The Happiness Advantage, Aug 12, 2021

It was Dmitry’s first time as Toastmaster and he has been a member for only about 3-4 meetings. Way to go Dmitry!  His theme was ‘The Happiness Advantage.’  He cited Richard Wiseman who said that expecting positive outcomes actually makes them more likely to occur. 

Just think about having positive outcomes.

Stephanie was the first speaker; she hoped to learn more about negotiations.  Negotiating was not one of her strengths, she said.  Her focus is on getting the job done.  She allowed that maybe she could have been a little nicer along the way without offending others.  She says she is still learning, and will pay closer attention to those things found in the Pathways lesson plans.

Our second speaker, Greg, came dressed like a ninja warrior!  He hooked us from the beginning; he was energetic, smiling, and inviting. He said that with just three easy steps, we could be happy. He promised the three steps would change our lives! Then he made us wait (no instant gratification for us)! He held us off a bit with a sidebar telling us about the female intern that showed up at work on her first day wearing a pirate’s outfit. She was totally decked out to include an eye patch and a pirate’s hat (arrrgh!). Clearly, she was ‘all in’ and having fun!   Then Greg shared the three steps. We listened closely as he gave us the three steps and explained them so we could understand. And just for five minutes or so, he let us have fun, learn something new and be ourselves (the promised three steps we had been waiting for)!  We were happy, just like the theme for the day promised.

These three things will change your life!

Table Topics led by Carlos

Elizabeth:  If you had the opportunity to get a message across to a large group of people, what would your message be? Well I would tell them there are three things to do in order to be happy!  I think happiness is about being present and being grounded with who you and where you are.  Don’t get stuck in the past or the future. Don’t dwell in anxiety. Stay where you are in the present, that’s the key to happiness.

Joyce:  What everyday problems bother you?  I think during introspection that I can do things better in my life. In my opinion we should keep our attention on how we act and interact with our family. That’s probably the most important thing.  I focus on other people and almost always I find out something wonderful about them.

Paul Moehring:  Are you happy?  Paul spent two minutes telling us how happy he is when he uses an ah or um.  In fact, he gave the ah counter ample opportunity to almost wear out the clicker with all of the ahs and ums he used.  Hey Paul, these clickers cost money from our treasury, you know!

John: Have you done anything lately worth remembering?  John told us about his wife’s parents and the struggle they are going through with health issues. John suggested we should enjoy every moment with our parents as these will create treasured memories.

Paul Bartal: Which activities make you lose track of time? A lot of things make Paul lose track of time, the key is, his mind is occupied and he is enjoying it.  He often gets so wrapped up in work that the hands on the clock just fly. Fun things like playing drums, poker with friends or traveling through an airport make him lose track of time. We only have a limited time here, says Paul, so it is important to stay focused and to remain aware of the goals for the day.

Would you play poker with this guy? He loses track of time!

Dmitry: At this moment, what do you want most?  “For people around the world, I want people to be happy, to have peace.  I think about what I can do to help. We all can have an impact, so think about the things you do or need to do. See how these things can make people happier and more positive.”

Stephanie: If you had a friend who speaks to you the same way you speak to yourself, how long would this person be your friend?  “I do say complimentary things to other people.  I try to be self-aware and to be in the moment. It is important to take care of yourself and go through rest and recovery.  A lot of endurance athletes think the mind will break down before the body but that is not correct, often the body breaks down first. So, taking care of yourself is so important.”

Take care of yourself.

Underwear, Oysters & IPA, Aug 5, 2021

Our Toastmaster, Michele, chose an interesting theme, or themes!  It gave our table topics master, Paul, an opportunity to display his creativity. Our guest was Keegan Freid. He is checking out Toastmasters clubs. Hey Keegan, look no further, you have found the best!

“How many pairs of undies do women have on average,” asked our Toastmaster!

Carla’s Ice Breaker Speech:  Peacock Toastmaster’s very own Distinguished Toastmaster Carla Elliott is back after taking a break.  Kevin evaluated Carla’s speech and said it was honest and authentic.  He mentioned Carla’s excellent use of pauses so the audience could dwell on what she had said. Carla talked about the challenge of speaking, mentioning overcoming the fear of speaking and just doing it.  She said she learned more about who she is in Toastmasters.  She said she was not here to be perfect, but to learn and grow.  She summarized by saying the ice breaker is easy, what comes after is a piece of cake!  Thank you Carla.

Feel the fear and do it anyway!

Table Topics

Stephanie:  Do you like oysters?  Stephanie told us how much she liked the seafood where her mother lives in Mexico.  This included shrimp and octopus. Steph said she didn’t like missing out on seafood due to limited access to Mexico.

Kevin:  If you went to Ireland and they had an oyster festival, would you go?  Kevin replied that he most certainly would go and that it would be a magnificent, virtuous (word of the day) occasion.  He likes oysters with spicy sauce and recommended that we try them. He said once we start, we will want some more!

You will love oysters with spicy sauce!

Charlene:  What is your favorite Tom Cruise movie?  Charlene replied that it must be Jerry Maguire where Cruise is a sports agent who is long on ambition but short on scruples.  But Charlene added that she likes Tom Hanks better!  So there Tom Cruise!!!!!

Dmitry:  What is your favorite type of beer?  Well, Dmitry replied that he likes stout beer! (Guinness are you listening?).  He also admitted liking oysters too (Kevin has company) and going to the Octoberfest in Munich.  But he added that if there was no beer to be had a bit of Chivas scotch would do nicely.

Great use of gestures! Care for a beer? How about scotch?

Carlos:  Do you choose name brand underwear or generic.  Carlos said he does not shop Costco and would go for something a bit pricier.  Then Carlos did a right turn and talked about Marty McFly being in his white underwear briefs in Back to the Future.  Carlos shared that Eric Stoltz was originally cast as Marty before Michael J Fox got the role.  Last, Carlos shared that he never had a pair of Calvin Klein underwear, but would consider them.

Nope, won’t shop for undies at Costco! No offense to you who do!

Smitty:  Boxers or Briefs?  Smitty said he was afraid of boxers!!!   Ok then, Smitty, have you considered counseling for this fear?  Do you suppose it is an innate or learned fear?

Expect the Best, July 29, 2021

Attention fellow Peacock Toastmasters club members who missed our meeting this past week. You missed a good one! Our very own Distinguished Toastmaster, Carla Elliott was our Toastmaster.  Her theme was ‘Expect the Best.’  And that is exactly what we had with two speakers, Smitty and Paul Moehring.  First Smitty’s title was “One Bring One.” He quoted Frederick Douglas, saying it is easier to build strong children than to repair broken men.  Smitty was given the opportunity as a young man to leave civil war-torn Sierra Leone South Africa for a new life in the US. He was able to avoid being a “broken man”. He felt led to extend that opportunity to at least one young man back in South Africa. Realizing this, he and his wife recently sponsored not just one, but several young men from Sierra Leone & are helping them to start a new life in the US.

Then Paul Moehring was up.  His title was “That four-letter word!”  Well, we all knew what THAT word is don’t we!!! It is GOAL! Yep, goal.  He demonstrated how important it is to set and achieve goals – to become a goal getter – and get it DONE.  His speech was funny and inspirational. He used metaphor, suggesting the ‘Get squared’ card he handed out was our car. Each corner or tire on our pretend car stood for an area to set goals. They are Business, Family, Personal and Spiritual. Paul challenged all of us to write down our goals in each of the four areas within 48 hours.  So how is it going, fellow Toastmasters? Have you written your goals?

Table Topics

Greg said he would convert problems into opportunities: Cancer diagnosis caused Greg to adjust his focus on work/success to health & balance in his life.

Carlos quoted Earl Nightingale:  “we tend to live up to our expectations.”  Carlos grew up living in a small trailer and was determined that he would never have to do that again. He has been successful and has a lovely home with his wife & daughters.

Rakesh quoted Dennis Waitley: “Expect the best, plan for the worst, prepare to be surprised,”   Through much study, Rakesh came to the US from a small village in India, population 600. He has worked very hard at his job and is pleased and surprised at the success he has had.

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  Expect the Best says Carla

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  48 Hours to set your goals says Paul!

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  One Bring One says Smitty

Winning the Lottery, June 19, 2020

Jim was our Toastmaster. We all had an opportunity to think about how winning $400 mil would change our lives.

Shannon was our speaker. She is working on Level 4 on the Dynamic Leadership path. Shannon shared with us how change has impacted her life.  Change is inevitable, she said. She reminded that we change jobs, clothes, schools, and our minds. She asked how many of us had to lead a group of people in change, and sometimes the people we lead through change are difficult people.  She suggested SHE was one of those difficult people! One big change for her came when she made use of her degree in finance by moving to a position at Edward Jones.  Here are the steps she took to navigate through change. First, she had to let go of the past and forgive.  Second, she had to monitor how much she would move toward a vision.  And third, she had to learn to live for today!  She recounted how she had planned a trip to Disney Land. She had been so focused on going on every ride in Frontier Land, that she wasn’t having any fun.  So living for today (in the moment) allowed her to enjoy the journey (and maybe she didn’t HAVE to be so focused on riding EVERY ride in Frontier Land).  In summary, she reminded us that change can be hard, but change can be good.

Jessica was our Topics Master. She is proving to be very adept at coming up with good questions.

Question: Considering today’s super heroes, what super power would you have and why?

Todd: I would have to think about our frontline responders.  They are our heroes. What super power would I choose? Well, being Spider Man would be cool.  I think having a super power is the one I am working on – being a Toastmaster. Learning to speak and to spread the good if you will.  By developing that I can help make the world a better place. 

Question:  What would you do if you won over $400 million?

Elizabeth:  I would call Braden or Shannon and work on investments.  I would work on getting a safe place for kids. Especially for those in foster care that are dealing with drugs, and give them help with skills for triggers and process the trauma they have in their lives. I would create a school that would have mental therapy for them.

Question: Marty McFly went back in Time.  If you could change one thing in the past, what would it be.

Braden:  There is one thing that happened. I was in the shower and I could not go to work.  I had read a story about a man who was in a bad situation and asked God for help.  He had a vision of what would happen if he continued down his path and that prompted a change.  I said a prayer in the shower and I had a vision of whom I could be become and how to better live my life. 

Question: What did sixteen-year old Jim want to do in life?

Jim:  I wanted to have a job like Todd’s. I wanted to fly  corporate jets. There were Gulfstreams and others that I wanted to fly.  People who had those jobs had to first take a low paying job for years, however, before they could fly those planes.  So I went to engineer school instead and got a nice job and bought a house in my early 20s.  

Question: If you had one unique hidden talent, what would it be and why.

Carlos:  Hmm, what would be a unique talent?  It would be cool to know what other people are thinking…maybe. But I was thinking what would it be like to have $400 million.  I could go buy stuff of course, but I don’t know that it would make me happy.  I think I have everything I need right now and I can be content with what I already have.

Question: What would you have put in a time capsule at the age of 10.

Joyce:  I don’t remember 10!  When I was young two things interested me: horses and climbing on things.  I was in trouble for climbing the flagpole, the roof, and at school the backboards to the basketball goal.  I had little ceramic horses and I would put one of them in there.  How about an acorn and a coconut in the time capsule?  I still don’t remember 10!

Question: What is one thing you will never forget.

Shannon: One thing I would never forget: I think it is to enjoy the present journey.  I have a great husband, two daughters, and five grand babies that are the joy of my world. My daughter’s family is living with me right now.  It would be easy to be frustrated with this situation, but we are making wonderful memories.  Live in the present, enjoy today and continue to have a vision of where I want to go.

Question: Is there a memory that gave you a lesson you never forgot?

Smitty:  My father passed when I was 14 and I stayed with my aunt. She told me what time I needed to be home.  And I learned that timeliness is important.  Now that we are talking about the lottery. Sometime in the 80s, the US had a DV (diversity) lottery for immigration, and thousands of people came to America.  If I won the lottery I would give away most of it to help these people come to America.

Question:  If you had a question that God could answer, what would it be.

Stephanie:  I am not sure I have a question to ask the maker, but if I won the lottery I would buy a farm and model the White Oaks Pastures farm practice of regenerative agriculture. They were able to take the topsoil from .2 % organic matter to .5% organic matter.  So if I won the lottery, I would want to do the same.  That would be my dream.

Braden was our grammarian, Stephanie the Ah Counter, Carlos the timer/vote counter and Joyce, the General Evaluator. Bob provided feedback to Shannon’s speech as the evaluator.

Shannon has a plan to address change!

Jessica wants to know what you would change that happened in the past.

I would give most of that money to immigrants coming to America.

Security: June 4, 2020

Our theme for the June 4^th meeting was ‘Security.’  Jessica chose this wisely and then used it to shape table topics. 

First though, we had a fun speech.  Joyce introduced Gary’s speech with the title: A Weekend in Mayberry, gooder than girls!  Well now, everyone leaned forward, wondering what we were about to hear!!!!  But then Gary said, “no, the title is: A weekend in Mayberry, gooder than grits!”  Hmmm, ok then.  Gary explained how a graduation, a cute girl (see, there were girls in this story) and relatives or ex relatives could make for a weekend to remember.  The scene was set in Coon Rapids, Iowa (I am NOT making this up). Their population at the time was 980, but it had swelled to 1246 in 2018 (more girl involvement)!  Gary was there for his son’s high school graduation. It was a big class for Coon Rapids; 42 graduates in 1996. Click here for folks from Coon Rapids.  Gary mentioned that the movie Twister had just come out and that it was filmed in Iowa!  Well now, the story continues. Gary said his son wanted something from the little grocery or convenience store in town. When they entered, his son said to the clerk, “hello Ms. Reese.” Gary asked her why his son was so formal and she replied that she was one of his son’s teachers.  Gary, being quick on the draw didn’t fail to notice that Ms. Reece (Jennifer) was pretty as could be and quickly asked her if she had seen the movie Twister.  She said she hadn’t and that she would be pleased to see it with him.  It turned out that when they got to the movie it was totally sold out, so they settled for dinner.  At the graduation, Ms. Reece suggested Gary sit with her in the faculty section. And there was Gary, resplendent in his suit amongst jeans and flannel shirted men.  Gary was relieved that he did not have to sit with his ex and former relatives, but he did have to suffer through the reception as his former in-laws and ex were also there.  All in all, Gary had a wonderful weekend with a cute teacher, but had to get back to Phoenix without Jennifer. Oh, and did we mention that Twister was filmed in Iowa where they compete with Kansas for the title of “Tornado Alley?”  But Gary, what about the grits?

Then Jessica took over as Topic Master.  Remember, the theme is ‘security.’  You may have forgotten after reading about Gary’s escapades.

Question:  Do you have a pet that comforts you in times of trouble? 

Lisa:  I don’t have a pet, but when times are tough, I fall back on my family. They are such a comfort to me. I also stay away from flotsam people (flotsam was the word of the day.)

Question: Did you have an article you used for security as a child?

Todd: I had a pet cat that followed me around. It was my buddy.  I was so sad when I went off to Colorado and my parents told me it had passed away.

Question: What do you do at home that makes you feel secure?

Smitty: Well security at work is so important, but we are often disappointed in how it works out at times.

Question: Have you ever seen someone with an obsessive/compulsive personality? What are you compulsive about?

Carlos:  I often get ready for bed and then wonder if I had locked all of the doors, so I go check. I think this comes from my mom’s side of the family.

Question: How do you get piece of mind in being secure?

Monica: Well my husband’s tour of active duty as a first responder in LA’s ICU’s has been extended another 6-8 weeks.  What makes me secure are the deadbolts I installed on top of my doors.  This way my children can’t open the door and it makes days less stressful.

Question: How do you keep items secure.

Jim: In mid-March our family went on vacation. When we came back, everything had changed!  I quickly found that TP was in short supply.  But I didn’t buy a hoarding amount of it. Being an engineer, I turned to my trusty TP-ometer and found that our family used, on average, one roll per day. That meant with our on-hand inventory, we could go a month! 

Question: How do you stay secure and avoid fear?

Joyce:  We have a highly trained K-9 that will alert us to the presence of intruders.  She comes and goes through the doggy door I made with Gorilla tape (and that stuff is really GOOD!).  So don’t come around as my dog will give you the business!

Lisa was our Ah Counter and Carlos the Grammarian. Both were superb; then Joyce gave an evaluation of Gary’s speech that rivaled some of the best we have heard recently. Smitty volunteered to be the General Evaluator.

• 

  She was as cute as a button!

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  Yep, the TP-ometer said we could go for a month!

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  Don’t even try my ferocious guard dog!

Explorations: May 14, 2020

This was the 216th anniversary of the start of the Lewis and Clark Expedition from St. Louis, MO. President Jefferson wanted to know what lay in the lands of the Louisiana Purchase. The 27 men and a dog named Seaman traveled some 4900 miles in three years. They thought there might be giant sloths, saber tooth tigers and wooly mammoths in the new lands. They visited the territory of some 14 Indian nations and made discoveries that exceeded their imaginations. Pompey’s Pillar is the only remaining physical evidence of the “Corps of Discovery’s trip through Montana. Later, Lewis would become the governor of the Louisiana Territory but would succumb to gun shot wounds three years later. Clark would go on to become governor of the Missouri Territory.

The 12 of us in the May 14th meeting will be able to retire in style in three months! That’s right, three months (maybe two). The thing is, Todd gave a speech on the secrets to millions that takes hardly any time at all. He made it simple (a really good thing for those of us from Indiana).  He talked about how stock options would put us on easy street. He started with the analogy of paying money to insure our car, then the insurance company would cover us and the clock would run until the end of the coverage time.  Next, he said options were like that.  Let’s say you buy a stock. You can sell the right to purchase (but not the obligation) your stock at a predetermined price within a fixed period of time. At the end of the time, the buyer of the option can buy the stock or decline.  Sounds easy doesn’t it.   If the buyer of the option declines to purchase the stock, you still keep the money they paid for that option, and you still have the stock. Do I have this right Todd? Maybe we could have a class from you.  Thanks to you I am looking to upgrade my life style…Maserati, trips to exotic South Pacific islands…

Anne was our Topics Master.  She asked questions about favorite things, and reminded us of the song from The Sound of Music.

Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens
Bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens
Brown paper packages tied up with strings
These are a few of my favorite things

Smitty (our very own secret agent man M13133) was asked who he would rank as his favorite person. He replied Cassius Clay.  For you millennials, Cassius Clay was his name before he changed it to Mohammed Ali!  Smitty said he liked the model Mohammed Ali set in his approach to life.

Jim’s topic was a favorite meal.  He reminded us that he had worked in a helicopter plant in Northern Italy for a while.  Then he told us about the auto pilot on the helicopter in terms only another engineer or helicopter pilot might understand. The real answer though was in the recipe of Jim’s fav dish.  It consisted of bacon (how can we go wrong here), pasta (that’s 2 for 2), eggs, wine (all right Jim!), onions and black pepper. I think I want to be at Jim’s house next time he cranks out this dish.  I’ll take a white wine with it please.

Lisa told us about her favorite clothing items.  She said she likes all kinds of clothes, pants, shirts, etc. & especially if they are the color blue.  Anyone notice how nicely dressed Lisa always is!  She is a model for all of us!

Shannon was asked about the favorite thing she did yesterday. Do you think it was something at work, something she ate or saw? Nope, it was way better than that. She has a three-year old granddaughter at home and Shannon gets to spend time with her. Turns out, her vocabulary is more extensive than Shannon’s!!!  She bumfuzzles Shannon with her remarks!

Jessica told us about her fav hobby. Turns out it is hiking. Having grown up near Yosemite, she knows the trails like the back of her hand. Her fav is the Panorama trail which is 8.5 miles one way and ranges from 4000 feet on the valley floor to 7200 feet at Glacier Point.  (My knees hurt just typing this!).  Jessica and her BFF used to guess peoples’ ‘story’ after encountering them on the trail.

Jesus likes Toastmasters. He said he joined based on the caliber of speakers he found in the club.  He said he was a bit intimidated at first, but figured he was in the right place.  This was quite the compliment to our club. If you ever saw Jesus’ LinkedIn profile, you would be impressed with how accomplished he is.

Elizabeth’s fav meal is also Italian. She recounted making pasta, supervised by her mom and gramma. Sometimes what she made was not up to her gramma’s standards, whereupon a word (that Elizabeth did not know the meaning of) would be uttered (sbagliata!) and the pasta thrown back into the bowl with the raw dough. 

Braden, who won best table topic answer was asked his fav song and whom he danced it with.  He said he danced with his son to Imagine Dragons. (Does Andrea know you play Imagine Dragons for the boys?) Braden even got up to show us how he danced.  Don’t worry, Braden probably won’t be on “So you think you can dance” as he kept hitting himself with his arms!!

Elizabeth provided Todd a very thorough evaluation to include some insightful recommendations.  Lisa came through as our grammarian and Jesus our “nothing-gets-by-him” ah counter was spot on.

Braden rounded out our agenda with his general evaluator remarks.

What a fun meeting.  Anyone that thinks our virtual meeting is dull and listless would be impressed with our comradery.

• 

  Make millions with options!

• 

  And my son said: “don’t hit yourself when you dance!”

• 

  I triple dog dare you to say AH

• 

  Nice speech Todd: think about how you use that white board.

April Showers Bring May Flowers, 23 April, 2020

Braden was our nicely dressed Toastmaster.  He admitted that there wasn’t much rain in Phoenix during April to bring May flowers, but the weather had been really nice.  (Everyone was probably thinking, yes but 100 degrees could be here in a couple of days.)

Stephanie started off the day’s speakers by telling us about her High Performance Leadership (HPL) Project.  She told us about the COVID 19 policies in Mexico first. Her mother lives in a small Mexican town on the Sea of Cortez.  Social distancing is stringent, for example, cars are stopped at the edge of town and only one person is allowed to proceed into town.  So far, only 1000 people have lost their lives to COVID 19 in Mexico.  Next, she told us about the rules in Canada where only 2000 people have lost their lives.  Failure to follow guidelines in Canada can result in a $2,000 fine.  The point of all this was that there are people stranded at home who may be lonely, hungry or ill (due to an inability to get their prescriptions filled).  Stephanie said her HPL project would be to address the needs of those who were in need due to the virus situation. Her intention was to work with a team to got to the store, deliver food or prescriptions for those who needed help.

Elizabeth’s Level 2 speech assignment was to share the impact and importance of having a mentor. Elizabeth had a mentor when she began her teaching career. She talked about how her supervising teacher’s support was so important as she fine tuned her teaching skills.   Elizabeth stressed being passionate about her job, especially when it is also compassionate.  It is refreshing to hear about the professionalism in the teaching profession. Thank you Elizabeth!

Our Topics master was Gary.  He used the theme of journaling in most of his prompts.

Anne was up first. She said she used journaling to keep track of her goals, e.g., financial and spiritual. She added it helped her get things done.

Carlos was asked whether he put his thoughts on Post-It notes. He replied that he used to just write random thoughts that didn’t make much sense. Then he started using the ‘Five Minute Journal.’  (Amazon carries these if you are interested.)  He said he can use it in the morning and then in the evening to reflect.

Monica shared that she used colored (erasable) pens. These were so handy, she said, but she hid them from the kids because they loved them. Monica shared that her hubby was sent (mobilized) to LA to help fight the pandemic; so she had her hands full.

Smitty said he writes everything down.  He said this helps transforming his thinking from where he came from to where he is now.  Journaling, he said, allows him to put down his observations. He likes to watch other people and note their mannerisms and dress.  He also thinks a lot when he runs and puts his thoughts in his journal.

Jesus talked about journaling and said it helps get his creativity going when he writes. He also shared that he is in a church study group. The last three books they examined touched on journaling. Last he shared that he had recently gotten a bike and that a lady ran a stop sign, nearly taking him out.

Jim said he is a planner.  (Isn’t that what we would expect from an engineer!)  He said his self-journal helps in that regard.

Then Todd (not to be out done) referred to both the old and new Testaments in his answer.  He surmised that writing down how the good Lord has taken care of him over time would be very transforming.

Stephanie could use volunteers for her project!

Elizabeth will share mentoring tips.

Gary says he does all the things Smitty does, but NOT the running part!

April Showers Bring May Flowers, 23 April, 2020

Braden was our nicely dressed Toastmaster.  He admitted that there wasn’t much rain in Phoenix during April to bring May flowers, but the weather had been really nice.  (Everyone was probably thinking, yes but 100 degrees could be here in a couple of days.)

Stephanie started off the day’s speakers by telling us about her High Performance Leadership (HPL) Project.  She told us about the COVID 19 policies in Mexico first. Her mother lives in a small Mexican town on the Sea of Cortez.  Social distancing is stringent, for example, cars are stopped at the edge of town and only one person is allowed to proceed into town.  So far, only 1000 people have lost their lives to COVID 19 in Mexico.  Next, she told us about the rules in Canada where only 2000 people have lost their lives.  Failure to follow guidelines in Canada can result in a $2,000 fine.  The point of all this was that there are people stranded at home who may be lonely, hungry or ill (due to an inability to get their prescriptions filled).  Stephanie said her HPL project would be to address the needs of those who were in need due to the virus situation. Her intention was to work with a team to got to the store, deliver food or prescriptions for those who needed help.

Elizabeth’s speech title was “I’ll Get Rid of You.”  What a great way to get our attention! The purpose of this speech was to share the speaker’s concept of mentoring.  Elizabeth started out by telling what it was like as a beginning teacher. She said she was “passionate about her profession.”  Her mentor or supervising teacher was Pam.  Pam came across hard when she told the new teachers that if they did not cut it, “I’ll get rid of you!”  Elizabeth soon found that Pam had a softer side when she went to a social occasion at Pam’s house.  Later during the school year Elizabeth celebrated her 30^th birthday at a local bar.  Soon pictures of her celebration were posted on Facebook.  Shortly after that Elizabeth was asked to come to the principal’s office (uh oh).  It seems someone has written to say that based on the Facebook pictures, Pam was a poor role model for her students and that she should not be allowed to continue.  After some examination of the notes, Elizabeth came to the realization that her husband was the one sending the notes.  Her marriage came to an end shortly after that.  She finished by sharing that her mentor Pam told her she could take a week to ‘get it together’ and come back to school.  Elizabeth added that it is important to be ‘passionate and compassionate’ at the same time.

Our Topics master was Gary.  He used the theme of journaling in most of his prompts.

Anne was up first. She said she used journaling to keep track of her goals, e.g., financial and spiritual. She added it helped her get things done.

Carlos was asked whether he put his thoughts on Post-It notes. He replied that he used to just write random thoughts that didn’t make much sense. Then he started using the ‘Five Minute Journal.’  (Amazon carries these if you are interested.)  He said he can use it in the morning and then in the evening to reflect.

Monica shared that she used colored (erasable) pens. These were so handy, she said, but she hid them from the kids because they loved them. Monica shared that her hubby was sent (mobilized) to LA to help fight the pandemic; so she had her hands full.

Smitty said he writes everything down.  He said this helps transforming his thinking from where he came from to where he is now.  Journaling, he said, allows him to put down his observations. He likes to watch other people and note their mannerisms and dress.  He also thinks a lot when he runs and puts his thoughts in his journal.

Jesus talked about journaling and said it helps get his creativity going when he writes. He also shared that he is in a church study group. The last three books they examined touched on journaling. Last he shared that he had recently gotten a bike and that a lady ran a stop sign, nearly taking him out.

Jim said he is a planner.  (Isn’t that what we would expect from an engineer!)  He said his self-journal helps in that regard.

Then Todd (not to be out done) referred to both the old and new Testaments in his answer.  He surmised that writing down how the good Lord has taken care of him over time would be very transforming.

Stephanie could use volunteers for her project!

Elizabeth will share mentoring tips.

Gary says he does all the things Smitty does, but NOT the running part!

Two Truths, April 16, 2020

The two truths theme comes from the game Two Truths and a Non-truth.  It also comes from the Buddha’s teaching of the Dharma which is based on two truths: a truth of worldly convention and an ultimate truth.

Todd’s speech fit nicely with the theme. He went back 4,000 years to share the story of Joseph in Egypt.  Joseph had risen to be the second ranking power figure in Egypt.  Joseph interpreted a dream saying there would be a crop famine lasting seven years to be followed by seven years of a bountiful harvest.  Joseph wasn’t too popular as he collected assets, acquired land and assessed taxes from the Egyptians. They were less than amused, but he said he was sent ahead to save as many of them as he could during the hard times. Joseph used the assets, land and taxes to help the Egyptians when things got tough. Todd likened then to now, saying that the ART (assets, real estate and taxes) of government is used to come to our aid during tough times.  This speech made me think (which some will say is a rarity for me).  Did Todd have an agenda? Was he saying that our federal government was doing a lot, just like Joseph did? Or was he suggesting it could do more, just like Joseph? As I said, it made me think!

Shannon was up second. She showed us pictures of her beautiful daughters, Rachel and Brooke.  Shannon’s speech objective was to use a story in the speech as a teaching point.  The scene was set when both girls were little (as in something like 4 and 6).  The two of them were playing in the bathtub (supposedly getting clean) but they kept splashing water all over the place.  After several episodes and being warned, they did it again. Shannon had told them that the penalty for another occurrence would be a spanking.  Well now that they had taken that bet, Brooke got her paddling, then it was Rachel’s turn. But Rachel was twisting and turning so much that Shannon could not administer the paddling.  Finally, Brooke stood up and said: “Mom, spank me.”  It was at this point that Shannon sat down and told the girls how what Brooke has said related to what Jesus did for all of mankind.  This was an emotional speech with a strong teaching point.

Table Topics

Stephanie Holbrook was our topics master. She had members tell two truths and a non-truth.  Then the next person would uncover the non-truth.

Jim was first in the barrel.  He said he was blessed to have a job, second that he was 39 and last that he had lots of Kids. Jessica guessed correctly that Jim had misrepresented his age.

Smitty was asked to talk about three places he had visited.  He said he landed in NYC when he came to America, and he had $43 in his pocket along with two oranges.  He said he traveled next to Maryland where it was during the ice ages. He then went to Washington D.C.  Gary surmised that Smitty actually had a bag of peanuts with him in addition to the two oranges.  And then there is the difficulty with the Ice Age.  That was 10,000 years ago. Smitty, if that were true, you could have found a wooley mammoth to snuggle with – that could have kept you warm!  So perhaps Smitty told two or three truths and two non-truths!

Greg was up next.  He said he had an opportunity to grow as a speaker, that he loved attending virtual meetings where he could come in his boxers, further that he loved to go bike riding and he was reading a book entitled Mental Combat.  Clearly the non-truth was the boxers story as he was asked to stand up, but it took him forever to demonstrate he was wearing jeans!  Greg, what took you so long?

Braden told us he was a member of the Swedish Hockey Team, but lasted for only one game.  We should have asked him to say a few words in Swedish.  Next, he said he dated 176 women before meeting his red-headed bride.  There was one week, he said, in which he had 10 dates (three on one day).  He also said something about working around popsicles and that he could feast on them.  Now then, how could he date 10 women in one week and keep their names straight?  Let’s see that’s three one day so he had six days left to go out with seven more.  Oh my goodness! Braden, you were starring in the Bachelor before it became a national fascination!

Appreciation, April 9, 2020

Our third online meeting! Who would have guessed?  Jim Brown was our energetic Toastmaster!  His theme was appreciation.

Have you given much thought to your ‘love hormone’ lately? Well our first speaker, Stephanie Holbrook, filled us in on the role hormones play in our lives. Oxytocin can stimulate pleasant feelings and boost close bonds.  And then there is dopamine. Are you expecting a reward?  A pleasurable activity could raise dopamine levels. Activities could be a certain food, shopping, or just about anything else that you enjoy.  Endorphins are your body’s natural pain reliever, which your body produces in response to stress or discomfort. Endorphin levels also tend to increase when you engage in reward-producing activities, such as eating or working out. And last, serotonin helps regulate your mood as well as your sleep, appetite, digestion, learning ability, and memory.

Tips to increasing these happy hormones include getting out in the sunlight; exercising; laughing with a friend over something like a joke, comedy; petting a dog or cooking and enjoying a favorite meal with a love one.  Mercy, Stephanie, is there enough time in the day to do all of this?

Next, Elizabeth talked about the four agreements.  These are from a book of the same name released in 1997 by Don Miguel Ruiz.  The four agreements include: Be impeccable with your word. Don’t take anything personally. Don’t make assumptions. Always do your best.  This book introduces a simple, but powerful code of conduct for attaining personal freedom and true happiness.  We have our work cut out for us thanks to our two speakers. (Elizabeth was voted best speaker.)

Carlos was our topic master; he complemented Jim’s theme of appreciation.  Shannon was up first and was asked what she appreciated prior to the Covid 19 social distancing. Shannon said she like to slow down at times and being with her grandchild.  Shannon misses hugs and times together with others where she gets energy.

Smitty was asked why we don’t take more time for appreciation.  He replied that life is so fast.  He suggested we take three minutes when we wake in the morning to express gratitude.

Todd was asked what he did to express gratitude.  He said he says of prayer of thankfulness; and even trials in life can be seen as a blessing.  The ‘greater the trial,’ the greater the appreciation.  (He won best table topics speaker.)

Joyce was asked what she appreciated. She said she used to live back east where it was cloudy much of the time. Now, however, she is thankful for the opportunity to see blue skies every day.

Anne addressed how she compared herself to others.  She said she doesn’t do that. She said she had been blessed with a wonderful life partner and she appreciated him. He’s left-handed and she right-handed, she said and so they go well together.

Jim was asked whether he needed more from life or whether he had enough. He said with a full household he had enough.  His daughter, for example, took in a kitten recently, just adding the mix.  It sounded like Jim was content with what he has.

Braden and Jesus were our evaluators, Smitty the grammarian and Anne the Ah Counter.  (Braden was voted best evaluator.)  We were visited by Julie and look forward to future visits from her.

What can be said about this meeting? We all ‘appreciate’ the opportunity to create a supportive, friendly community of Toastmasters every Thursday at 07:30.