Number 50 of 52 Compelling Communicators: Rosemary Reid
December 16, 2013
My Mom, Rosemary Reid has
always marched to the beat of an alien drum. We joke that she must be from
another planet because of her creative approach to life. I have chosen her for
this series primarily because of how she interacts with people in her world
today.
Mom toured the globe and
knows how to quickly connect with just about anyone. I have watched her head
straight for strangers in public places and strike up a conversation. She will
comment on their unique attire or accompanying child or dog to create a comfort
level. In minutes she will have them sharing family tales and amusing
anecdotes. She tells me the life
stories of the homeless man in front of the grocery store; the bored bank
security guard and housekeeping staff. She calls it the white hair affect.
Gives her privileges to approach people and ask just about anything. People
reach out for her hand and sort of head bump with her. Endearing.
She looks like a sweet
little thing but behind that Miss Marple persona lurks a brilliant and
sometimes quirky thinker. For someone
who reads the Economist every week, writes Sci-fi and has a massive repertoire
of words, she can easily sit back and let others do the talking. When people are
tedious or obnoxious she sees them as good book material. She feels sorry for
the people who have little interest in life. She cannot understand how people
can worry about things like whether their furniture is dusted properly or if
the potatoes are not mashed right. Housekeeping and cooking were never sought
after attributes in our home. Better that you had a unique opinion to share or
could relay a bit of knowledge you picked up from a book.
The only topics that completely
bore her are religion and politics. Beyond that she can discuss science,
technology, popular culture and even the stock price of Dollarama with great
fascination. She constantly conjures up ideas about housing solutions, environmental
issues and upcycling of packaging materials.
I see people’s faces light
up when she enters a room, she is always bright eyed and smiling. She compels
without a lot of words, just genuine interest. At times, it feels like she is
observing all of us under a microscope as part of an alien science project.
Of her children, she says
it doesn’t matter what we do in life, as long as it is interesting.
Thanks Mom. And, it is
always infinitely interesting because of you.
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