Dear Members,
It was a hot Monday night, but no worries, we had a very cool meeting!
We had two humorous presenters and twice as many laughs! Ian and I "brought down the house" with our own brand of tongue-in-cheek jokes.
Suzanne gave a wonderful speech titled, "Meet My Exotic Friend". She started by introducing us to an endearing prop of a toy bird that made life-like sounds, then proceeded to guide us through choosing the perfect bird. The speech was interlaced with story and factual information that described all the in's and out's of your perfect new family member. Organized, informative and entertaining, Suzanne presented an excellent second speech from her CC manual. She also did a great job filling in for Tom Corrigan as Toastmaster. The meeting flowed well and we didn't miss a beat.
Aptly titling her speech "Poverty", Ute gave a passionate speech referencing her trip to India. Ute provided visual aids that supported her words, "poverty is not just a concept, it has a face" - indeed it does. Sometimes we develop a narrow focus in life and forget that the world is bigger than what is in our immediate surroundings. It seems it is Ute's mission to expand our vision and realize that not only is there more to see in this world, but also more to do.
Right off the bat, Rachel gave us a humorous anecdote of her inability to cook. Long story short, her attempts at cooking required calls to the fire department and possibly the paramedics... It's sad to say that some of us there could relate. Actually, I started taking notes hoping she would give some great advice on avoiding charred meals. Her solution: "The Whole 30". It's a nutrition plan that teaches about food and healthy living. Rachel has had great success with the program. In fact, she has lost twenty-seven pounds since she first began one-hundred and eleven days ago! Truly, I believe she has discovered the key to success in the kitchen, and that is you must enjoy what you cook and eat. When you enjoy it, you take better care to do it right. The result... no more calls to 911.
On a side note...
Recently, I came across the text "Difficult lessons teach the hard way. It's much better to plan your growth intentionally." We all join Toastmasters to grow an area of our life that we feel is lacking. Put another way, we are looking to improve. Honestly, when I joined it didn't occur to me that I had to be intentional about my growth. I thought that it's just something that is supposed to happen. After all, I joined an organization geared toward the development and success of its members. As evident by the members who have been participating in Toastmaster for many years, growth doesn't happen by accident. There is a secret behind their passion for this club, and it's not much of a secret at all. The "secret" is that this really works because the more you put in, the more you get in return. This is only my second meeting as President of Eagle, and as daunting as the task may seem to me, I realized there is no failure except my lack of action. So, I encourage all of you to take advantage of this opportunity. As Woody Allen said, "90% of success is showing up".
Stay cool!
Sonia Dean
President, Eagle Toastmasters
