Visitor: Oh, hello Wilda. Are you free to talk for a bit?
Wilda: Sure. What’s on your mind?
Visitor: I hope you don’t think I’m nosy, but how old are you?
Wilda: I’m glad you asked. Knowing when I grew up helps people “get” my work. I was born in 1945. The North American culture had lots of expectations of children in the 50s. We were supposed to conform. I give that concept the finger by writing my unique truth. What did I just say? Everyone taught me that a nice girl should never make an obscene gesture. But I’m no longer a girl. And no longer driven by trying to appear nice, or am I? The struggle to throw off old conditioning is real.
Visitor: Where did you grow up?
Wilda: I was raised on a dairy farm in southern Ontario, in Canada and near the US border.
Visitor: How did you like growing up on a farm?
Wilda: It had its moments, like when I found a litter of kittens in the barn. For the most part, I was bored to bits. Every day seemed the same. The landscape was flat. Almost everyone I knew had been born in the community and was white, English-speaking, Protestant, and had similar opinions.
Visitor: How do you think that environment affected you.
Wilda: It fueled a desire to get out of there and experience more diversity. It also fostered an innocence about the world. I’m still coming of age. That process makes great fodder for blog entries and stand-up comedy.
Visitor: Are you aware of other influences?
Wilda: For sure. I felt a lot of pressure from my mother to be perfect. I rebelled against her but also kept trying to please her. In spite of how confident I may have appeared, I knew something in me was out of whack. I was drawn to the concept of holistic health in the 1980s, long before that term became mainstream.
Visitor: Are you still angry at your mother?
Wilda: No, thank goodness. Warm feelings toward her replaced anger quite a while ago. That’s when I stopped seeing her as a thorn in my side and started to ask what I could learn about myself in that relationship. My mother died in 1997, and I continue to process my memories of her. She’s been the subject of more than one blog entry. Her ghost even showed up in my first stand-up routine. I feigned dismay. Truthfully, I’d love to reconnect with her.
Visitor: Do you think you’ll be successful as a writer?
Wilda: If you mean attract thousands of followers, write best-sellers, and garner national and international acclaim, the chances are remote. My measure of success is whether I’m doing what makes me come alive. Preparing my blog and writing and delivering stand-up comedy are doing that in spades for now.
Visitor: Wow! Now I can say I met a successful writer. Thanks.
Wilda: You are most welcome. And thank you for coming by. I got new insights by talking with you.
