Real estate typically far outlasts homeowners. Hence, it's wise to always make upgrades to one's property with the next (& the next) homeowner in mind.
My wife and I invested a boatload of time and energy last year into preparing my mother-in-law's northeast Jackson abode to be sold. One major overhaul had to do with the lighting in the +/-3,000 sf building. A major annoyance was the fact that the electrician we hired to replace all of the original fixtures had to be repeatedly called back in order to finish the job completely. Some of this had to do with us adding additional (unforeseen) scope, but too, some items simply were missed outright.
When the four-decades-old truckload(s) of junk was eventually removed and discarded from the attic, the electrician's job became somewhat easier, and as such, we made an interesting discovery.
On the rear of the house, there were three original twin-PAR lamp outdoor fixtures (floodlights) mounted to the soffit corners. No matter how hard we tried, we could not get these lights to work. Eventually though, the truth behind these darkened fixtures was unearthed (thanks to the aforementioned attic access).
My father-in-law, at some point in the past, had hired someone to cut the Romex (splayed haphazardly across the top of the ceiling joists) that was circuited to all three of these outdoor fixtures. And it wasn't snipped in just one spot either. Hence, no matter how many times you flipped the light switches, none of them would illuminate.
Why did he hire someone to do this? Efficiency and speed in solving a ramification tied to a much larger (& more complicated) problem.
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If Nate Larkin, the founder of Samson Society, has any similarities to my deceased father-in-law, it's his path-of-least-resistance approach to growing / making accessible to the masses this amazing community of Christian men. And that's not because Nate's lazy. Not at all. Instead, for Nate, it was all smartly centered around efficiency and speed. And there's absolutely nothing wrong with that top-down approach. But, there's come a point in time where it's no longer viable (forward-thinking).
Why?
Mr. Nate Larkin (Samson Society Founder) is in his mid-60s. Dr. Tom Moucka (Samson House Director) too is no spring chicken. Their friendship has, in many ways, embodied what it means to be within this community. As such, over time, all of us Samson Society "seasoned members" (primarily virtual) have surfaced around these two, and though we've never demanded to have a voice within the org, there was an inevitable "bursting at the seams" that was soon to occur if we weren't recognized formally.
But that has now changed (for the better).
Tuesday, (7/25/23) was the initial Samson Society virtual facilitators' meeting. It happened via Zoom, and though the topics were scant (fundraising / Silas etiquette / expectations), they were super important, nonetheless. Much discussion ensued (amongst the +/-35-40 facilitators) as a result (it lasted for well over one hour).
You could tell in Nate's delivery, throughout that meeting, that he felt some form of pseudo-guilt relative to not bringing the group facilitators together sooner. Nonetheless, it did occur, and now we're off and running. Everyone can exhale.
Middle management may get an off the cuff bad wrap, but the men of Samson, all the men of Samson, are in a way represented by their specific group's facilitator. These guys represent the future of Samson Society. It's their leadership (committees & so forth) that will carry this organization into the future. And though our involvement may somewhat complicate the process of running Samson Society, that's okay. It's a trade-off that's worth embracing for the greater good.
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My wife and I theorize that her dad had someone covertly snip the Romex wiring to those outdoor floodlights as an easy means to eliminate the neighbors' complaining about the floodlights being switched on and off crazily (incessantly during the evening).
My mother-in-law has always constantly (obsessively / nervously) fiddled with buttons / switches. For example, the lock / unluck buttons on a car keyfob, she'll click incessantly if she herself is idling (perhaps conversing with someone) near the vehicle (& as such has the keyfob in her hand). She does the same with wall switches / thermostats. Particularly if there're other folks within the room(s). She'll do this whilst habitually asking "Is there enough light in here? or Should we turn on / off the ceiling fan? or Is it just me or is it hot in here?" If you've just met her, you'd never pick up on what's really going on, yet any average intelligence person, with enough exposure to her, will recognize that something's seriously off.
The wall switches for the aforementioned outdoor floodlights, no doubt, were perfect compulsory targets relative to her obsession with fiddling with buttons / switches.
Therefore, in lieu of my father-in-law somehow convincing his wife to stop her fiddling (she was NEVER going to stop / hasn't stopped since), he simply covertly killed the circuit by having the wiring cut. Hence, she could fiddle with the wall switches all she wanted to, yet no one would be truly annoyed / motivated to ask pointed questions (particularly the neighbors) as a result.
Obviously, we had to disclose this bizarre electrical defect (we'd no remaining patience to tap into relative to having the fixtures rewired) whilst attempting to sell her house. It didn't sell any easier as a result.
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Samson Society is Mr. Nate Larkin's dream come true. But at the same time, it's now ours (this army of facilitators) too. Thanks, Nate, for letting us inside. We've the same intentions as you yourself. Your dream will be in good hands (though procedurally we'll likely not be the most efficient / speedy decisionmakers).
