As the calendar prepares to turn, many people look toward the New Year with plans and intentions. At ICYAS, this threshold is also a moment to honour what continues, what has been practiced steadily beneath the surface. This reflection looks back to a simple moment and a phrase that has endured far longer than any resolution:
High Heels and Practice
Many years ago, when I was in my early twenties and living in Vancouver, I had a dear friend, the beautiful Judith. At the time, I was running the Actors’ Workshop, and Judith was an opera singer who worked closely with both the Vancouver Chamber Choir and the Vancouver Opera Company, where she was also involved in public relations.
One afternoon, we met for lunch downtown and found ourselves running late. The quickest way back to work was to catch a city bus that was just pulling away from the corner. We ran for it. I watched Judith sprint ahead of me, her outfit bright in the afternoon sun, flowing effortlessly with her movement. What impressed me most was that she was running faster than I was, in very high heels. Judith always dressed beautifully, and high heels were simply part of her way of moving through the world.
Once we were on the bus, out of breath and laughing in the way only people in their twenties can, I asked her how she could possibly run like that in those shoes. She looked straight at me and, in her rich Australian accent, said, “Practice, my dear, practice.”
I think of Judith from time to time, but I think of that response even more often. It has quietly guided many of the choices I have made in life, as well as much of the guidance I share with others. Practice, my dear, practice.
Wisdom arrives in many forms. Sometimes it comes through study and time, and sometimes it appears unexpectedly, offered in a single sentence on a city bus. I have learned that practice applies to anything worth learning or cultivating, whether it is running gracefully in high heels or sitting steadily in meditation.
On days that feel full, rushed, or uninspiring, it can be helpful to remember the words of a truly lovely opera singer. Practice, my dear, practice. With practice, what once felt unreachable begins to feel entirely within reach.
