You know what Thursday means! I get to share 3 things from my world that I hope inspire you or at the very least, entertain you. If you’re a blogger and would like to link up, please visit hosts Pink Chai Living, The Write Balance or Love Laugh Mirch to add your link! These are some of my favourite posts to read and write!
What do a Ladies Night and a classroom have in common? Both can be places in which you find…inspiration!
1. Ladies Night at Sullivan Optometry
I love the relationship between business and charity. I think it’s a win-win on so many levels! So when I hear of stories like this one, I can’t help but share. And I’m glad I’m going to be able to attend this, too! Drs. Moison and Nurani are hosting their third annual Ladies Night featuring local businesses and the theme Update Your Summer Look. With a focus on fun, fashion and a little glam, women are encouraged to come out, shop and mingle – all while benefiting the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. For updates on the event and sponsors, check out their Facebook event page. RSVP to drmoison@telus.net. Did I mention there’ll be wine and delicious eats?
2. Speaking in my daughter’s classroom
So, this morning I spent half an hour in my daughter’s grade 2 classroom, talking about my career as a writer and speaker. As I was planning for this, I wondered how on earth I would fill 30 minutes with information targeted at 7/8 year olds about what I do. (Normally when I plan for a speaking gig, I have the opposite problem – I wish I had more time to share my messages.) Turns out, I had nothing to be concerned about. They were totally engaged, asking questions that really got me excited. I still had ample time to explain the different types of jobs a writer could have, show them examples of publications, and my favourite part: talk about authenticity, creativity and kindness (which make up a large portion of what I write/speak about). As a token of my appreciation for sitting through it – and to spread a little inspiration and magic – each child received a Make-A-Wave card. It felt really good sharing myself with the class this way. Perhaps I left a little more inspired than I imagined I would!
3. Reconnecting with my former teacher
On my Facebook page awhile back I shared with you that I was on the search for my former grade 8 Humanities teacher. When I called my old jr. high school, the admin had no record of her there! When she asked what year I had been there, and I told her, we both kind of laughed. Guess it’s been awhile. Anyway, I reached out to my former band teacher who suggested I try my former math teacher…and I am so happy to report: a connection has been made! In fact, I feel like we have picked right back up after all these years. Not only was she an incredible teacher who inspired me to accept myself with all my quirks (very important, at a time when I was impressionable and insecure), she was also the first teacher who encouraged me to write. I sometimes ate lunch with her because I literally had no friends that year and I remember distinct moments/words that we shared. I now think, Wow – what would have happened if she never took that extra step of just being there? In grade 10, two years after being in her class, I had my heart broken for the first time. A huge milestone, if you will, for any young girl. My teacher was the only adult in my life I could talk to about that. I remember running up the stairs to her classroom before the morning bell rang, pushing past the younger students waiting outside her classroom, bursting through the door and crying. She said to me, “I know. You can actually feel the pain in your chest.” YES, I could, and she gave me a safe place to land. I am thrilled to have her back in my life.
Thanks for reading – have a fabulous Thursday!
The event sounds great, I really hope to be there! That’s fun that you got to speak to your daughters class about writing. I don’t know what I would say if I was asked, hmm. And that’s so amazing that you had such a connection with your teacher. I can’t look back and say that about any of my teachers unfortunately. It may have just been because I was quite a shy (and awkward) child 🙂 Happy to have you linking up, happy Thursday!
I’d love to hang out with you at Ladies Night, Salma, so I hope you make it! And I think my teacher was so special that she picked up on the fact that I was a shy person – but that I had a lot to offer – and she went out of her way to open me up to possibilities. It truly was a blessing!
Oh! Taslim! How do you do it? My tears welled up as you reminisced about your broken heart and how your teacher was there for you. Surely it’s a testament to your skill as a writer. No doubt that you have answered your calling. Thank you for sharing your unique talent and your thoughts and memories.
Oh Jules, I love that you felt what I did – and in fact, since writing that, I have remembered so much more that I would love to write down. And thank you for your amazing compliments. Food for the writer’s soul – being told I was able to reach you. Hope you are doing well!
That is so wonderful that you spoke to your children’s class about your passion for creativity. So many South Asian parents steer their kids away from anything other than the norm and I really admire that you are a role model for our community. Those Make-A-Wave card are so creative! Love that you connected with your teacher and she is back in your life <3
Hi Kamana – yes, I can see our parents’ wish that we pursue fields that are lucrative and abundant in opportunity as a way of hoping we make something of ourselves. I think partly they just want our lives to be easier than theirs, and partly I’m sure there’s a little pride in saying your kid became a neurosurgeon. 🙂 In all honesty, I hope my kids’ lives are easy and prosperous, but I know that trying to be someone you are not stands in the way of those things in all the ways that matter. It’s not easy forging ahead on a path you are carving, without anyone else providing you a map. But hopefully I can cheer my kids on, no matter what they choose to do. Thanks for stopping by!