Hello my friends,
Do you talk to someone in the grocery line? Do you wave hello to neighbours?
I love talking to people. You never know what you can learn or who you can meet. It usually starts with me saying, “Beautiful day, eh?” And then we talk about the weather. People love talking about the weather, so bringing it up usually breaks the ice. Some conversations continue and some end, but it’s still was fun chatting.
When I moved to Brantford, Ontario, from Dundas/Hamilton area (about a 40-minute drive east from Brantford), I didn’t know anyone, so, even before I moved, I signed up to volunteer at the hospital, the SPCA, and at a community centre. I knew that if I wanted to live here, I had to get to know the community.
My early time at the hospital was spent in the emergency department. It really is emergency, and everything has to be done an hour ago. It is an exciting place to be, but the work is extreme, and since I’m just a volunteer, I moved to the cardiology ward, whose pace is much slower. I have a better opportunity to get to know the staff. The patients aren’t there long, and I only volunteer Tuesday afternoons, so patients change often.
For the community centre, they had me write the profiles of all the volunteers. Now that was a great job. I got to meet everyone. I wrote nine questions down which I asked each volunteer. From their answers, I’d create their profile. I only wrote positives, causing some to thank me because they’ve never sounded better. People were proud to volunteer there and we were a strong community. That all changed with Covid.
But! I met people through my volunteering who have become friends, and my life is full of community. That’s why I don’t hesitate to talk to anyone. You never know what will become of it.
In my upcoming book, Murder at the Canadian National Exhibition, my main character is like me. Abby is happy to talk with everyone. She meets all kinds of people while she’s at the CNE.
However, for Abby, talking to everyone puts her in a dangerous situation.
Are Abby’s introductions random or deliberate?
If you want to follow the mystery, please read Murder at the Canadian National Exhibition. It launches on Monday, August 4th, but you can get a sneak peek at the first three chapters by signing up here.
- If you’d like to get the book before anyone else does, JOIN THE SECRET LAUNCH TEAM here.
- I am featured in the June issue of The New Canadian Stories Magazine. Order a copy of a real magazine. www.thenewcanadianstories.ca
- Please like my Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/pattylesserauthor/ and my Instagram https://www.instagram.com/pattylesser6/.
Have a great day,
Patty
www.pattylesser.com
