[Swizec]

I'm told that as a toddler, even as a baby, I loved nothing more than spend time by myself. My mum would put me to bed as a baby and instead of falling asleep I'd just stare at the ceiling for hours on end absorbed in my own mind.

This behaviour continued when I was older. I would spend most of my time running around the backyard and getting into all sorts of trouble without much supervision. The only thing I remember from those times are that I was deadly afraid of the very big steep hill that formed a natural border on one side of the yard, the upstairs balcony that had no railings, and the wooden stairs that lead upstairs.

I imagine those fears were instilled by my parents to keep me safe. Those areas were dangerous to visit on my own, so naturally they made me so afraid of them, that I wouldn't dare even get close.

It worked out pretty well. I have never had a broken bone in my life and I learned to be fairly independent early on (for instance, I would walk to school every morning for about 1km on a road without sidewalks when I was 7 years old)