It was another beautiful Seattle summer morning as club President Shen Yang called the July 26 meeting to order. Under such beautiful conditions, it was clear that we’d all be challenged to use Grammarian Brian Hudnall’s word of the day, “cantankerous,” as our collective mood clearly was anything but.
As Toastmaster, Michelle DeLappe opened her thoughts by evoking a bit of LGBT (Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender) history as a way to introduce the meeting’s theme of “pride.”
Michelle offered examples of how many cultures have historically viewed pride pejoratively. Buddhism, for instance, considers pride a “delusion.” But in the years following the Stonewall Riots, the LGBT community has helped to recast the emotion in a more affirming, humanistic light. Michelle tied the word’s history to the pride that Seattle Sunrise members feel as we progress to meet our personal goals and improve our speaking and leadership skills.
New Sunrise member Andy Koopmans opened up the speaking portion of the morning with his Icebreaker speech, “An Experimental Career Path.” A writer by profession, Andy recounted in humorous detail the wide range of jobs he has had over the years. Whether as a magician, carpenter, or sheriff’s deputy, Andy has taken pride in the many experiences he has compiled that continue to inform his ongoing literary career.
Donning a fake nose and mustache, Marti MacEwan evoked the spirit of Grouch Marx as she offered advice on how to overcome stage fright. Marti’s speech brought together a lighthearted but deeply informed elixir of humor, personal history and professional advice on the tools we have at our disposal to gain the confidence we need take center stage.
The spirit of another cultural icon was evoked with the speech “The Day Bruce Springsteen Changed My Life,” by yours truly.
And Mary Lentz completed the speaking portion of the meeting with the first of a promised two-part speech entitled “Procrastination Nation.” In it she introduced several theories of why we all procrastinate and recounted her own life-long struggle with the issue.
Andrea, Porscha, Avilio, Seva, and Shen each offered evaluations, with Porscha taking home the “Best Evaluator” ribbon. 
For “Table Topics,” which was won by Peter Feysa, Jun Lei shook things up a bit by playing a version of “Mad Libs” with the club’s mission statement.
Following the meeting, club officers met to begin preparations for the club’s forthcoming Humorous Speech and Table Topics contest, which has tentatively been scheduled for the third Saturday in September. Keep an eye out for those details and get your funny bones in shape, as you’ll definitely not want to miss out on that fun.
Whether you’re a Seattle Sunrise member or a virtual passerby exploring the idea of joining Toastmasters, unplug your devises and head out to the mountains, beaches, parks, or wherever else Seattle’s summer spirit calls you. But make sure to return by Saturday, August 9, the date of our next Seattle Sunrise meeting. See you there!
