A year ago, in Toastmasters, I was called to speak and I was introduced like this, “Please welcome our speaker, the Past VP PR, the Past President, and the Present Area 76 Governor…” Yes! They talk about your past and your present. Imagine if they are to include your love life in your intro. It would be something like, “Please welcome our speaker, the past boyfriend of Ana, past boyfriend of Lorna, and the present boyfriend of Angela…”
Imagine how very awkward that would be. I am lucky because I don’t have any concern just in case we have to include our love life in the speaker’s introduction. I don’t have a lot to tell about my love life. Most of them are just imaginary!
But even so, I’d like to talk about love, music and bravery.
Love and music has lots of similarities. In music, if you can’t sing the high key, you can transpose it to a lower key. In other words, just change it! In love, if you can’t get that beautiful girl, change it! You can change your strategy, change your approach, or better yet – change it to an imaginary girl!
If the key is high and you can’t sing it, just change it. If your high standards in love cannot be met — NO, don’t change it to lower standards. If you do, don’t ever say I told you so. Because I never did. Remember that it is better to have an imaginary girlfriend than to have the wrong girlfriend!
You see, there was this farmer who went to see a lawyer. He thought of getting rid of his wife, either through legal separation or annulment. Even before sitting down in the lawyer’s office, the man started saying, “I need to file a case against my wife!”
“Do you have any ground?” the lawyer asked. “Of course, I have a ground. I own 10 hectares of ground.”
“No, what I mean is: Do you have a case?” “Of course, I have a case. It’s where I keep all the titles of my farmland.”
“No, what I mean is: Do you have a suit?” “Oh yes, that’s what I wear to church every Sunday.”
“No, what I mean is: What is your grudge?” “Of course, I have a garage. That’s where I park my tractor.”
“Alright, alright, let me put it this way: Why do you want to separate with your wife?” “Well, she always complains.” “Why is that?” “She always complains about how I answer her questions!”
“There were several times we did not sleep past midnight.” “Why is that?” “She keeps on asking questions… She must be charged for damages for causing my sleepless nights. Not to mention that she snores when she sleeps!”
The lawyer stood up and said, “Why not sing for your wife?” “What? Sing for my wife? Don’t you understand I don’t like her anymore?”
“Oh yes, just sing – Please release me, let me go…”
“Oh, I tried. But a week later, I ended up singing – Please forgive me, I don’t know what I’d do. Please forgive me. I can’t stop loving you…”
[TO BE CONTINUED NEXT SUNDAY.]
(Chris Dao-anis/CPA, as an author and speaker, helps aspiring and young professionals become better communicators and leaders. His first book ‘The Gift of the Ordinary’ is available at Mt. Cloud Bookshop, Casa Vallejo, Upper Session Road, Baguio City and in Central Bookstores in Cebu and Metro Manila. For other resources, visit www.chrispoweracademy.com. For talks, seminars or speech coaching, email him at chrisdaoanis@gmail.com.)
