Show L Ice Breaker Breaks Into Humor yam y s ii 11 by Ed Lile Toastmaster Each week at the beginning of Toastmasters' Toastmasters Club meeting assignments are made either for preparation or for forone forone forone one or two club members to talk about their own experiences background life at or just who they are That beginning can be more fun than a barrel of monkeys sort of a good off lead-off for the whole meeting This is called an Ice Breaker Our last weeks week's Toastmasters meeting was r really ally a blast largely due to one student member who not only prepared an excellent Ice IceBreaker IceBreaker IceBreaker Breaker but was able to speak well It- It and presented a humorous approach toan to toan toan an unhappy situation in her life It was wasa a riot just watching and arid listening to toMary toMary Mary Jemming yet it was loaded with human interest Mr Toastmaster guests and fellow Toastmasters was her opening I feel the best way to introduce myself is through a history of my loves and hates She went on to say she was a transplant Nebraskan having lived I on a farm outside Lincoln until she wasten was wasten f ten years old r During those years I loved ponies- ponies nine very special dolls-climbing dolls trees- trees cocker spaniel puppies and soft baby kittens As for my hates Mary I laughed I hate chicken manure manure especially between my toes-having toes my hair braided tightly-outhouses tightly on cold nights and piece one-piece underwear with a trap trapdoor door After the war yes WWII she moved to town to live with her family until she was eighteen During those years 18 10 she said I loved chocolate coke and french fries- fries jitterbugging-Dean jitterbugging Martin I have all his records and 1956 red Ford convertibles What did she hate Well Boys who pulled my pony tail- tail girls with great figures I wore a training bra until I was a high school senior Mary continued I hated all football teams except the bobbie socks that wouldn't turn down exactly three ti times having my parents chaperon the school dances She went on to say she was married at 18 and six had had six boys and two girls During those years I I loved large economy jars of peanut McDonalds butter-McDonalds hamburgers when they were 10 for the invention of t the press first day of school- school large economy bottles of and One of her pet hates at this time was one neighbor lady who was an immaculate housekeeper This lady had a daughter that always wore starched dresses with white pinafores Mary thought for a moment then stated She invited me over to lunch once Her idea of lunch consisted of beef and cherry jubilee I also hated Mary added all toys with loud noise makers in them-good them humor ice cream trucks that always came down the street during my kids kids' nap time-the time lady in the neighborhood with two children 3 college degrees and six rooms in her house all professionally profession lly decorated by Cartier Mary said When I was 31 it was necessary because of the lack of of employment to move far away from my hometown family and friends So for the next 15 years I moved five times times the the last move being to Utah My husband said the reason for the Utah move was to satisfy his overwhelming overwhelming overwhelming over over- whelming urge to ski During all these moves and getting four of my children through college I learned to love well love well other than fantasizing about running away from home I cant can't think of one darn thing I loved The hates the hates the hates Mary further commented Watch out I hated having one motorcycle two bikes one skateboard and four cars-all cars over ten years old-dripping old oil and other yuk all over my drive drive- way way-te way teenagers getting in at am a.m. waking me up from a comfortable sleep on the couch and saying Mom Guess what My sons son's gym clothes after being stuffed in his locker at school for three words months-words like liken n groddy graddy head air-head so I goes so so- ohe o- o he goes zits and really mother get with it my it my cars car's gas gauge always on the empty-the ugly looks when the telephone call was for picking me-picking up one month old banana peels apple cores orange rinds and dirty socks from under my sons son's bed Well Mary concluded After 27 Tl years of marriage my husband took up more than and added midlife crisis He is now living in South Dakota and Im I'm too broke to get back to Nebraska All my kids are grown up now except one 10 year 10 year old son I know I had to get a job but I lacked an adequate so education-so here I am at Utah Tech the first year of my new life In her closing statement Mary thought for a moment then said What do I love now I guess besides my dress Levis and radar range I love anyone who smiles at me I love instructors with compassion and understanding understanding understanding under under- standing and I love anyone who holds out his hand and calls me friend And what do I hate now I guess I dont don't hate anything or anyone anymore I dont don't have the time inclination or the drive to hate and I hope I never will again Cramps Any strong and powerful man can n lift triple his own weight and more But it takes a good and understanding man to lift the weight of sorrow son from the mind of a sick child Again and again one recognizes that it takes more than muscle to move the world |