I was around 9 years old when my parents decided to build a home just a couple blocks from our existing ranch house in our little Wisconsin town. We would spend many hours scoping out the lot, watching the progress, even helping out… Well – my parents would help out, deciding to take on the … Continue reading 20 Minutes: A First Date
20 Minutes: A Childhood Fear
One of my mom’s favourite hobbies was shopping. She approached the art of shopping almost like a sport, hunting for the best deals and finding treasures at department stores, always scouring the clearance racks. From my small hometown, we would drive 45 minutes to a bigger city with a mall and spend the entire day … Continue reading 20 Minutes: A Childhood Fear
Mini-Slice: A Betrayal
Inspired by my 20-minute writing exercise today around the theme: “Detail a situation where you felt betrayed.” Betrayal: the sense of being harmed by the intentional actions or omissions of a trusted person. Luckily betrayal isn’t an emotion I’ve felt often. In fact, to start this writing exercise, I even resorted to looking it up … Continue reading Mini-Slice: A Betrayal
20 Minutes: My Childhood Room
#1, Eisenhower Street: The first thing I recall about my bedroom is the wallpaper. It’s a vintage, nursery print with sepia brown tones that remind you of those old time photographs you can pay to get taken in tourist traps like Wisconsin Dells or Niagara Falls. The pattern features a rocking horse, a teddy bear, … Continue reading 20 Minutes: My Childhood Room
20 Minutes: Earliest Memory
When I was just over three years old, my parents introduced me to my newborn baby sister, Melanie. I have a faint memory of sitting on the concrete front porch step with my grandma, watching for them to drive home from the hospital. It was early July and I waited with longing – mostly just … Continue reading 20 Minutes: Earliest Memory
Mini-Slice: An Accident
Inspired by my 20-minute writing exercise today around the theme: "Recall a time when you've been in an accident." It was the summer before I started university and I was working at a resort in a small town about 20 minutes from my childhood home. The resort and town were very evocative of Dirty Dancing … Continue reading Mini-Slice: An Accident
Mini-Slice: Lost
Inspired by my 20-minute writing exercise today around the theme: "If you can delete a memory, what will it be? Why?" It was a perfect summer Saturday – Labour Day weekend. Tim was working and I had planned to take my 3 young boys, plus one add-on friend (for good measure) to Centre Island for … Continue reading Mini-Slice: Lost
20 Minutes: Letter To an Older Self
Damn, we had a lot of fun. You always embraced life: took the vacation, drank the good wine, prioritized experiences over things. Ever since you were young, you loved that saying: The best things in life aren’t things. Sometimes you let your self-doubts and the pressures of society creep in and make you feel lesser, … Continue reading 20 Minutes: Letter To an Older Self
20 Minutes: Letter To a Younger Self
You are enough. Always. I know you want to make your mom, your teachers, your dance instructor, your friends, proud with your accomplishments, but they will love you regardless (or even in spite of) what you achieve. And if they don’t, then that says something too… Because the thing with real love is that it … Continue reading 20 Minutes: Letter To a Younger Self
20 Minutes: A Proud Moment
Pride is a funny thing. As girls, we’re almost programmed to suppress pride. To downplay our accomplishments: be humble and grateful. When I reflect on moments of pride I first think of key life accomplishments: being the first student selected in my competitive ballet school to make the leap into dancing en pointe; or being … Continue reading 20 Minutes: A Proud Moment
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