March madness, time (mis)management and the magic of stories



Is there something like March madness? If there is, I think I was seriously infected this month.



Whether I thought that I was superwoman or just didn't think at all, I can't really remember, but all I know is that I suddenly found myself organising, or being part of the organising team, of: one Greymont Entrepreneurs workshop, two World Storytelling Day events, one Toastmasters Club competition, one World Leadership Day event and a series of speech craft sessions - and all of them happening in the week between 18 and 25 March. To top it all, I also had the audacity to put my name up to compete in our Toastmasters Club contest AND to deliver a demonstration speech at a neighbouring club. The demonstration speech will still happen, but, I'm afraid, my nerves won't stand competing in the contest - especially as I have only half-written the speech! And did I mention that I was also working in between, doing my day-job and attending meetings?



As I doggedly ticked off one task after the other, I asked myself: why? Why did I do this to myself? Did I want to prove anything? Or couldn't I say no? And I found out that I did it because I actually like organising things, and I like performing and creating a space in which people enjoy themselves. But the greatest thing about all of this is that I have found a new speech topic: How NOT to manage your time if you want to live a balanced life. Perhaps I should write a book - that is, if I allow myself the time.



Storytelling is magic



Our first World Storytelling Day event was a roaring success. The event was held at Boekehuis in Aucklandpark, Johannesburg on Thursday, 19th March . Boekehuis is an old house which was converted into a book and coffee shop and has a wonderful, warm bookish atmosphere. We were six storytellers from the Johannesburg Storytelling Circle of which five of us told a story and the sixth one did a puppet show. Gillian Rosenberg, professional voice coach and remedial teacher, set a magical atmosphere with her beautiful rendering of Oscar Wilde's The Selfish Giant. She was followed by Brenda Shafir, a professional storyteller and shadow puppeteer, who told a Welsh tale with the title, Slops. Diana Cowan, a music teacher and storyteller then told Ma Grizzle. I (Susan Williams) followed her with my rendering of Die Geluksklip (The Happiness Stone, aka The Soup Stone), told in Afrikaans, and after me came actress and storyteller Nonhlanhla Hadebe with The Parable of the Eagle, by James Aggrey. Margaret Auerbach, a professional puppeteer, ended the event with her wonderful puppet show, The Magic Ball.



Stories have magical powers. It was proven yet again by yesterday's event. After two hours of listening intently (even the youngest of the children were spellbound and were perfectly well behaved), the atmosphere was laden with positive energy. Complete strangers connected at an intuitive level, eye contact was made and smiles shared. Grown-ups and children shared a space in which everybody enjoyed themselves - and I'm not sure who enjoyed it the most: the children, the grown-ups (some of them came without children to listen to stories) or the storytellers themselves? And then I wonder: why don't we tell more stories? The world would definitely be a more enjoyable place.