The Agape Toastmasters are so dedicated that they showed up for the meeting on Saturday at 8:30 a.m. even though it’s Memorial Day weekend. Not only that, they had this crazy set up where the speakers for the day did not know their topic or whether they would speak first, second or third until they arrived at the meeting and drew coins to decide.
Teresa Walters went first. Her topic was “why.” Can you imagine being told “speak about ‘why’ for five minutes”? Considering that public speaking is the number one fear in the world, our three speakers for today are extremely brave.
Glen Edward Davis went second. His topic was “history.” I love how he made the following point: the person who chooses and broadcasts the “word” is the one who chooses history. I would add that she who controls the words, controls the world. This is important to consider. How are you using your words? What history are you in the process of creating?
Bertrand Christian went third. His topic was “home.” Since I was his evaluator, I paid super-close attention to his speech and took notes. Bert talked about how “home is where the heart is” but he also acknowledged that not everyone can easily recall positive memories from childhood. Nonetheless, there are ties to home that can never be cut completely. He talked about leaving home, he talked about how in his generation he couldn’t wait to move out of the house but in today’s generation, you have to kick the kids out with a steel-toe boot. Bert also talked about how leaving home is an opportunity to reinvent yourself.
About 15-20 minutes into the meeting, Rev. Michael Beckwith from The Secret glided through the room like a butterfly wearing comfortable, leisure-style garb with a scarf tied around his head holding back his flowing braids. He is so graceful and silent. I like his presence.
But wait, I forgot to tell you a few important details. The topic of the day was “Living a life that will be remembered.” Bruce Gordon was the Toastmaster of the day. I loved how Bruce talked about the seed and the tree. He reminded us that the large trees we enjoy today were once seedlings. Growth is a process and sometimes you cannot see it when it’s happening.
The word of the day was immutable.
The meeting ended with table topics. Each speaker was assigned a quote from a wise person in history and they had to expand on the quote for a minimum of two minutes. I went first. My quote was: “Give me a museum and I will fill it.” – Pablo Picasso (1881-1973)
I talked about the one immutable force that runs my entire life: the fascination and craft of using words to create an outcome. Whether its reading, writing, speaking, music, movies or TV or even advertising. I am enthraled with how words create this world. I assured my fellow Toastmasters, “if you give me a blank book, I will fill it.”
I have been to other Toastmasters meetings in the past, but for me the Agape group is a perfect match. Not only do I get to polish the technical aspects of my speech but I also get the opportunity to grow spiritually and become more of who I am. My goal in Toastmasters is to break out of my comfort zone. I am comfortable speaking to small groups about specific topics but I’m ready to get a little bit more real and raw and I want to speak to a larger audience. I need a place where I can discover my unique style and feel safe doing it. For me, Agape Toastmasters is that place.
When I hear the words “I can’t” in my mind, I ignore it. If you want less fear and more joy, check it out.
