Last week I went out for lunch with a new friend.
Jan and I had been introduced via a mutual friend, Laurie Blake, who had long insisted me meet, because we were both writers, and, of course, did share a common past working in the Ontario tourism industry.
It took a while between Laurie's initial desire for us to connect and an actual in person meeting.
But when it happened, it was, as I should have known, a delightful experience.
Jan and I hit it off immediately, talking books, and writing, and publishing, and tourism.
And we also, of course, talked a lot about our mutual friend, Laurie, whom we both adore, admire and respect so deeply.
When I left that lunch, pleased with meeting such a wonderful person, I thought I should reach out to thank Laurie for that. But when I started to think about it, I realized that I had never thanked Laurie for all of those previous gifts he had given me over the years.
I also realized that he was likely unaware of just how much he had given me, just how much he had inspired me.
And, since my podcast is about reflecting on things I have learned, I adapted all those thoughts into a special new type of episode that I will roll into the regular feed from time to time.
I call the episodes "Thanks for the Inspiration" - the first one, of course, was: "Thanks for the Inspiration: Laurie Blake."
Jan and I had been introduced via a mutual friend, Laurie Blake, who had long insisted me meet, because we were both writers, and, of course, did share a common past working in the Ontario tourism industry.
It took a while between Laurie's initial desire for us to connect and an actual in person meeting.
But when it happened, it was, as I should have known, a delightful experience.
Jan and I hit it off immediately, talking books, and writing, and publishing, and tourism.
And we also, of course, talked a lot about our mutual friend, Laurie, whom we both adore, admire and respect so deeply.
When I left that lunch, pleased with meeting such a wonderful person, I thought I should reach out to thank Laurie for that. But when I started to think about it, I realized that I had never thanked Laurie for all of those previous gifts he had given me over the years.
I also realized that he was likely unaware of just how much he had given me, just how much he had inspired me.
And, since my podcast is about reflecting on things I have learned, I adapted all those thoughts into a special new type of episode that I will roll into the regular feed from time to time.
I call the episodes "Thanks for the Inspiration" - the first one, of course, was: "Thanks for the Inspiration: Laurie Blake."
Laurie was a neighbour to me and my parents in the town where I grew up, Levack, Ontario.
He and his wife owned Fox Lake Lodge. I occasionally worked at the lodge, and had the wonderful opportunity to be a protege under Laurie both at the lodge and on some other wonderful experiences, such as being a back-up driver on a quest to Old Town, Maine, to bring back canoes.
Apart from the influence Laurie had on my character and perspectives on life, he also helped shape my skill in oral storytelling. Heck, a story that I've been sharing and have re-adapted countless times over the years, "The Legend of Prospero's Ghost" was derived from a deliciously atmospheric ghost story Laurie shared one night over a campfire and which I can still fondly conjure up each time I am sharing a ghost story.
That tale, which eventually evolved into a short story called "Prospero's Ghost" that I co-wrote with Kimberly Foottit for the anthology Campus Chills, is still one that I continue to play with an re-adapt in new ways when asked to share a ghost story.
I share all of that in my special recent podcast episode, and have made a note to continue to pause to acknowledge and thank those who have had a positive and profound impact on my own life as a person and as a creative.
I think it's important to pause and reflect and give thanks to those who have had a positive difference on your life and who likely never even knew that they did.
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