This was our ‘Lucky Day’! The
chairs around the table were full-to-brimming with members and
guests, and the room had an upbeat buzz.
If that wasn’t luck enough … we had the pleasure of Inducting
two more new members, sister and brother Hamish and Veronica
Marshall
If you haven’t already guessed – the Theme for this meeting was
“Lucky”. And lucky we were! Ruth Sol was the soul of good
leadership and welcoming hostess in her role as Chairman. There
were a number of last minute changes (there are 2 types of flu
going the rounds) yet nothing seemed to faze her. Opening the
meeting with her thoughtful and sometimes humorous personal
feelings on the theme, she then proceeded to give us glimpses
into what ‘luck’ meant to each of the members she introduced.
One particular strength of Ruth’s is the sincere attentiveness
she gives each participant, and this was especially demonstrated
through the comments she made as she bridged between each
Speaker.
Wordsmith/Grammarian Dave Stewart was once again in fine form.
First comically berating us because we hardly used his
very-appropriate-to-the-theme Word “Auspicious”, jovially
exclaiming: “This just proves that if you want people to use
your Word you should choose something insulting. When I chose
the word ‘Cretin’ a few weeks ago it was used by almost everyone
in the room!” Please note that this quote is not here to
encourage future Wordsmiths to choose ‘insulting words’.
Meanwhile, as Grammarian, we were pleased that he decided to use
this opportunity to pounce upon ‘the trite and hackneyed words
and expressions so many of us tend to fall back on’. Surprise!
Yes, he found that we actually do this!!
Still on a roll during the Table Topics session, Dave took
umbrage with Marlene Finlayson’s point of view on ‘luck, fate,
and superstition’ so he jumped up to deliver a rousing rebuttal
which ultimately won the Table Topics Award for him!
Speaking of Marlene Finlayson … she was an awesome ‘Ah Counter’.
She launched right into it with a twinkle in her eye (an eye
which was focused on the piggy bank!), and proved herself to
have a very good ear. Later, enumerating our many transgressions
she declared: “That’s the bad news – The rest is all good!”
Li Ying Kao’s Inspiration was particularly thought provoking, as
she recounted a story which clearly illustrated how much
personal power we may have over our own luck depending on
whether we see our glass of water (or glassof life) as half full
or half empty.
Jim Sinclair did a superb job of entertaining us with another
one of his jokes. When you think about it … the image he
conjured up for us was simultaneously gruesome, and really quite
funny. Oh, the things at which we laugh …
Omar Hung gave a classic description of his role as Timer. No
one would have realized that this was the first time he
performed this challenging role. His opening was well rehearsed,
his reports complete and accurate, and he appeared to have
absolutely no trepidation when the time came to ring the bell.
Congratulations on a meeting that began and ended on time
Gerhard Rentsch really got into his role this night and, like
Dave, he was on a roll! We know that Gerhard enjoys entertaining
at home, and this hospitality is a natural carry-over when he
becomes our Toastmaster. First he Toasted us, touching on ‘lucky
euphemisms’, which he concluded by encouraging us to Embrace
Luck. Following that, you just know that Joyce Soti would have
felt good about his introduction for her … he set her up ‘just
right’.
In her introductory speech to our club, Joyce Soti, an
experienced Toastmaster, described herself as “a woman who wears
many hats”. She elaborated on three of these hats in her life.
Her speech was sincerely, sometimes movingly delivered as she
described scenes that ranged from warm hearted and touching, to
humorous, to disturbing. We always appreciate seasoned
Toastmasters giving the Ice Breaker project before carrying on
where they left off in their project manuals. It is their gift
to us – helping us to get to know them better. Thank you Joyce
Don Ekroth was in his element when he delivered one of his
favorite educational ‘edutaining’ presentations titled “I’d Be
Delighted!” He chose this particular night for this because so
many of our newest members were scheduled to be present, but the
‘old timers’ always benefit from these ‘booster shots’ as well.
For those of you who weren’t able to come – the crux of it was
to encourage every member to come to meetings prepared to be
asked to step in at the last minute with a Joke, an Inspiration,
or a Word of the Evening. He guided us to a number of resources
where we can find these (Reader’s Digest was the obvious one
that fit into all three categories). Choose one of each, jot
them down on a piece of paper that then comes with you to every
meeting ‘just in case’. His message: Be Cool, Be Calm, Be
Prepared. This way Toastmasters will always ‘Be Delighted’ to
step in to help at the last minute when asked.
Jill McCormick did a yeoman’s job as a double evaluator this
meeting. Both her evaluations of Table Topics and of Joyce’s
speech were succinct and motivating. Jill had a way of making
people feel good about their performances even when she was
offering them suggestions. It is both in her manner, and her
choice of words. Be sure to watch her. The General Evaluator
perceived her evaluations to be “good, constructive, and
thorough”.
Stuart Manning’s General Evaluation of the meeting opened with a
general observation, complimenting us all on the set-up of the
room and tone of the meeting. Of particular note, he took the
time to point out the challenges of some of the agenda roles and
how well our members rose to meet them. Was it luck? Perhaps …
Especially if you were to use this definition:
“Luck: When preparation meets opportunity.” Think about it ...
Club 1085
