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Rochester Local

Meet the Contributor: Lucy Baril

Lucy

I was asked to do a bit of bigger dive into myself so that the readers get to know me a bit more! So here goes!! I am French Canadian, French parents, so French being my first language. I moved here 6 years ago from Montréal, and I basically lost my identity as I literally don’t exist here. However, because of this, I became a stay-at-home mom, which was not my decision, but I am very happy that I got to do this. Being with my little prince, who has been in the USA longer then in his own country of birth, has been awesome. I will be honest and say that the first two years of being here was a bit of a shock. Things are so much different then I expected. Milk, chocolate, and butter do not taste the same. Depending on who you work for, you can be in a bubble of some sort; what I mean is that you can forget how things are because you are linked to Mayo. I can write about this another time if anyone is interested. In the meantime, let me try to answer some of the questions about myself!

What is your favorite word?

Howdy doody!

This term above used to be my go-to “HI!” I don’t know why, it just made me so very happy and for some odd reason, I stopped using it.

What gets you fired up?

My last name is Baril, the L at the end is silent. I say this now because I really don’t like how my last name is pronounced in English and even in Montréal, speaking with English-only speakers, I would say my name the way it should be said.

I never would have pushed this much but a few years ago, before I became a mother, a few ladies posted videos about being proud of your name and pronouncing it the proper way. It’s all about educating people, as we can all learn and honor their names.

Since moving here, I cannot help myself to say the name of the places Mille Lacs how it would be pronounced in French, not however it is pronounced here! Took me a year to figure out what part of Minnesota people were talking about! So I guess this gets me a bit fired up!!

What is one thing you are working on changing/ being better at?

It is very interesting as I see now that I’m in my 40s (yuck) that I am becoming more firm on certain things, and it’s something I need to work on some more…. I’ve said to whomever wants to listen to me that *I am a work in progress * construction zone* watch out!! I know that who I am now is not who I was in my 30s, and when I was in my 30s , I wasn’t who I was in my 20s. The real questions I keep asking myself are: am I happy with the new me? And, if you were to meet me when you knew me in my 20s what would you think of me now? Am I the only one thinking like this? I don’t really speak about this out loud, but I do feel that surely I cannot be alone thinking like this?

I don’t want to say I am a super shy person, but the fact is that I am quieter now than I have ever been; I pay attention to who or what is around me more; I trust my gut more. I love being with people, and now enjoy being with myself too. After all, if you cannot be happy with being who you are, who is going to like you?

Mademoiselle Nimoy’s 4th birthday

What are you most grateful for today?

I am very grateful for many things; I say 3 thank you’s most nights. Why? Well, this reminds me of how lucky I am to have the spouse I have, the kid I have, the Golden dog I have, the house we just bought. The fact that I suffer from back pain, and most days I can still walk and function makes it a great day to be happy. It brings me back to calmness when I am overwhelmed by things that are out of my control. My physicians informed me a few years ago, that I am fortunate to have been able to have my little prince, as I shouldn’t have been able to. That was a punch in the face. My body was just not meant to have another child, no matter how many times I or we tried. I still get teary eyed about this, because I am a much better mom then I thought I would be. Yes, I screw up and then I apologize to my son when I realize this, but I feel grateful to be able to say sorry when I screw up to friends or my sisters too.

What is your TV guilty pleasure?

My TV guilty pleasure would be to make sure to turn on HGTV when I know my hubby will be home soon or is about to wake up, and then he gets all irritated at me! I do like a bunch of shows that is not linked to Star Trek after all!!

ntPhoto-24
Hi
Fun face
Monkeys 6th bday cake

How do you take your coffee?

I haven’t had more then a sip of coffee, and I can guarantee you that I made a funny face afterwards. Once, a long time ago, in a galaxy far far away, a co-worker offered me what I thought were covered chocolate almonds. Without thinking, I took a huge handful, (I mean a huge handful) and put it all in my mouth… to find out after the first bite that it was chocolate covered coffee beans! Oh boy, the next few calls I got to answer in the call center were pretty interesting. Instead of saying “Canada Student Loan Program,” I would say “Canada Party Line!” and of course all the team was laughing…. with me!

What is your favorite way to start the day?

I love getting up before everyone, opening my bedroom curtains just a bit and seeing the sunrise. That usually starts my day off good!! At times, if I can get another good thing in, it would be to finish folding laundry at my pace, watching a tv show or listening to some music.

What is one of your greatest strengths?

Once someone is in my life, they are stuck with moi!  I always like to treat them the way I would like them to treat me but I also try to do the spontaneous things as I find that can make them feel extra loved/ needed/ special. Nothing fancy or expensive either. It changes per person and the time in my, or their, lives if that makes sense. I think it’s important to say what you need to say to someone, as time is never guaranteed. That way I can live with almost no regrets.

RMB Cookies with Santa

What is your favorite thing about your life?

My favorite thing about life? Baking, be it cookies, or a cake and having it all eaten up and knowing how much fun and happiness it brought me to make it. I am not an expert at decorating, but its all made with love. I love having an unexpected chat or visit or meeting with someone that makes your life even better after it has happened. I love being able to learn something, and nail it and be proud of what I did, even if I was unsure the whole time. Never giving up. I like to host get-togethers or events. I volunteer a few places as I still cannot work. I like to be involved in the community.

I am the kind of person that will smile at random people on the street. I try most days to give 3 compliments; it feels nicer when it’s to strangers, but I try to do it to everyone.

We regret more what we haven’t done, than what we have done.

Keep Smiling!

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