It Was a Dark and Stormy Night... (October 18, 2017)

As our usual venue was unavailable, the kind offer of TMC Sagrada Familia to use their space was gratefully accepted. Now, a change of scenery is enough to nudge anyone from their comfort zone. Add to this an unexpected storm that did its best to “rain on our parade”, leaving the session to an apparently less-than-fortunate start.

However, nothing could dampen the spirits of the participants. We shook off the raindrops and settled to slowly dry out as the session proceeded. 

Participation was high – a total of nine invited guests had braved the storm – and soon the rumbles of genius and flashes of inspiration storming from the podium rivalled the tempest without.  

Did you know that our president Sean Palit could juggle? Well, surprise us all he did, by launching five colorful balls into the air along with metaphorical advice on balancing the important things in life. Equal motion is the key was our take-home message – just be sure the balls that represent the most important things in life - your relationships and health  - are kept aloft.

Tonight’s Toastmaster Zuzana Smakalova expressed her wonder upon hearing another member casually mention of a previous pastime, modeling and competing for “Miss Italy”. We all have a at least a bit of turbulence hidden within, she realized. So she invited us to “stop looking for your passion” and just live. The range of passions and special interests of tonight’s participants, as she related them, was outstanding: mountain-bike riding, climbing, surfing in Ireland (of all places!), collecting “sands of beaches”, creating an online magazine, water skiing and snow skiing (all in one person!), dedication to “Serious Play”, vegetable production, peak climbing, dancing and karaoke, Gordon Ramsay’s charms, highbrow reading (as opposed to the not-so-highbrow, a new puppy, and the secret to Casanova-like success. 

The word of the day was a provocative challenge. No one could have guessed that the expression “Lose My Bottle” came from the world of boxing! Only a few could boldly introduce it into their contributions, clearly determined not to “give up at the last minute”.

Cristina de Medrano held us rapt with her speech “Turn Your Passion to Your Purpose” (Communications Competence – 2 – Organize Your Speech). She informed us that there is a lot to be gained from defying the impossible and reaching for apparently unsurpassable goals. Who knows how many new adventures her message has inspired?

Manolo Lopez had us both shaking our heads with grief and laughing at life’s absurdity as he illustrated the basic laws of stupidity in his speech “Don’t Open the Emergency Exit Door” (The Entertaining Speaker – 3 – Make Them Laugh). It was amusing, it was informative… and it left us more than a little worried about the world’s future.

Table Topics was introduced with great flair by Paul Conde. In clear terms he reminded us of the fundamental importance of thinking on your feet. A skill to be honed daily because – you never know – you may have to impress someone someday… and a little ad-lib can go a long way. The four chosen extemporaneous speakers were well up to the challenge.

Our guest Alba Lucia Hincapie graciously served as General Evaluator. She was generous with her praise and judicious in her comments, reminding us of the importance of watching the small details as well as the bigger picture.

The evening was tempestuous, both indoors and out. But TMC Barcelona knows how to face up to any gale with broad smiles and edifying speeches.