Singer, Musician, Web Designer, Woman with Opinions.
A Digital Snapshot of A Canadian Life.
There is Nothing Worse for Mainstream Media than A Nation of Mouthpieces with Megaphones.
As a web designer, I will suggest to almost every small business client that they dedicate one page of their website to humanize themselves in this digital world we call the Internet. It’s a snapshot of who we are; most often the best part of ourselves. a resume of sorts. Except, this isn’t a business website, it is a blog. And, the wonderful thing about a blog is that the “About Me” page can be treated more loosely. I don’t have to list all of my business accomplishments, or discuss my education or post photos of myself posing with my family and my pets. Rather, I can dedicate this page to the less important things that make a person who they are. For instance, I can tell you that I grew up in the East End of Toronto, the Beaches, East York and Cabbagetown. After living in Wasaga Beach for nearly 20 years, it still feels like home when I walk around those neighbourhoods. I like the smell of lavender and recently I bought some from E-Bay just to bring a little Spring into the Winter. It worked! My car and my office smell like fresh blooms, and that very fact makes feel relaxed and chases away any winter blahs – if only momentarily. In a blog, we are free to talk about these minute details of life. Blogs are like photo snapshots. They capture small moments of our lives. You don’t need to be famous or notable in any particular way to write a blog. You just need to be able to type. I believe history will see blogs as a cultural milestone. It is the real story of a time – as experienced by the people who lived it. No generation in history has ever been so able to express themselves as individuals, and millions of us are doing it.
I have meandered a bit from the “About Me” topic of this page so let me give you the Coles Notes (Cliff Notes if you are American) version of who I am. I am a “middle-aged” (I hate that degrading description) woman who strives to live a long and healthy life. I eat as well as I can but I am not perfect. I have a sweet tooth. I spent most of my youth like so many young girls – dieting. In recent years I have rebelled and I refuse to diet any more. Guess what? I stopped gaining weight the moment I made that decision. So now I eat as sensibly as I can without depriving myself of the things I enjoy. I exercise when I can but I am not regimented about it. I enjoy my elliptical (best money I ever spent!), tennis, roller blading, walking my unruly dog and even working around the house as methods of movement. I live a very different life than most people. I don’t work 9-5. Rather, I work for myself which allows me some flexibility in my schedule, but I kid you not – I work hard! Long hours and without the benefits of statutory holidays. Another recent decision of mine was to stop working on Weekends. I try not to break that rule unless it is necessary. Being self employed can overwhelm a person pretty quickly and before you know it, you are all work and no play.
I was a full time musician before I was a web designer which was an interesting, but searingly difficult life. I don’t regret a minute of it. I met the most interesting characters and visited some places that will be burned into my memory forever. That is a young person’s life. The road was hard, it was lonely, and it was often dangerous but I wouldn’t exchange my life with anyone’s. Still, I reflect on it with such affection. I have seen whales swimming beside the boat as I travelled to Labrador. I became stranded with my band on the Island of Newfoundland for three months before figuring out a way to get back to Ontario. I nearly froze to death between Thunder Bay and Bradford, Ontario. I sat beside and chatted with architects, lawyers, doctors, bikers, prostitutes and drug addicts. I met every sort of person there is to meet. I have been to the Middle East twice, and Japan in 2008. I have travelled throughout the U.S. and Canada, big cities with millions of people, and towns with populations as small as 200. There is a wealth of memories that I will try to re-create.
For several years, I opened my home to my father-in-law who was ill with vascular dementia. It is a disease almost identical to Alzheimer’s. I will talk about that. Alex was his name and he has since passed on; mercifully I might add, but this is an experience I want to share with others who might be facing the same issue today. My dearest Grandmother (Josephine) suffered the same illness at exactly the same time. Can you imagine that? Two of my closest relatives, both stricken with the “long goodbye”. Those were difficult years but a topic that I think many will identify with.
I would like to talk about childhood. We were all children once and these are the experiences which shape us into adults. Mine was difficult. My life may have easily ended before I reached the age of two. I have a small (and getting smaller) family but the core is my Husband, my Mother, my Aunt, and my younger brother and his girlfriend. There are more relatives, but I generally will not be discussing people who aren’t a regular part of my life. This is after all – my story. I will be careful not to drag my family members and friends into this blog unless it is integral to a story. It is difficult to talk about the events of a life without including some people, but as with any blog, it will all be from my opinion, my point of view; not theirs. I will try to be fair and open about that. This blog will be about memories as much as it will be about new experiences. We are the sum of all of our experiences and this is what I hope to convey.
Welcome to my blog, and please feel free to comment if you have an opinion you would like to share.
Darlene Watters