Meeting every day for a week: Day 1

As the new Toastmasters year started, I thought I would challenge myself with mini, reachable goals throughout the year. Goals are good. Reachable goals are better. Mini goals are the best. They give one instant feelings of accomplishment. Notice, I didn’t say “easy” goals.

My first challenge is the “Meeting every day for a week.” You may think this is easy, but remember, my job is 50-70% travel! So cut me some slack!

Below are the clubs meetings I attended and a thing or two about my experience that day. I encourage you to attend many meetings and share your experience.

Day 1: Saturday July 7th

New Horizons Toastmasters Club
Club #: 1360, Dist #: 07, Est: 10/1/1953
Bridge City Cafe Bridgeport Village
7211 SW Bridgeport Road, Tualatin, OR, 97062
Meeting Time: 8:00 am, Saturday
Club Status: Open to all

The one word that best describes today experience is “bondness.” I’m not talking about James Bond groupies. But rather a group of people that are connected to each other through a shared experience or familiarity.

As the meeting was ending, a nice gentleman came up to me and asked if the meeting was over. I said yes, but we meet every Saturday and he was welcomed to return next week. He said in a disappointing tone, that he was from Reno, NV and was on his way to the airport. He wished he had known about the meeting just a little sooner.

Of course my next question was if he was familiar with Toastmasters. The disappointing look instantly became a huge grin as he told he belonged to a club in Reno called Sierra Sunrise. At that moment, a “bondness” was experienced. It reminded me of the days when I would travel in uniform (US Navy) and how so many people who served in the military would come up to me. Or the instant “bondness” I would feel whenever encountering another active duty person in uniform.

Not to get all philosophical or even mushy here, but that’s one of the many aspects of Toastmasters I enjoy.  How the connections among total strangers cease to exist because of a shared association. No matter where you are or who you are if there is fellow TM’er nearby, you have an instant friend.

I don’t get to Reno much in work travels. However, the next time the opportunity arise, I plan on doing everything I can to schedule a work meeting on a Thursday so I can stop by the Gold N Silver Inn at 7am to attend the Sierra Sunrise Toastmasters meeting and to say hello to my new friend.

onto Day 2