ARTA Vice-President Lorna McIlroy
Responds to a Proust Questionnaire
“Carpe diem! ...is my motto; and it has served me well, leaving
me with wonderful memories and few regrets.”
What is
your motto?
Carpe diem!
(which
translates
from Latin to “seize the day”) is
my motto; and it has served me
well, leaving me with wonderful
memories and few regrets.
It means being open to new
opportunities and adventures
but does not mean making rash
decisions or giving no thought
to the future. It entails living
life to the full and being totally
involved in the moment without
dwelling on the past or worrying
about the future.
What do you appreciate
most in your friends?
It is crucial that my friends
have a good sense of humour.
First, it will help them tolerate
my own dry, often irreverent
sense of humour. Second,
it is so important to be able
to see the humour in life’s
absurdities; to laugh at oneself
and to laugh together. Finally,
a sense of humour does not
exist in isolation: there is a
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strong connection between
humour, creativity, positivity,
and empathy.
How do you find
meaning in life?
I do not fi nd meaning in life
in any building or man-made
structure; I only fi nd it in the
sights, sounds, and smells of
nature. I experience hope and
trust as I plant bulbs in the fall.
I fully expect a miracle when
I plant a tiny carrot seed or a
dried-up anemone corm, and I
am not disappointed. I admire
the resilience of trees hugging
wind-swept cliff s and the return
of fi reweed and tiger lilies after a
forest fi re.
Which talent would you
most like to have?
This same question was posed
when I was in the second grade.
My answer brought guff aws that
shook the one-room school, so
you are also allowed to laugh!
Growing up on a homestead
where our survival depended
on the weather, I immediately
knew that I wanted to be able
to control the weather. A few
decades later and a few miles
away from the farm, I still would
like to control the weather for
our farmers, as well as to avoid
the trauma and destruction
caused by hurricanes, fl oods,
and tornadoes.
What is your favourite place
in Canada?
It would be easy to say that my
favourite place is the Grande
Prairie area where I have
lived forever. Indeed, it is my
favourite place when I am there
with my family, friends, and
fl owers. My parents were born
overlooking opposite sides of
the Atlantic Ocean, so perhaps
that is why I love the ocean and
feel that it is my best-loved place
when I hear the tide lapping
or pounding on the shore. As a
judge for Communities in Bloom,
I have been privileged to visit
communities in every province
and Yukon territory. Whichever
community I am in quickly
becomes my preferred place as
I discover and celebrate what is
unique about that community.
Obviously, my favourite place is
wherever I am at the moment! ●