Earlier this month, the members of the Florida Toastmasters looked at how life is a puzzle box and that even the hardest of them has a solution. The members created and put the exceptional pieces together.
President Tim Knights welcomed members and special guests in his usual warm and friendly manner. Toastmaster Alex Muller set the tone for the meeting. He did so with a quote: “The creation of a single word comes from a huge number of fragments and chaos” – Hayao Miyazaki. Dick Hallett then created a buzz of excitement during the Educational Session, while speaking on ‘The art of effective evaluation’. He challenged the members’ way of thinking and left them with nuggets of wisdom to implement practical ideas.
“If you’re given a choice between money and the box, take the money”, said Paul Muller.
Although the box could contain a prize for a fridge, there’s a strong possibility one could also end up with a booby prize.
Although Paul was convinced that he would emerge as the winner of a big prize, it was one of those ‘Jan Pierewiet staan stil’ moments as he excitedly opened the box he had selected, only to find a tiny bottle of Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Oros!
Lawrence Makeleni then followed, lamenting about how choosing a career is one of the most important decisions of your life, regardless of whether it was a parent, grandparent, aunt or uncle asking the question,
‘What do you want to be when you grow up?” These words are arguably some of the most significant ones people hear as they grow up.
“Being a postman is the best job in the world,” said Lawrence. It gave him a good feeling, because everyone used to look forward to getting their post. He soon discovered that going through the daily grind is not as instantaneously fulfilling as he would have liked it to be. It was a struggle with the weight of the bike and the parcels. He got plenty of exercise but he did not fancy dealing with barking dogs and working in the wind and rain. The postman on his bike, blessedly, soon became a thing of the past.
Craig Ellis opened his speech with a question: “How many hours of work do you put into your business per day?”
“What you put out there is what you’re going to attract into your life. You need to understand that life isn’t what you’re given; it’s what you create, what you conquer and what you aim to achieve. The framework mind/ body/ spirit and the influence of thought offer insight and understanding into the interface between biological organisms, the environment and the influence of thought. Perception and the subconscious are the biology of belief which unleashes the power of conscious matter,” said Craig.
There was some ear-splitting shrieks as Elize Ellis explained how she felt when the eight-legged horror (Fred) scuttled up her leg. “It starts with a cold sweat, your heart beats faster, and your mind gets jumbled as you try to plan your escape. Fortunately Craig, my husband, the wrangler of spiders, moves them from spot to spot,” said Elize.
She told the members some freaky facts about the night Craig looked at her with a horrified expression on his face. “ ‘What is it?’ I immediately screamed. Instead of answering my question, he gave me instructions. ‘Don’t move’. Did he expect me to sit there calmly not knowing what was above my head? I shrieked, ‘Is it Fred?’ Craig was quiet –he knew that if he told me it would freak me out. He tucked me safely under the duvet, pretending to play a game until he managed to remove Fred from the ceiling,” said Elize. Since then, she has worked hard and has come a long way towards overcoming her arachnophobia.
The Table Topics session was presented by Paul Muller.
Steve Modise, first-time guest and winner of the trophy for the best Impromptu Speech, said that one of the best reactions a person can have when opening a gift is ‘Oh cool’. It just feels good to give someone a gift they really truly appreciate and like.
When a surprise party is planned there’s always a chance that the word will get out. Collen Mkhize, also a first-time guest, said that if you ruin the surprise, all you can do is apologise to the host and go to the party. Don’t dwell on your understandable mistake. Play it off with a few ‘Guess what I did?’ jabs at yourself, then move on.
Caroline Clifford believes that receiving a gift should be a fun and stress-free experience. They say it’s really the thought that counts, and that you shouldn’t look a gift horse in the mouth. We all have been there – smiling through gritted teeth as we profess great thanks.
The trophy for the Best Prepared Speech was awarded to Elize Ellis. Dawn Hemming won the trophy for the Best Speech Evaluator.
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The Toastmasters meet on the first and third Tuesday of each month at the Huguenot Restaurant, near Entrance 1 at Flora Centre, which is located on the corner of Conrad Street and Ontdekkers Road, Florida Park.
For information about the club’s meetings, contact Paul Muller on 082 929 7981 or via e-mail to paulthomasmuller@gmail.com. Alternately, contact Tim Knights (President) via e-mail to timknights@telkomsa.net or call 082 894 7542.
For more details about the club activities, visit their website at https://florida.tmclub.co.za.
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