tell your story

Well, here's the deal...I have been keeping something under my hat because, well because I didn't want to think about this too much, didn't want to make myself crazy about the details and what to say and how to dress and be oh so very vulnerable in front of a room of strangers.

Due to an article last year in a big terrific paper, I was asked to speak at a college in Chicago...to tell my story. I received very little instruction, just "tell your story." Hmmmmm...now there's a dilemma, so much to tell, so much history so much beauty, so much sadness. How does one get up in front of a crowd and speak in such a way that snoring does not occur? That the speaker herself does not break down when remembering what brought her to farming, made her decide that life is worth living, is abundant, is ever evolving, changing and one must learn to flow with it. I've gone on TED and watched the speakers, so passionate, so at ease with their material and their audience. I've researched: How to give a lecture...the one telling I liked best was present it like a menu- Appetizers, soups and salads, the main entree, and finally- the desert. Problem is, my menu is realllllly thick- I've got to pare this thing down, by 8:30 a.m no less- not because I've waited until the last moment, but because I hope to teach something today, make a point. I've always had in the back of my mind, like the Coca-Cola song- "I'd like to teach the world to grieve, in perfect harmony...." Boy oh boy, it should be interesting...hopefully to the audience. And I'm taking someone whom I trust to give hand signals, like you're chattering on, and you sound crazy, and hey you're putting them to sleep, and a simple thumbs up when I've said and done the right thing. Well, I'm sure under prepared for this thing, I don't know how to do this properly, so like everything else in my life- I'm just gonna wing it. Let you know if I fly or flop later...take care-