Jotter for August 2, 2022 by David Whyte
’Kindness is like snow. It beautifies everything it covers’: Kahlil Gibran.
That was our theme last meeting. The Warm Up focused on “snow” which elicited magic moments and tales of thrills and spills, salted with pinches of cynicism (“Beauty is only skin deep while ugliness goes down to the bone”) and scepticism (as in “Pooh! I can’t believe that every snow flake is unique!”) to keep us grounded.
Barbara presented us with “two truths and a lie” (3 stories) and only 2 of her audience were able to pick the lie. I’m now sold on this game of creative eloquence. It’s a big challenge for both speaker and listeners with an immediate measure of success. In the past we’ve had Tall Tales contests which call for similar skills.
Two of our number last Tuesday are in their HSC year (one, our guest on Tuesday, and two, Melissa) which means we probably now have members in each decade of life, from 18 to late 80s – students, workers and retirees. In other words, a good mix for any club!
POSTSCRIPT.
Last Saturday, as club Secretary I attended CLT (Club Leadership Training) on Zoom. Before Covid (BC) this would have meant giving up most of a Saturday to go somewhere like Repton (south of Coffs), with trainers driving in from as far away as Tweed Heads and Port Macquarie. Last Saturday (AC) we had finished in 2 hours, and instead of a handful of club officers meeting in person there were about 100 faces on screen from all over District 90 (ie. NSW north of Sydney Harbour). The training covered roles and responsibilities, challenges and rewards, and resources and support, and overall was a reminder of the many opportunities in Toastmasters to develop leadership skills while at the same time giving back to our own particular clubs. Why, one of the trainers last Saturday was Mark, our president, who has been in Toastmasters less than 3 years and is still at uni! Excellent preparation for when he lands a job in his chosen career!