One thing going through old photo albums does is remind us of some of our old dreams and aspirations, and of the dreams of family members.
I hadn’t recently given any thought about how my sister Hazel had wanted to be a ballerina.
There is a lovely colour image of her in her ballet outfit taken in what I thought was probably the early 1960s.
Then I found a black and white one where she looks to be about the same age and it is marked as August 1958. I’m thinking that since there is both colour and black and white photos that appear to be taken about the same time, perhaps this was a time a time when my parents had purchased a new colour camera, but were still a bit unsure about how likely the photos were going to turn out, so were still taking black and white photos as a backup.
This was a nice memory of my sister to reflect on.
When I saw this photo I also took notice of the RCA Black and White Television that Hazel is standing in front of. This was a piece of furniture in our living room and was part of the family I’d say for many years, but I think I can actually say “decades”. My Dad refused to replace it with a newer one, and I have fond memories of going to the drugstore with my Dad to buy replacements parts. These were the days when TV insides were accessible and contained numerous, large vacuum tubes. My Dad kept that TV forever it seemed and it was nice reflect on the time when you could “fix” appliances, rather than have to ‘replace’ them which is so common today.
As I’ve worked through the photo albums I noticed another image of a ballerina, which at a quick glance I could have assumed was Hazel. It was in a section with more black and white and older photos.
Then I looked at it more closely and I realized it is a photo of my mother, Joyce Florence (Healy) Wordsworth. Well, she was “Healy” when this photo was taken.
The back of postcard says the photo was of “Joyce – garden, 54 Ogilby Street, Woolwich, SE 18” My mom looks to be in her mid to late teens, but because that image is quite dark around her face it’s difficult to get an accurate read on her age.
I did think this was a lovely photograph. And it was a particularly warm feeling to think that my sister had also developed a love of dance and had aspired to be a ballerina.
Like so many families in the 1950s and 60s, we never had loads of money, and spending money on something as frivolous as going to ballet just never seemed to happen. I wish both my mother and sister could have had the luxury of spending at least some time watching ballet if they had been unable to pursue their passion themselves.
Most of us have these ambitions at a younger age. Play in the big leagues. Learn to fly a plane. Become a renowned chef. It’s good to have these dreams and even better to be able to pursue them.
Most of us don’t make it to the big leagues, or find ourselves on a red carpet, but having dreams like this is part of what makes us human.
I was happy to have discovered my mother and sister’s shared passion. Perhaps since I’m going to have more time on my hands with my upcoming retirement from Sure Flow this winter, I should endeavour to take in a ballet in their honour. Or even better, since ballet can be an acquired taste, I’ll try for “The Nutcracker” this Christmas, since the music is so recognizable.
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