The theme of our Toastmasters meeting a few weeks ago was “You are a Gift.” I enjoyed taking part in the meeting, partly because it was such a festive and timely theme, since gifts are a big part of the holiday season. And partly because I always enjoy helping people discover their own gifts, no matter what season it is. Those gifts, of course, aren’t the kind that are bought from a store, or wrapped in shiny paper with a big red bow. You don’t [...]
I didn’t even need to put my shoes back on. I opened the sliding glass door and walked out, barefoot, to the backyard. I went over to the orange tree and picked a bowlful of oranges, then went back inside. Soon I was tasting what was literally the freshest orange juice I have ever had in my life. Then we opened a chilled bottle of champagne, and before long we were sipping on equally-fresh mimosas. As you probably guessed, we weren’t in Minnesota anymore. My [...]
One of my first jobs out of college was in a Chicago Advertising Agency. My boss was the Creative Director, and I also worked for several copywriters and whatever Account Executives needed extra assistance at any given time. My desk was always piled high with papers and projects, and other people’s priorities. One day, the president’s secretary came to me and said, “Betty, how would you like to clear your desk?” At first I thought I was being fired, but that wasn’t it at all. [...]
I was at a holiday celebration not long ago with some people I usually see only once or twice a year. So part of the time was spent catching up on each other’s family events and activities. One of the women told me about several concerts she and her husband had attended recently. It’s been years since I attended a concert, and I joked with her that I needed to get out more. That’s when she told me that going out to concerts and other [...]
I kept waiting for the phone to ring. It was Monday morning of last week – the day winter came quickly and decisively to Minnesota. I stood at my back door, looking out at the inch or so of snow that had come down already, and listening to the tap of icy rain on the windows as it started to cover everything with a thin, shiny layer. It was exactly the time I normally would have gotten a phone call from my dad, saying, “So [...]
The first words I heard when I woke up Sunday morning were these: “When we share our personal stories, we’re able to keep kids off drugs and alcohol.” That caught my attention immediately – not the drugs and alcohol part, but the “personal stories” part. The alarm on my clock-radio had gone off in the middle of what was obviously an interview with someone from a mentoring or support program. I would have liked to listen to more of it, but I needed to get [...]
I didn’t win. But I sure had fun. The Toastmasters District 6 Fall Conference was held last weekend in Rochester. The Fall Conference is also where the finals of Toastmasters’ annual Humorous Speech Contest take place, and this year, I made it to the final round of competition. I had fun giving my speech, and I think I did a good job delivering it. It got a lot of laughs and applause, and people were nodding and smiling as I sat back down afterwards. But [...]
Her name is Deb Lysholm, and dance has always been an important part of her life. She learned – and loved – to tap dance as a child. Later, teaching dance classes brought her joy as well as income. Dance became her refuge and her escape during 23 years in a violently abusive marriage. And when she was working to rebuild her shattered life, she started to dream of building and running her own dance studio. Virtually everyone told her she was crazy, and that [...]
“Un…deux…trois.” English translation: “Say cheese.” That was the context, anyway, one afternoon last week as I stood near the waterfront, smiling and waiting for the woman with the camera to snap the shutter. I was in Barcelona, Spain, at the Mediterranean port where Christopher Columbus launched his journey to the new world. The location was both scenic and historic, and many of the people in the area were tourists taking pictures. I saw a young couple who were taking turns taking photos of each other, [...]