You are not alone

Respect, Integrity, Service, Excellence...what are these? They are the core values of Toastmasters, a decades old organization that I am proud to be a part of. These values help our mission of helping people grow in their speaking and leadership skills, by ensuring each meeting is a safe place where people can speak up, share their dreams and their struggles and continue to grow. In the midst of this current crisis clubs have adapted to the technology of distance socializing and continue strong with clubs and contests and in May the Spring conference, all held online. Our bond is greater than our technological struggles and these core values are key - RISE!

Stories and laughter, support and hope, are our shared experience.
I would invite you to check out TM , go to the International site to find a club near you.
https://www.toastmasters.org/
But whatever you do, remember to hold fast to your values and don't despair, you are not alone

music to make it through these days

Music makes everything better, it seems. When I ran it gave me energy and helped me keep running.
When I work it keeps me company. When I am sad it gives me hope. And when I am happy it helps me celebrate. Out of the blue songs will come into my mind with memories. Sometimes the most annoying songs get stuck in my brain (like the Disneyland theme :( )

But in these days of the virus it can help us cope. There have been several tunes/ditties that have been suggested to time handwashing.  The people of Italy are singing to each other across the alleys when they couldn't go out in public. And the other day when I went shopping at a local fruit market I was greeted with Alice Cooper's "School's Out for Summer" and left to the strains of "The Sounds of Silence" (Seattle silence).

Music touches the soul, and is often a reflection of it. It also serves to speak for us, and to us, when we can't seem to speak the words. It can calm us, energize us, give us hope. We will get through this awful time and music can lead the way. Don't forget to sing, let it envelope you.

Corona Days

These are the days of the corona virus, aka Covid-19, and we are all sheltering in place, practicing the 6 ft rule, working from home. And for those of us in the Toastmaster world, we are adapting to having our meetings, and our contests online. It is a whole lot of adaptation, but like the rest of our lives we are learning to go with the flow, and I hope coming to appreciate the little things in life more.

I am encouraged to see people reaching out to each other to help in our various struggles, seeing more caring, and the focusing of energy to help and not to hurt. My hope is that it brings us together more as a nation and as a world. The virus knows no boundaries, and neither should our love and compassion for those who are suffering.  A lot of things are in cosmic shift, very messy, but it the days and weeks to come I hope to share tips and reflections - doing my part to help us get through this , to help give hope for the future, and to help us learn.
Stay strong, keep safe, and continue to dream and work for a better world
Thanks
Bob (aka Chytha)