South County Toastmasters

My sister Marianne, who lives in California, was in town last year for Christmas. And so we spent one day together doing some Christmas shopping. This is a kind of tradition for us, and we REALLY shop well together. We walked the entire South County Mall, from one end to the other, all three levels, at least 2 times. By the end of the day, we were both exhausted. Just as we were ready to leave, Marianne decided she wanted to go back for something – something that she had seen, but couldn’t decide on; now she wanted it – and of course, it was at the complete other end of the mall. I told her I would just sit in the shoe department at Famous and wait for her to go back and get her item. So just as I was getting comfortable in a nice chair in the shoe department, a saleslady came up to me. She was looking pretty tired and frazzled herself. And she asked what she could do to help me. So I told her, I must admit, I’m not really shopping for shoes; I am tired, and I was just going to sit here for a few minutes PRETENDING to be shopping. The saleslady’s eyes lit up, and she smiled and she said, well that’s great. I’ll just sit here in front of you and I’ll PRETEND to be waiting on you.

I made a new friend that day. A kindred soul. And we had a few chuckles together before she went back to really waiting on customers who were really shopping.

You never know where or when or under what circumstances you will meet someone new.

Many of you know that I am a skier, and my sister Barbara is the one I go skiing with. One year, one of my ski trips was to Alta, Utah, which is a ski resort near to Salt Lake City. Just my sister and I were going (not our regular group of 6 or 8) and we were just going for a few days. So we stayed at a place called The Goldminer’s Daughter. It wasn’t a condo; it was more like a hotel, with individual rooms; but breakfast and dinner were included with the price.

It was relatively late in the day when we arrive at our hotel, about 7:30 p.m. And the first thing we did after getting settled into our room was go to eat. We walked into the dining room, and after greeting us, the young host asked us if we would like to share a table with some of the other guests. This caught me by surprise, because I wasn’t expecting it, and I had never been to a place that even suggested that.

Frankly, my first thought was, let’s just get a table for the 2 of us. I’m tired, and I don’t feel like being witty or charming or having to engage in any meaningful conversation. But still we answered almost immediately that we would like to share a table.

That was a good decision.

We had dinner that night with a gentleman named Carlos Lopez. Carlos was from Rio de Janerio. As best I could tell, he was a kind of venture capitalist. His company was a holding company for several smaller companies. He said he was able to take about 4 trips a year outside of Brazil, and whenever possible, he would tack on a skiing trip. He was very knowledgeable about the United States and about our government. In fact, I was almost embarrassed because I think he know more about our government that I did. He asked very probing questions, and we in turn learned something about the government of Brazil. He also knew a lot about Europe, and international affairs. Carlos spoke perfect English, and since he travels internationally, I suspect he spoke several other languages as well.

Another night we sat with an older gentleman named BINX, spelled B – I – N – X. Is that your real name or a nickname, I asked. He said BINX was short for a name that is really much more difficult to pronounce. He was originally from Sweden. He was retired, but for 25 years, he had been the head of Avalanche Control at Alta. He was responsible for predicting avalanches, the weather conditions, and controlling avalanches. How is that for an interesting occupation?

He also told us about a French developer who wanted to develop another ski area in the Idaho. Binx was one of 2 people who skied the mountain, trying to determine where the trails would be, IF there were trails. Which means he once again was probably dropped off at the top by a helicopter. He started off where there were NO trails at all.

Carlos and Binx. Two fascinating people. And we met some other people as well. All friendly, interesting, and fun.

And these are people I would never have met if we had opted to do everything on our own. If we had chosen to keep just our own company. If we had chosen to sit at a table just for 2. But we met these people because we were willing to do something a little different – and sit at a table for 4.

There is a country and western song that was popular a few years ago; actually it crossed over to the easy-listening stations. It is sung by a female star named Lee Ann Womack, and it is called “I hope you dance.” In the refrain of the song, the words go: “When you get the CHOICE to sit it out or dance, I hope you dance.”

I think there are words to live by here. Don’t let life pass you by. Try some new things. Take a chance. Step out of your comfort zone, even if just a little bit.

My friend Pat Lofton and her husband have horses that are stabled nearby, and I have been out there with her to help groom the horses and ride. Of course, I recently fell off one of the horses, but that is another story.

I visited friends down at the Lake of the Ozarks last summer, and I got to ride a wave-runner for the first time. Boy, is that a kick!

Maybe you thought about getting into the Toastmaster golf tournament, but you were afraid you weren’t good enough. Well ask Jim Ruzicka about that – he was stuck with me. I missed a few balls completely, and a few just dribbled a couple of yards; but I also had a couple of fairly decent drives, and my putting was pretty good. And I had a lot of fun. Don’t let the fear of making a fool of yourself, or not being good enough, keep you from trying.

It takes courage to participate fully in life, and you should pat yourself on the back every time to try something new.

Try something new! Take a chance! Take a tiny step out of your comfort zone. What would you like to do?

Take a cooking class?

Travel to a foreign country?

Try pottery or painting or parasailing?

When you get the chance to sit it out or dance, DANCE. Open yourself to new opportunities and new people. Sit at a table for 4.

Robert Frost wrote a famous poem called “Two Roads Diverged in a Yellow Wood” in which he concludes: “I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference.”

I also like the words of the inimitable – and quotable - Yogi Berra, who said:
“When you come to a fork in the road – TAKE IT.”