At fourteen years old my neighbor gave me my first job. She owned a beauty salon. It was my job to wash the hair of the ladies and to make their coffee. I was really good at washing hair but having never known even the aroma of coffee, I wasn't very good at making it. I walked up to the salon each day after school. One day I had to walk in the rain. I arrived, the boss thanked me for my diligence then gave me the day off with pay.
Then I worked at the car dealership on McLeod Drive. I arrived at 4pm each day and filed the daily invoices for an hour. Then from 5pm - 9pm I sat at the receptionist desk in the showroom and answered the phone. The salesmen hung out a my desk quite frequently. Sometimes I would have to get a ride home from one of them.
For ten days every summer I worked at the Calgary Stampede. It was a family tradition. Moana worked at one of the entry gates, Mark and Garry dressed up in the midway animal outfits, Dad worked the cowboy gate and I worked in the grandstand. We had to wear stampede colors - white shirts, red pants and a white cowboy hat.
Work was an important part of my life growing up - newspaper routes and selling lemonade in the front yard, summer jobs and working as dad's secretary. Wonderful memories and lessons that taught me the value of accomplishing something and earning the reward.
