Getting To Know Me by Claire Tennant Teach Me Something (3) writing prompt entry Artwork by cleo85 at FanArtReview.com |
It's funny how I like to quote from musicals, in this case, ‘The King and I’. With apologies to Rogers and Hammerstein, Yul Brynner and Deborah Kerr, though I daresay none of them would care. Yet though I love music and wanted to be a singer like Mum was. I only listen to it in its various forms, despite the training in my younger days, church worship being the exception. I was born in Glasgow and am called Claire because Mum’s maiden name was Sinclair. My parents emigrated to Melbourne, Australia, in 1967. Life was not all that easy. I spoke with a strong Scottish accent and still do after all these years. Some children told me I talked funny; I thought it amusing, that those who said this, were usually of European backgrounds. Further, owing to cerebral palsy at birth, I limped and did not have the full use of my left hand. I still don’t. It is another cause for ridicule, not just from children either. Epilepsy developed but has not bothered me in thirty years. I do not drive a vehicle for that reason. One of my youth club friends lost his older sister when someone took a fit at the wheel. That was another wise decision; however, my husband, egged on by my brother, would say I am good at driving folk batty! I once considered teaching but decided it was not for me, though I worked at a tertiary college among teachers for a short while. One day, there was an urgent staff meeting for the teachers. My boss asked if I could do them a favour and listen to a group of women read out loud. The task was not daunting, but I knew that day that my decision not to teach, except Sunday school for a time, was a wise one. It is a pity that the holidays are restricted to four weeks in the year in other professions. I was always a wee bit shy until I joined the marvellous organisation called Toastmasters International. For about fifteen years, I learned the art of public speaking and debating. The art of evaluation was based on a Praise Improvement Praise, or Sandwich method manner. Toastmasters insisted that no one but no one was allowed to feel deflated or a failure by trying. Nothing took over from that hobby, though I did a little worship leading at the church for a while. I married a long-term church friend in 2013; instant grown family, and instant large bunch of in-laws. We have a toy poodle named Zack, who thinks he is the leader of the pack; on second thoughts that is more like in charge of servants. Well, that’s not all for me, but it will do for now. God Bless you all.
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Claire Tennant
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