Try Something New; It Won't Hurt!

From the age of ten, this little girl’s determination has allowed her to enjoy life to the fullest

- Marion Urquhart Charkow

I once watched, withgreat interest, an infomercial depicting a woman at a potter’s wheel expounding on the various courses and exercise classes she had taken over her lifetime. She was always looking forward to her next venture, which in this case, was “improv.” Shortly thereafter, I read an article in the Toronto Star about “Fashion Guru” Iris Apfel, stating that she wished everyone would put away their cellphones, computers and other digital devices and reconnect with their fellow humans. I have been mulling over what these two insightful women had to say and have thought how interesting my life has been, without ever spending hours manipulating an electronic device with my thumbs.

When I was ten, I thought I would be a great Canadian writer and I’ve still held on to that dream. I’ve always been an avid letter writer; in fact, one of my correspondents in Australia saved all of the letters I ever wrote to him and assembled them all into three separate books.

At 11 years old, I joined my cousin’s pipe band and played until I was 15. At 16, much to my mother’s chagrin, I entered the Miss Toronto pageant. I had a lot of confidence and genuinely thought I could win it all. I ended up making it to the finals at Exhibition Place but didn’t win anything except a gold-coloured, elasticized bathing suit, which looked ghastly with my bleached skin, dark hair and black pumps.