news&views Spring 2021 | Page 23

Robert Michon | Communications Specialist , ARTA

What is your favourite virtue ?

Humility . Humans have been on this planet for more than 200,000 years and , at this moment in time , we are each part of a community made up of 7.8 billion lived experiences . It ’ s always worthwhile to take a step back and remind myself that my perspective is only one of many . It is important to listen , observe , and give space to quieter voices where you can .

What is your idea of happiness ?

I like to find happiness in moments of stillness . Sitting by the river , watching the clouds roll by , listening to the rain . These are moments when the world seems to melt away and I feel removed from whatever worries chase me or lie in wait down the road . They ’ re not moments of unbridled joy that I remember for years to come , but they work to create a foundation of tranquility that I can build upon in the days that follow .

Who is your favourite hero or heroine in fiction ?

Bilbo Baggins was a man devoted to comfort and routine , until a new friend gave him a push and set him on the path of adventure . Bilbo taught me that we can ’ t always choose what the next stage of our journey will look like , but we can rise to meet its challenges . If we ’ re lucky , we ’ ll find ourselves profoundly changed by the experience , often in ways we didn ’ t quite expect .

How do you find meaning in life ?

Change , it seems , is the only constant in life . I try to find meaning within those changes . I keep a daily journal , each page a snapshot of my mind on a given day . It ’ s a powerful experience to look back on the past week , month , or year and see how I have changed and grown . It acts as a log of who I was , who I hoped to become , and who I might yet be .

What is your favourite place in Canada ?

I don ’ t have to travel far to visit my favourite place . Elk Island National Park may not have the sweeping vistas or humbling landscapes of the Rocky Mountains , but it ’ s home to a quiet beauty that still manages to take my breath away . You never know when your hike might be interrupted by a herd of wild bison or when the clouds will part at night to reveal the glow of the Milky Way , spread out above you as it was meant to be seen . It ’ s a wildlife sanctuary , but also , I think , a sanctuary for the heart and mind .

Elk Island National Park , photo by Chaplain ( CC BY-SA 4.0 ) news & views SPRING 2021 | 23