In celebration of a relatively new provincial holiday in Ontario, I have been denied my Monday HNTM / SRTM meetings. It was actually nice having the day off – no mad dashing around from city to city; simple relaxation. However, I suspect that I chatted at my significant other enough to make up for it You can take the lady away from Toastmasters, but you can’t take TM out of the lady!

I enjoy speech competitions. However, with my pending appointment as Area 62 Governor (*knock on wood*) I am now ineligible to compete in any contests for the next 1.5 years. Disappointing, yes, however there is so much opportunity within the Toastmasters spectrum that there will always be something to keep me stimulated. This coming week, for example, I will be Chief Judge for one contest and the Chairperson for another. These roles are, admittedly, slightly out of my comfort zone – especially chairing an entire contest – however, this is one of the reasons I joined Toastmasters in the first place. A gentle nudge from one’s place of comfort is often all it takes, before opportunities are unveiled and accepted in places they were not previously.

Over. I am not planning on delivering any speeches for awhile.