It was another packed evening on May 4 that was also filled with enthusiasm. Jay introduced our theme of the day – “Experiences”. An experience to Jay is a special time shared with friends. He related to his experience watching the first ever UFC in Toronto with his friends. Jay urged us to value our experiences no matter how big or small.

Ali kick-started the prepared speeches part of the meeting with his second speech from the Competent Communication manual. It was about how he got this 3rd degree black belt by the age of twelve – a true story. He led us back to his adventurous past when he started training in martial arts at age four. Ali also shared the benefits of his training: self-discipline, self-confidence, and feeling secure.

Luke entertained us with his third speech on the art of traveling lightly. In his personable and conversational tone, Luke showed us the versatile ways to travel with just one carry-on bag, whether we’re traveling for one week or even for an entire month. Citing reliable sources like onebag.com and making strong points on time as well as environmental and economic savings, Luke convinced us to resist the temptation of bringing luggage and to opt for a less taxing travel experience.

Continuing the momentum, we heard our enthusiastic (and often comical) table topic speakers share their points of view. Kudos to our three guests who volunteered to say some speeches during for table topics. We also had four members who took on new roles for the first time – Patty as Grammarian, Lauren as Ah Counter, Francisco as General Evaluator, and Tonia as Time Keeper.

This night was certainly a valuable experience.

Keep up the high energy and don’t miss out on the upcoming meeting

Lily