For this last meeting of the fiscal year 2020-21, Toastmaster and President Paula, chose the topic of traveling around the world. Although we were not able to rush from London to New York via Calcutta and Hong Kong, like the protagonists of Jules Verne’s novel, thanks to the world of zoom we, Seattle Sunrisers DID travel; to each other’s homes and back yards. We met families, far and near, pets- cats, dogs, hamsters- we logged in from places far and near(Hello Salt Lake, hello Mexico City, hello San Francisco, hello Austin! ). We travelled even as we remained stuck on the same boat docked in the middle of our homes.

The word of the day was ” Spectacular”, brilliantly presented by Word Watcher – Grammarian Wei Hu.

Judy, our Timer and Time Tracker used juicy pictures of green, yellow and red fruit most efficiently to mark the time.

Our three speakers for the day were:

Linxuan presenting :” Is the raw food diet beneficial to your dog?”, a well researched and presented case for and against the BARF( Biologically Appropriate Raw Food) diet. Linxuan opted against the BARF diet for her puppy for now, citing insufficient research( wink, wink!)

Jovica presenting” What do cats and yoga have in common?” , an eloquent 20X20 power point presentation about the benefits of yoga to cat owners and cats. Jovica’s two adorable and furry cats make a compelling case for getting into cat yoga!

Traci reciting a tale passed on from her father: The Cremation of Sam Mc Gee”. What a dramatic telling of a well crafted tale. Traci brought in theatricality and flair. Truly delectable.

Seattle Sunrisers, it has been a privilege to journey this hard past year together. Thank you being my window to the world and for inspiring me to keep going. Thank to you Lara, Jovica, Young, Scott, Steven, Judy and Mari for their enthusiasm and support this past year.

Oh the places we’ve been, oh the places we’ll go. Our journey took longer, the wager was priceless and we won it together!

Our next meeting is July 10th

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Hosted remotely from Mexico City by Toastmaster and President Elect Moises, our meeting reminded me- again!_ that Toastmasters are people who are unflinching in their desire to tap into their public speaking and leadership superpowers. Lara kept the time and Bernice introduced the word of the day : Community.

Three speakers spoke brilliantly on superpowers:

” Cultivate Modern Superpowers” by Traci on a multitude of ways to self improve and learn new things, even a foreign language using audio books.

” I have it all” by Jamie, on the path to a clutter free joy. The secret to true joy is to hold on only to what brings you joy and get rid of the rest.

” The modern superpower I wish I had: a decluttered brain” by Ahmad- on decluttering your brain. A simple trick : write all that comes to mind in three categories: Must do’s, Would like’s, Clutter.

Although we may judge ourselves mostly by our limitations, it is important for us to acknowledge and celebrate our uniquely human superpowers: humor, creativity, determination, curiosity that help us overcome and triumph over the obstacles in life.

Yes, it was yet another uplifting morning at Seattle Sunrise. Our next meeting is June 26th.

First meeting of the month and first post pandemic summer. Toastmaster Isabella kicked off the meeting with a positive reminder to make plans for the summer! The word of the day, introduced by Grammarian Lara was bucket list, Jovica acted as Timer using his green, orange and red summer hats. If you were seriously past your allotted time, he brandished a large red scarf!

Two amazing impromptu speeches from two experienced speakers today:

American History : Civil Rights, presented by Sarah. This speech was borrowed from one of Sarah’s classes. Class is longer than 7 mins and she had to conclude her power point presentation prematurely. However, this short presentation served as a teaser for, what I hope, will be a speech in the future.

COM101: For work & home, presented by Judy. In her speech, Judy reflected on her communication skills at work and at home. Active listening, scribing are all parts of being a supportive communicator in all areas of our lives.

Ahmad conducted a lively round of table topics on the subject of summer vacations.

I am thankful for these emerging, post pandemic times that allow some of us to start planning or acting on our bucket list items: communicate better at work and at home, attend musical performances, start a new life in Seattle, site see some local places such as Paradise, indulge in the soccer games once again or serve the club as an officer.

Club officer elections were held and we have a new slate of officers lined up for the next fiscal year! Congratulations to the incoming officers and thank you to the current officers for a year well served.

Our next meeting is June 19th.

Toastmaster Scott has stories of Perseverance and he was not the only one! Grammarian Steven introduced a very popular word of the day: STICK-TO_ITIVENESS which was quickly adopted by all members.
Three speakers today on the theme of Perseverance and stick-to-it tiveness( easier said than spelled):

Lara presenting “Follow the Yellow Brick Road” : on overcoming the challenges faced by a new Club President in 2019. Memorable quote” Keep following the yellow bricks below your feet even though you may not know where they lead.”.

Young presenting” When you can’t see a step ahead.” As he faces discouragement and doubt about his field of research, a young man remembers the words of advice and encouragement of his father and colleagues. Notable quote:” Don’t slam on the brakes( when water blurs your vision)”.

Jamie, presenting her icebreaker” My name is Jamie”. A story of tenacity, perseverance and success. Notable quote : ” My name is Jamie”.

I learned that we all have our stories of challenge, perseverance and victory. I am reminded again, that we share a common bond of humanity and that there is more to unite us than divide us.

Our next meeting is May 29th.