Meeting the Unexpected--Carolyn R. Wilker

From The Guelph Enabling Garden website- Brian Holstein telling to an audience in the garden

This morning was planned months in advance—Tea and Tales, at The Enabling Gardens in Guelph. I was on deck with Jay Wilson, who is no stranger to theatre, with his puppet Prometheus. That the story telling was happening outdoors was just one of the features, in the beautiful Riverside Park in that fair city.

Several things have come into play over the last month and a half. One, that the crowd of seniors and others has multiplied over previous years so that there have been a hundred or more at any one telling. Maybe celebrating the 10th anniversary of Tea and Tales had something to do with it, or that the organizer, Brian Holstein, and his crew from Guelph Storytelling Guild did a lot of work to advertise the events. It may be the  first year that they used Facebook, but they also put up posters around town and promoted it to Baden Guild, of which I am a member, and any other people they knew who might be interested in the event.

When you have an outdoor event, you need to recognize that the weather can affect it. Today started out cloudy and overcast, meaning I could look into my audience’s faces without the need of a sunhat or sunglasses. It’s not really unexpected that there could be clouds and the chance of rain—sometimes a big chance—yet we started out with sunshine and a cool breeze coming off the river. Other Friday mornings this summer, the gathering located itself under one of the picnic shelters, but not this time. We hoped the rain would hold off just long enough. And before the stories began, we receive a blessing from a First Nations member who reminded us we were telling on what was truly native soil.

From Brian Holstein's photos of Tea and Tales

I’d asked to tell second since my friend Doris was coming from work in Kitchener and would be a bit late arriving, and so Jay took his place at the mic after introductions. I would follow him, to tell the second half of the hour.

Probably a good thing Jay went first as he had a laptop beside him. He used it for sound effects when he worked with Prometheus and also background music for a poem he recited that had been written by John Galt, founder of the city. His half hour was quite entertaining, and rain would not have been good for his laptop.

 past storytelling adventures- Open Doors Waterloo 2012

I began with a humorous short anecdote to follow up Jay’s serious ending to a historical tale, then followed with a folk tale, "Old Joe and the Carpenter," from storyteller Pleasant DeSpain. Then a personal story and another from childhood. I’d asked Brian, the host, to give me a signal concerning time, and he did. Not at 10 and 5 as we had planned, but at 5 minutes because of the raindrops that had already fallen.

Several people had put up their umbrellas, but I had the canopy of the tree that helped for part of my performance. The clouds threatened to give way. I offered one last short story and a woman came and stood by my side with her umbrella open, to protect me. I kept on telling, in spite of light rain, and finished the last story, another folk tale, "The Theft of Smell," by Pleasant DeSpain from his collection Tales of Wisdom and Justice.

As in storytelling today, there are often surprises, such as the small brown rabbit that hopped out of nowhere and right across the stage area as I told. I paused briefly as other eyes followed the rabbit's path, then resumed my story. A fellow storyteller said it reminded her of Snow White when the animals all came out when she appeared. Kind of neat that it happened.

Surprises in life happen often, in family and in community, some of them not so pleasant, with long-lasting effects, than at other times. But today's surprises were not hard to take. With God’s grace that holds us and his presence when we need it, we can handle the weather, even in a beautiful garden.

“Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and from Jesus Christ, the Father’s Son, will be with us in truth and love.”  2 John 1:3  NIV

www.carolynwilker.ca

where my stories began

                       

 picture book available now from my website

And now a speaker too--Carolyn R. Wilker

Speaking to Rotary, Guelph, ON.

Matching the banner behind me was not planned.

Photo courtesy of Jan C. Jofriet

On November 1^st, I was invited to be guest speaker for one of the Rotary Clubs in Guelph, Ontario. While I also offer memoir workshops, the presentation deemed most suitable for this service club was my keynote GPS: Goals, Plan, Success.

It's been a bit of a journey getting here though. Now that I think of it, one of my teachers in high school predicted that we’d have more than one career in our lifetime, possibly as many as three or four. It was hard for me to believe that since all I wanted to do was teach. I'd wanted to do that from the time I was a little girl in Sunday School. 

My father was a farmer and it was his life’s work; most other people I knew stayed with one career or type of work for their entire working life, though there were a few exceptions even then. 

Yet at the time, apart from teaching small ones in Sunday School, I was hesitant to put up my hand in class for fear of being wrong. If someone had told me then that I would be speaking and writing one day, I would not have believed it.

When I began to write, I learned that I would indeed have to speak, and if I had a book, then for sure I would have to promote it, or give a workshop or talk about writing. I respected people who could stand up and speak, but the thought of doing it myself made me anxious.

I’m convinced Marj was put in my path to get to Toastmasters—my first tentative, shaking step. I kknew nothing of this organization until I met her at an authors association meeting and commented on the ease of the speaker who was giving a presentation that evening.

 The respectful mentoring and evaluations of fellow members, along with all the practice I was getting, helped me to hold the butterflies at bay, but it took time.

My first book was launched and I was ready to promote it and actually enjoyed the experience. Teaching writing and facilitating group learning for mature adults at a community centre in Kitchener has been another growing and learning experience.

Then along came two world-class coaches and speakers, Jeremy Tracey and Sarah Hilton. At the first boot camp, when I found out I would be writing and presenting a keynote speech, I thought, What am I doing here? Where would I start?  

Having experienced a number of jobs, including small business ventures in crafts and custom sewing, election work, part-time jobs, work in a book store,  and later university courses, I settled on the topic of change for my keynote, and how to adapt to it, even when change is thrust upon us.

 Italian Canadian Club, Ferguson Street in Guelph, Ontario

After finding the Italian Canadian Club where the group meets, I set up my books at a designated table and then sat at the head table where I would be for the duration of the luncheon meeting. That large room that was the size of a banquet hall. I would certainly need the microphone.

I had been told that there could be as many as fifty to sixty Rotarians present, and I think that day,  between thirty and forty men and women sat in my audience, the largest one to which I had spoken, not including the speech at our daughters’ weddings last year, delivered to well over one hundred souls each time. But this was a keynote, not a 5-minute wedding speech on the part of mother of the bride, times two. 

There I was in the city of Guelph, ready to speak to Rotarians—professionals, business leaders and entrepreneurs from the community, and I saw them nodding their heads. Surely a great many of them had either gone through such an experience of changing jobs for whatever reason, or knew someone who had.

It's still surprising to me that I can say "yes" when someone asks me to speak, even more when I seek out opportunities myself and go out to different places and address a group  of total strangers and some people I know. 

When we step out in faith, even with a good deal of trepidation, God is there with us.  I knew that before, but I had to get ready for this kind of opportunity, grow as a person. A verse from Philippians that I memorized years ago comes back often. “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” 

God goes with us when we’re in strange waters. In a new job in a preschool. As a sole entrepreneur, an author, an editor, as a writing instructor, storyteller, and now as a speaker too. He's with us in each step we take, familiar or unfamiliar, sought out or something new. We just have to ask and trust him.

Workshop presenter at Write! Kitchener 2013

Photo by Glynis Belec

Leading a workshop for Writers United, October 2013

 Photo by Glynis Belec

Storytelling at the Enabling Gardens, Guelph, Ontario, August 2013