Simply Authentic...Your Soul Voice is Calling. Don't Die with Your Music Still in You

Don’t Die with Your Music Still in You April 21st marked the date of my 10th Toastmasters speech. I am now an official “Competent Communicator” in Toastmasters lingo. http://www.toastmasters.org/ I joined Toastmasters after resigning from Matrix in 2014, to brush up on my public speaking skills…it had been a while! I’m proud of my speeches and grateful for the amazing people I’ve met through WE Toasted here in Lake Oswego, Oregon. Several of them have taken my acting class and enriched my life by sharing their heart, courage, vulnerability and emotions on the playground of Authentic Performance. (I tend to fall in love with my Authentic Performance students; I can’t help it.) Dr. Wayne Dyer gets credit for the speech title, and my Grandma Handke inspired it, a difficult one, as it’s personal and references painful/challenging experiences from my past. You can see all 9 minutes and 18 seconds here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7tCgM-p0kfU The day I gave that speech, a Table Topics (the impromptu, informal speaking portion) speaker answered the question “When do people get old, and why?” Stephanie, an avid runner, answered that people get old when they stop growing, and – to her – running is a way to maintain youth, along with always learning new things. I’m not a runner, but I do regularly exercise and agree with Stephanie in every way. It's important to stay in the thriving zone! I first learned to hula hoop at the age of 47. It’s something I’d always wanted to do, and once I got the hang of it – about three weeks in – I started using a weighted hoop, which is good core exercise. I hula-hoop a couple times a week while watching old movies – a great way to burn some calories and have fun at the same time. Learning to make real southern buttermilk biscuits has been on my wish list for a while, too. (Yes, I realize exercise and rich southern food don’t typically show up in the same paragraph!) I don’t recall the time period or locale in which I was first introduced to homemade biscuits and sausage gravy – it was in a restaurant somewhere. That was an exquisitely happy moment for me. “How could I have not known about this until now?” I wish I could remember the person who said I should try it (I believe a guy I briefly dated) – I thought it sounded awful. Guess what? While reading the May issue of Oprah Winfrey’s The O Magazine, I ran across an article featuring southern gentlewoman, creative entrepreneurial powerhouse, Academy Award winning actress, Reese Witherspoon.  And three of her Grandma Dorothea’s recipes. Just guess what one was…just guess? I’m excited! I picked up my buttermilk at the grocery store yesterday. You can find all three of Reese Witherspoon’s Grandma Dorothea’s recipes here: http://www.oprah.com/food/Reese-Witherspoons-Classic-Southern-Food-Recipes (PS, I've made the buttermilk biscuits twice since drafting this, and the fried chicken recipe, and perfected homemade sausage gravy, too! Now I'll have a nice green salad, thank you very much.) Action Step: What would you like to try next? What is one little thing that will light you up and bring you more fully into the thriving zone? Share on the blog – we all need a little boost and support. If you found this post helpful, please share it with your friends! Authentically Yours, Laura