The most common thing that people say to me is Wow! You’ve done so many things that I need a timeline to follow it all! Well, part of it is because I am 63 years of age and I’ve been working since I was 16. The other critical part is that I am easily bored and very curious. I also have had some very awful employers at times and I just couldn’t tolerate it. I look back at the many things I have done and I see it as my education.

I have driven a taxi/airport limousine, managed a large women’s retail store, owned and operated my own import boutique, taught Travel and Tourism, worked as a Travel Consultant, taught Secretarial Sciences, taught Hebrew School, sold Real Estate, worked in a family crisis centre in both Administration and facilitating workshops. I have been an administrator in a Pest Control company, a Maintenance company, an Insurance company and recently for a community art organization. I am an Officiant of Life Cycle Events, Reflexologist and a Doula, a group facilitator and public speaker. Now I am an ordained Kohenet -a Hebrew Priestess. I offer classes in Judaism and prepare youth for their Bar/Bat Mitzvah. I am also a human rights activist. I have been blessed with opportunity.

I find it very interesting that I was always afraid of taxis. I rarely took one and if I did, I practically held my breath waiting for them to call in my destination. I was certain they were going to kidnap me. Many years later, I was managing a Cruise Centre in London, Ontario when I learned that we had a new airport limousine company. I was fascinated and saw this as a great sideline for me. I was facing my fears and I believe it was this work that prepared me for my future activism. I got my taxi/limousine licence and was soon driving for Checker Limousine. I loved it and did this part time for 4 years. The fifth year, I drove for a taxi company full time. I started driving 12 hours a day and 7 days a week eventually reducing it to 5 days a week. One day I quit. I was afraid I would do this for the rest of my life and not use my experience and talents in any other way.

I can honestly look back at my life and say that I did not miss an opportunity – if I was unhappy then I eventually moved on. My constant advice to others is to evaluate your life and if where you are at, doesn’t serve you then it may be time to move on. At the very least, discover what it is that you are missing and what it is that you want. I encourage you to create a vision board, make lists of what brings you joy, write out your gratitudes and make the changes that you need.