I sit here at the laptop, ready to do some writing for the Vancouver Island Symphony, and have before me my tattered, coverless paperback thesaurus and realize it is 50 years old this week. It's "The New Pocket Roget's Thesaurus in Dictionary Form" and has been my faithful companion all these years. What remains of the back cover says, "With this book you can find the exact words to make your language come alive!"
Like me it has aged. Because of the missing front cover the A's are a bit worn away up to 'acceptance' but after that, apart from a wee rip in 'powderiness' and in 'prediction', which also has a loose page, Thesaurus is still very much in tact, just a bit discoloured, and the edges in W, X, Y and Z are showing wear. Not bad for an old girl!
I remember the time well. It was September 1963 - my first week at school in Canada, CCVS in Cornwall, Ontario. I was only 13 and entering Grade 9 in a new country, new school, new form of education. I was shy and very insecure but because I was English and had an English accent I was quite popular and often the brunt of amicable teasing, especially from the boys. You see, it was the year that North America discovered the Beatles.
There was no thought of future, just of living in the moment; no visions of 50 years down the road or that I might become a writer. So dear Thesaurus, I wonder how many years lie ahead of us, working together on the written word? We've come so far, travelled continents together and written so many works that have been published in magazines, newspapers, newsletters, and books. It's funny how getting older gets us thinking about these things and wondering 'where will I be years from now?'
Like me it has aged. Because of the missing front cover the A's are a bit worn away up to 'acceptance' but after that, apart from a wee rip in 'powderiness' and in 'prediction', which also has a loose page, Thesaurus is still very much in tact, just a bit discoloured, and the edges in W, X, Y and Z are showing wear. Not bad for an old girl!
I remember the time well. It was September 1963 - my first week at school in Canada, CCVS in Cornwall, Ontario. I was only 13 and entering Grade 9 in a new country, new school, new form of education. I was shy and very insecure but because I was English and had an English accent I was quite popular and often the brunt of amicable teasing, especially from the boys. You see, it was the year that North America discovered the Beatles.
There was no thought of future, just of living in the moment; no visions of 50 years down the road or that I might become a writer. So dear Thesaurus, I wonder how many years lie ahead of us, working together on the written word? We've come so far, travelled continents together and written so many works that have been published in magazines, newspapers, newsletters, and books. It's funny how getting older gets us thinking about these things and wondering 'where will I be years from now?'
No comments:
Post a Comment