As an aspiring ballerina studying at the Boston Ballet as a teenager, I became obsessed with the qualities that would strengthen my opportunity to earn a spot in the apprentice company. The “right” qualities included the right weight (super skinny but athletically strong), the right height (tiny), the right proportions (long legs, long arms, long neck) and of course, the “right” feet (great turnout, high arches, strong but not too high of an instep). I intuitively knew that I could never really make the cut of being a ballerina because at 5’7” and 115 pounds, I was much too large to be a member of any major company.

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We all have our COVID shows – those highly entertaining escapes that have helped us to weather the last 10 months, providing us joy, release and relaxation. The one I have come to enjoy the most, and am absolutely obsessed with, is Jeopardy. I used to watch it once in a while to kick back. Now, it’s part of my evening routine. In Jeopardy, I get to watch quirky and exceptionally curious individuals of all backgrounds good-naturedly compete with each other for a lot of money. And when I say quirky?

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Around this time of year, I think of my beautiful Aunt Anne. Her birthday is in November, and she also passed away one year ago this month. Anne was a dedicated teacher for most of her life. In her twenties and early thirties, she gallivanted her way across Greenland, France, England and the Philippines as a civilian teacher for the Air Force. When asked to recall some of her adventures overseas, she would do so with detail and expression. She loved drinking “chocolat chaud” in Paris and attending Christmas Eve Mass with her friends.

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