserve the banquet room.)

Because we are always on the edge financially we also can’t give refunds on reservations except for extreme illness and not until after we have paid all of the bills and know that we have the balance to afford to do so. Most people don’t ask for a refund, knowing that this helps to sustain the luncheon.

The same gentleman then brought up the question of why someone who couldn’t eat should pay the same as everyone else. (His wife had previously had dietary restrictions. I don’t know if they attended that year.) I was so surprised at that question that I don’t remember what I said about that. I could have told him that the hotel bases some of the final tally on the number of people who attend (as evidenced by the number of name tags picked up) or I could have said that people who don’t eat should pay more because they get to socialize more and have more fun than the rest of us. I don't know if anything I said would have satisfied him as he is thinking of this event in strictly monetary terms rather than as a priceless opportunity to connect with old friends and old times.

What would you have said? Email me and I'll add your comment if you don't know how to add one.
Connie CVanHorn@pacbell.net