– by Susan Simosko –
In another life, Waryn Davis might have been a professional hockey player, a tightrope walker or even a skydiver. Instead he is an elementary school teacher, a waiter and a dad but his attitude, flexibility and determination to make the most of each day put him in a league of his own.
As soon as you meet Waryn, you feel you’ve found a long-lost friend. His easy manner, open face and sense of fun immediately make you feel life is good.
Born and raised in Alberta, Waryn lived for hockey. When he was 16, he was the top prospect for the juniors in Alberta and seemed to have everything going for him until a nasty hit on the boards damaged his right shoulder and crushed his dreams of playing professionally.
Since his dad lived on Piers Island, Waryn made his way west, graduated from Parkland and began his working life. In one breath he says: “I worked at Dairy Queen, the Stonehouse Pub, in Lake Louise, at Victoria State Winery and bartended at Brewsky’s and somewhere in there went back to Edmonton for a while.” A turning point came for him when, on New Year’s Eve, the head chef in the place he was working quit and left him to fill in. “What a night,” Waryn recalls, “but I loved it. Pulling that off, I learned I could rise to almost any challenge!”
What Waryn loves most are people. Working full time and caring for his two young children, Cyprus and Kaydance, he still managed to graduate from UVic with a BA in education. “I was born to teach,” he says. “It’s what I do best.” At the moment Waryn is a substitute teacher, waiting for enough seniority to apply for a permanent, full-time position. He tells the story of a kindergarten girl he found crying in the coatroom because three classmates wouldn’t play with her. Gently Waryn told her, “Look, there are at least 50 kids in the playground who don’t know you yet. Why don’t you just go out and ask someone to play with you? You have 50 possible new friends!”
According to Waryn, she dried her eyes, smiled, and headed to the playground with determination.
“What I love about teaching and life in general,” he says, “are the infinite possibilities. I believe we can choose each day whether to be happy, sad, grumpy or whatever. I choose happiness and I love sharing this idea with kids.”
Waryn brings this philosophy to Sidney’s Sea Glass Waterfront Grill too, where he works as a waiter. “I enjoy helping people have awesome experiences,” he says with a smile. “Going out to eat should be pleasant.” He relays multiple incidences like spilled red wine or menu items no longer available or delays in the kitchen where his small interventions have turned potentially negative experiences into extremely positive ones. “I love when I can shift things from bad to great,” Waryn says.
At home, Waryn is devoted to his two children. “No matter how busy I am, I always make time for them. We have so much fun! We have games night every week and I can’t tell you how much I look forward to it. Really,” Waryn says, “I can’t believe how great things have turned out for me!”
