Toastmasters

I decided to join Toastmasters.  Toastmasters is a club that educates its members on how to become better speakers and better leaders.  Through a series of speeches, the members learn confidence, poise, communication skills, and creativity.  The thoughts of giving a speech in front of 25 people that I barely know is enough to give me heart palpatations and make me sweat.  My first speech is in 2 weeks and is supposed to be an IceBreaker....about me.  About my life. At first I thought, how boring.  A 5-7 minute speech about me.  There is nothing to say.  But then I started writing it.  It is still pretty boring, but I definatly have enough material to cover 7 minutes.  It was very therapeutic to write down the story of my life.  I had to stick to the main points of my life.  If I got too detailed, it would take me much longer than 7 minutes. It was enjoyable to think back on my childhood and remember some of the comfortable situations and events.  I also thought of my parents as being MY age right now.  That is something.... When I was a kid I could not see their perspective... but now looking back, I see my life from their eyes.  It was wild.  I think back at what my mom had to deal with at my age.  I am 39.  I have 2 children.  Both of them are active in sports.  I work Full Time and I help to manage Dutch's business.  When I was 11 (Megan's age), my mom was also 39.  She worked full time at night. She always helped to manage whatever Business we had at the time at home.  Her mother was 79. Her mother in law was in her 70's as well and very ill. My sister and I were active, but not in too many after school activity, but we required a lot of attention.  My sister would have been 16.  A new driver.  A teen that had trouble in school.  She required extra attention.  My mom had to manage the house pretty much on her own as well.  My dad would run the dishwasher, but other than that, not a whole lot of help.  But all in all our life was great.  I do not have bad memories.  As I wrote my speech for toastmasters I wrote about all things that were happy.  When it is time for me to stand up and give this speech I will be proud of the person I am not for even trying to improve myself, but I will be proud of the person I am because of the guidance I was given from my parents.  There is no way to express that in a speech.  I am who I am because of the parents that raised me.