Maria Harden

I am in a store when I spy an updated version of Roget’s Thesaurus in a rack of books. It makes the breath catch in my throat. What, but a Roget’s Thesaurus, could have that effect on a writer?

A memory emerges of the day in 1974 when I am nineteen years old and about to board a bus for a city several hundred miles away. My meager resources show I have just enough cash left to buy a book. Instead of purchasing a romance novel, I am drawn to a Thesaurus like a bee to nectar, aware that it will be a valuable tool someday. I pay for it; hug it to my heart as I would a beloved child.

Three decades and tens of thousands of written words later, I wonder if it is time to replace the old with the new. The words within those dog-eared, yellowed pages have been the impetus that fueled my passion for writing. Some of the pages crackle with fragility, separated from the spine and loosely thrust inside in some semblance of order. Even though I have a Thesaurus on my computer, I prefer the feel and smell of a real book. I position the new Thesaurus next to a collection of dictionaries, then reach for my old, tattered friend and thumb though the brittle pages. I hesitate; then carefully place it on the other side of the new one. It looks good there.

Over the years, articles, essays and stories published in various media have relied on the Thesaurus to bring my writing to life and to bring life to my writing.

But that is just a small part of what I do and who I am.

Life dealt me a change that ended up being the proverbial silver lining. After a long banking career ended, I changed my focus and found a job I actually love. Someone recently remarked, “You’ve lost the stress lines in your face.” What a testimony.

Most of my free time is spent with my family, and I feel very blessed that we are close in proximity and heart. No one ever said on his or her deathbed, "Gee, I wish I had spent more time at the office," but I bet plenty of people wished they had spent more time with their families. I believe in doing things that I truly enjoy. Life is too short to do otherwise. A day enjoyed is a day well spent.

A few idiosyncrasies about me:
• I do crosswords in pen.
• I have never parallel parked since I got my driver’s license, and I have never pumped gas. (Thank goodness for full serve gas stations!)
• I once walked twenty-five miles in a walk-a-thon for charity, then after a brief rest, walked two miles to visit a friend, and then walked back home.
• My pet peeve is when people call me "Marie." I spend my life saying, "It’s not Marie; it’s Maria." And no, I am not Italian, Portuguese, or Spanish. I was born in Finland, and have been a Canadian citizen since 1964.
• I grew my hair really long and then got it cut last year and donated it to a program that makes wigs for children with cancer. I feel very strongly about supporting charities who help cancer patients in any way.

Story ID:	617
Written by:	OurEcho Admin (bio, link, contact, other stories)
Story type:	In The Spotlight
Location:	Winnipeg MB Canada
Year:	2006
Person:	Maria Harden