What? Another post?

It feels like I have something to scratch just behind the back of my eyeballs. This seems to be the most constructive way to get to that itch. Sometimes you just have to talk some stuff out, but that can be frowned upon by society... especially if you are talking to yourself.

It never ceases to amaze how "fun" the game of life is. Just when you think you have a handle, here comes a '12 to 6' curveball. And, if you were like me, then curveballs made you look like a silly-fool swinging a baseball bat. :)

Of course, it is nothing that is isolated to just my life. With the Facebook/ Twitter phenomenon, I can usually be witness to life events of my friends. Now, this is not meant to say that I want to see bad things happen. But, I am a firm believer that from the pain/ hard times that we grow. Maybe, we learn from others. Maybe, we over advice or a kind thought to ease their pain. Maybe, we remind them of a funny time from our past, as humor is such a powerful tool against gloom and pain. I guess you just never know. But, we all have to keep trying.

This whole social networking is such a new and powerful experience for me. My life has usually always been just that, mine. I never looked to burden myself onto others, but in hindsight that probably kept me closed off from fully developing my potential. These new outlets allow for me to put myself out there and that is probably a good thing.

So, I guess I still have work to do. And, I need to not worry about other's impressions and just express myself...

I recently started thinking about somebody again, and I am not sure what that means.

Laughter....the best medicine

Everyone knows the saying. Laughter is the best medicine. I always took it for granted, but today it really seemed to ring true. See, today I just didn't feel right. Not sure if it was a bug or something, regardless, I just felt off. So, I went home and tried to sleep- medicate it away. Of course, that didn't work but I did watch some shows I had DVR'd up. What would you know, after I started laughing, I felt a whole lot better. I felt more energetic and decided to fold the laundry and iron some shirts. I know very exciting.

But, that started my melon turning on the idea of laughter. Humor is such a great talent or gift. I guess like anything else you can continue to refine that talent. Just take a look at comedians who tour the road.

Not sure where I am going with this. :) This seemed like something witty, topical, and life-changing. I guess, it was just a very mild rant because I can NOT type anywhere as fast as my mind works. Would extra NyQuil slow it down? Not likely, but could make for an interesting train of thought. :)

Back to humor. I guess when I laughed out-loud today it made me realize how important it is for us to really belly-laugh. That brought back a memory of a dear friend telling me how much she loved to hear me laugh out loud. It made her happy to know that I was happy, even with so much crap I was dealing with at the time. And, when I look back when I have made folks laugh it has always made me feel good. And, have you noticed how contagious laughter is? I think laughter might be more contagious than yawning. I am sure we can get a research grant to figure that out.

That is all for now.

I think AMERICA needs Toastmasters

I know that is a pretty bold statement. But, let's really think about it. I started to think about this idea when I read the following commentary by Rudy Ruiz on CNN.

Here is the link to commentary:

http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/09/03/ruiz.closed.minds/index.html

But, if you decide not to read here are the main points:

1. It is 'uncool' to have an open mind on the issues

2. We do NOT listen to people we don't agree with and we only focus on information that comes from our particular ideology.

Now, anyone who is a current or past member of Toastmasters knows one thing, it is just as important to listen critically as it is to be able to speak publicly.

I have experienced this first hand. I have been a member for less than a year but I do feel that I have learned to improve that pesky little skill of listening. Ok, and it did help that I got to practice alot while networking and job-searching. :)

So, that is my quick plug for why AMERICA needs Toastmasters. We JUST DON'T WANT TO LISTEN. A clear example of this is the following yahoo-new story:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ynews/20090903/pl_ynews/ynews_pl888_1

The article is about President Obama wanting to give a speech that is directed toward the youth of America. This should be a great opportunity and experience for everyone. I can think of no better use for the bully pulpit. ( I think Teddy Roosevelt would be thrilled).

Well, apparently this is ruffling the feathers of some folks, who also happen to be of a different ideology or part than President Obama. And, it is also evident that those nah- sayers did not read the official press release.

Now, I am not talking a political side on this request BUT I was peeved when I read about the disgust from 'concerned parties'. Clearly, they are not LISTENING. And, it just seemed like a perfect storm of reading the CNN commentary and then just reading the yahoo-new story. Both of those items just resonated with me. Maybe, it was also that I received some positive feedback on my evaluation skills at my weekly Toastmaster meeting. I know that I have been really working to improve those skills.

So, how do we get to AMERICA to join Toastmasters? I have one friend who would clearly be impressed with the idea.

I really feel that if we could actually start listening to each other, we would find that AMERICA is clearly more aligned than the media, and political parties would have us believe. Those is power love ignorance of the masses. Information is the #1 source of power, but if not it has to be just behind money.

Now, this wasn't meant to be a rant or anything about politics. But, I really feel if we started to listen to each other, we would be so much further along. I mean, listening does NOT mean you agree with somebody. It just means you took the time to hear another point of view. Really? What is the harm? If you don't get all the information you can, how good can your decision be?

Hell, that is what engineers do all the time. Right? Get all the data you can, so you can make the most informed decision.

So, if this has peaked your interest, then check out the Toastmasters site.

www.toastmasters.org/

Well, that is all I have. I hope that you try the "Kool-Aid". It is actually really GOOD.