Today I did a brief presentation to a small group of people. I knew most of them and was talking about a subject I was very familiar with.  I should mention that presenting is something I’m pretty comfortable with – for the most part.   I’ll admit I get a bit nervous before getting up to speak, but I usually manage to shake it off in the introductions. However, for some unknown reason, today I was caught completely off guard by a severe case of ‘cotton mouth’.

It was full on lips-stuck-to-gums, cheeks-stuck-to-teeth, tongue-turned-to-sandpaper, cotton mouth.  I don’t know if you’ve experienced this before, but once you notice the onset, unless you have water to hand, things very quickly go from bad to worse.    I felt like a crazed chimpanzee with bared gums, clicking like an African tribesman and choking on my own tongue.   Thank God for the brief interlude when a glass of water was handed to me and I felt my tongue revive like a piece of dried seaweed coming to life in the incoming tide.