Emily Turner is handing out pre-stamped, empty envelopes this week in Paris as part of her brainchild – the Best Moment of Your Life Project.
The 21-year-old Dalhousie Theatre student wants people to mail her their anonymous creative submissions, to be compiled in a book, that answers the question – what was the best moment of your life?
“I’m a big fan of superlatives,” the Alberta native said, enthusiastically describing the conversation that led to her idea during a road trip to New York. “So I’m like, ‘this is the best thing that ever happened to me! This is the greatest! And at one point I said, ‘no, seriously this is the best moment of my life!’”
After the trip she dwelled on the idea, trying to narrow her memories down to just one moment. Some that topped the list include the last time her high school theatre group stood in a circle to sing a song from the musical Les Miserables.
“Everyone was crying and it was so powerful,” she said.
Another was Hill Day.
“My friend and I just decided we were going to do our entire day of camp themed on hills.” Though other camp leaders scoffed, Turner pulled off the theme.
“We got all 20 kids at camp cheering like mad to go to hills, to roll down hills,” she said. We put sponges on their elbows and we were sling-shotting eggs down hills. I have this picture of all the kids just jumping up with these bubble wrap helmets on.”
But she still hasn’t narrowed her moments down to one.
Turner hopes to return home at the end of July to a gigantic pile of mail. Proceeds from the book will fund her future volunteer ambitions in Africa, where she wants to fight the spread of AIDS.
