On Being A Guest Speaker

I’ve been stumbling my way through the week, trying to understand the direction I want my journal business to grow. There are little dreams I jotted in a journal back when I was a freshman in college. There are the bigger dreams I’m crafting today.

I want to get involved with the local community – the parts of the community that have nothing to do with aviation. It would be so much easier if I had kids or went to a traditional work place; you can connect with people when you have something that puts you in the same boat together. So it’s been a journey, a journey that is slowly filling with friendships and possibilities.

This weekend, I was asked to be the guest speaker at Delta Kappa Gamma, the teachers’ sorority that consists primarily of retired teachers.

I’d be lying if I told you I didn’t have experience with public speaking… which you probably caught onto after this video.

It was so awesome talking to these women about the importance of documenting our stories!

Now here’s where I’m pausing, trying to figure out which direction to focus my energy. As you know, time is an insanely limited resource around here between building Gadanke, building a home, building Martin’s business, and finishing Martin’s education. It’s overwhelming just to think about it when we get up each morning.

These sweet gals had other great ideas for me. I handed out business cards and extra business cards because they had some other organizations that they were involved in. They wanted me to come to.

Speak at The Daughters of the American Revolution’s meeting. Give a presentation to the Historical Society. Speak to the local schools and get kids excited about journaling! (Apparently an elementary school principal has already been fully briefed on me and why he needs me – haha.)

That sounds so boastful. I’m not trying to sound boastful. I’m confused.

That’s where the pie-in-the-sky dream list from college comes in. It blends with my current hopes and dreams. It also clashes with the limited energy I have.

You know what I wrote almost ten years ago?

Give a speech somewhere awesome and huge. Like a graduation ceremony.

A huge part of me really wants to charge into the public speaking path. Another part says no – focus where I am. So I thought I would just put this out there, put my thoughts in public print instead of just deep in a journal. And also fire a huge THANKS to the fab gals at Delta Kappa Gamma. What a hoot!