A Rite of Passage

Posted on April 30, 2013 by lynadawn

www.1123rf.com

My friend Wendee became a flight attendant when she was 50 years old. That was about 20 years ago and I’ll never forget the day I met her- a small, petite woman with short silver/white hair and a glint in her eye.

We soon became like sisters, even though she is a good 20 or so years older than me and we started bidding trips together. Did you see the movie Thelma and Louise? That was us!

Wendee was renting her house in Seattle and moved to San Francisco where we were based with United Airlines. I was commuting from Portland, Oregon and her place became my “stew pad.” . One day about a year later, Wendee decided to move back to Seattle and asked if I’d move there also and be her house mate.

Can you picture 2 tiny gals in the middle of San Fran looking at the huge Ryder truck filled with Wendee’s things?

www.ryder.com

“I’m not going to drive that thing- you drive it!” “No- YOU drive it!”

Somehow Wendee got up the nerve and took the wheel and had so much fun driving it, that I decided to take a turn. Pretty soon we were fighting for the keys! LOL

It was an amazing trip up Hwy 101 , through Ashland Oregon, to Portland where we collected my things and up to Seattle…..

****************

Shortly after, I left flying to move back east to spend time with my Dad before he passed away .

I’d been living in Asheville for about 10 years, when Wendee retired, sold her Seattle home and headed around the country in her 26′ RV. When she got to Western NC she called me up, announced “I’m here” and never left.

And now in her 70′s, Wendee is ready to get back to Seattle where her kids have all returned to, while she is still capable of the long trip .

So I’m about to help Wendee  drive her 3 small animals and her belongings across the country.

But this is more than a road trip-

I am about to embark on a Rite  of Passage with my dear friend.

And in keeping the spirit of that Lyna of 20 years ago,  whip up the courage of traveling across country in a big Penske truck …

to have what may end up being my final adventure with this lady who has shared so much of my life…..




 

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A Choice that Changed my Life

Posted on March 14, 2013 by lynadawn

Today is Mr Doodles birthday.

As I drove by the small area with a creek that I found him and his 4 siblings near 15 years ago, I realized that life is all about choices.

What if my boyfriend Derick and I had not chosen to turn around and collect these kittens to find them good homes?

They were only a few weeks old and very sweet–that is- until we put out food for them. Although there  had been the creek to drink from, it was obvious that they hadn’t eaten for quite a while and there is nothing sweet about baby  animals fighting for food.

We found good homes for 3 of the kittens. Derick wanted to keep the 2 gray ones- Po and Doodles. Because he was in a place that didn’t allow pets, I offered to keep them while he found a place to live that did.

Needless to say, Po and Doodles made me a lady with 4 inside cats.

In 2005, Po developed  an infection and that year I spent a lot of time and money trying to heal him until he passed on. In 2006 and 2008 my older girls went to Rainbow Bridge as well.

And then there was just Doodles.

Through all those years, I never really spent much time with him. Doodles was either sleeping on a closet shelf or shadowing and loving up to  his favorite older sister Liliput. So I never really got to know him until the others- who all wanted my attention were no longer here.

So now I think about choices and how if I had not made the choice to go back for those abandoned kittens 15 years ago- if they even  survived – they would probably have lived a ferrel life-scavaging for food and never knowing love.

I never would have  gone through such an agonizing year caring for my dying “fur kid” Po, who I still grieve for from time to time.

And I never would have come to know how a furry animal could help me come through some real emotional low months in my life.

Doodles- you may not give me backrubs, or make me dinner, but you bring me so much joy.You spoon with me every night, you wait eagerly for me to come home every day and you’ve taught me how to be vulnerable to love.

I’m so glad I made the choice I did that day I found you.

Happy Birthday Mr. Doodles


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The Importance of Mindfulness

Posted on January 26, 2013 by lynadawn



It started with a small book of poetry. One of my flying partners gave it to me-sharing that she met the author, Neville Cloleman on a flight and that she felt the book was meant to be  mine.

“Fly with me, on the winds of time….Set yor Spirit free,  and I’ll paint rainbows in your eyes, for all …ee…ter…nity.”-Neville Coleman

This poet had touched my heart and I had to meet him. So I wrote him a letter and we became penpals.

Soon after, on the 4th of July, I called Australia so he could hear the firework celebration that we Americans have. A few weeks after that , I flew to his home in Brisbane.

What a leprechun of a man he was. There was something magical about him.

Yet when we arrived at his remote house, he told me that he was a hermit–a true loner.  And as I spent the few days with him, I realized that Neville had a very sad -almost haunting side to him and his life. He claimed to have no family, and his friends were the creatures of the world -especially those of the ocean. He was an avid scuba diver and published the first underwater photography magazine in Australia.

Neville took me to the Rain Forest and we had a delightful picnic amidst this land of giant trees. I have a photo somewhere of me looking so small standing next to one of them.  I was so grateful that this quiet, gentle man took time away from his love of diving to share a bit of his Australian world with me.

And yet, he may have been a bit dissappointed by some of my young American attitudes. (He was 20 years my senior) and when I departed, we lost touch.

Today I learned that Neville Coleman died last year on May 5th and as I googled his life, I was amazed at all that this kind man  had achieved. I had no idea what a precious gem he was to the scientific underwater community.

“Neville Coleman has achieved excellence in many fields of self-taught expertise, including his career as an underwater explorer, naturalist and environmental photographer, photojournalist, educator, conservationist, philosopher, publisher and even as a poet, becoming to one of the most accomplished underwater natural history authors in the world. Recently (he was) awarded the Order of Australia Medal OAM- and in 2007 the naturalist Neville Coleman was inducted to the International Scuba Diving Hall Of Fame. He said on that occasion: “I realized that in the water it doesn’t matter what shaped peg you are……… round or square? UNDERWATER, everybody fits!”                –from the obit of Neville Coleman

How I wish I had been more mindful back then..more present when I was with him.

Loner that he was, he shared with me a part of himself that very few had ever known…

and  he could have taught me so much more about the meaning of life.–had I, the student been ready……

“Disguised it lies behind the eyes….. it’s there for all to find.                                    The secret source within yourself…….your magic power mind.”                                                                                                                  -Neville  Coleman

www.nevillecoleman.com.au

 

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How do you feed your soul?

Posted on December 30, 2012 by lynadawn

This holiday season, I did something that fed my soul big time….I was a Doggie Santa.

It all started last Feb when my friend Karen had a birthday lunch and asked us all to donate money to Chainfree Asheville. Not knowing about this local nonprofit, and being such an animal lover, I was excited to learn more.

I found out that Peggy Irwin (the owner of a B & B) was the catalyst in helping dogs in the area to get off their chains and have a fenced- in area to run in.

www.chainfreeasheville.org

Peggy heard of a meeting on chained dogs in 2008 , where the Asheville City Council announced it was reviewing its animal ordinances. So, within weeks she had made contacts and gathered a few kindred souls to hold an informal gathering at the North Asheville Library…and so the seed was planted.

In November 2008 CFA built their first fence for three dogs in West Asheville. They had a grateful owner and a large turnout for the Sunday build. Several other chained dogs got their freedom during the next few months. By Spring of 2009, Peggy had fought through all the red tape and had established CFA as a 501 (c) 3 non-profit organization, had raised more money, and begun her strategy to change the City ordinance.

Fence building and the education of the general public about chaining continues as CFA works with animal control to help eligible people to be compliant with the new ordinance.

You and I  donate our time and money to causes that we identify with. As a child, my cousin had a german shepard that was always on a chain on the front stoop that was 5 steps high. One day during a severe thunderstorm, afraid of the lightening, the dog – still chained- jumped to her death-which affected me greatly.

So Chainfree Asheville has been getting monthly donations from me since I first heard about it at Karen’s birthday lunch.

www.chainfreeasheville.org

And because I wanted to get up close and personal with some of the dogs that my funds helped build fences for, I spent a couple of days before Christmas- with Karen- visiting about a dozen houses that CFA built fences for. We checked on the area to make sure it was clean and had a doghouse with bedding and food and water. We brought toys and treats and spent time with the dogs and heard their stories from their owners.

It was the best Christmas gift I could have asked for.

CFA’s founder, Peggy Irwin developed cancer and made her transition on Oct 14th 2012- but her legacy – www.chainfreeasheville.org , lives on, and I am so glad to be part of it.

photo of peggy Irwin by www.chainfreeasheville.org

 

 

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The Gift that grew…..

Posted on November 27, 2012 by lynadawn

Last October, my designer friend Barb and I were talking over dinner about the holiday season. And by the time we were done with dessert, we had created a way to bring the Spirit of Giving to Asheville in a big way.

photo from Career portfolio

The Concept: Invite the community to share the spirit of giving by writing a letter about  someone who has a big heart and touches the lives of others.

The Gift: A free room makeover for the recipient of the letter that touches us the most.

The How: We contacted the editor of WNC Women Magazine and she was excited to be involved. The invite was published in the Nov issue, the winning letter  with photos of the writer and recipient in the Dec issue and the big reveal would be in the Jan issue. (Until an unexpected twist)

Nominations came flooding in, sharing stories of wonderful friends, family members  and acquaintances -inspirational stories of people helping people. It was a difficult task to choose just one winner.  But in the end Gayle Sovinee- who spent the last 6 years developing the non profit Helios Warriors- a holistic treatment center for veterans , was chosen.

But when we called to notify Gayle that she won the free makeover for a room in her home, she asked if she could re-gift it to a new office space they were creating for Helios Warriors.

So our free room make-over became so much more:

More: Because of the generous sponsors that donated furniture, accessories, personalized artwork, paint for walls , handmade curtains, photography and videotography and even a mini vacation in a B&B for Gayle.

More- because we actually “made-over” 3 treatment rooms, a meditation room. the bathroom and the reception area.

Helios Warriors meditation room

Helios Warriors meditation room

 

More: In the number of volunteers that gave their talents , skills and labor in constructing and priming the walls and electrical work.

More: In meeting some of the veterans that Helios helps and hearing their stories..

More: because the big reveal also involved a ribbon cutting with the mayor

More: because the progress of the makeover was actually written up in WNC woman Magazine in Jan, Feb and March with the big reveal in the April issue.

More: because the other letters sent in were featured throughout the year in issues of WNC magazine

We never imagined how big  this spirit of giving would be!

You can read more about Gayle and Helios Warriors in my Jan 2012 post (http://inthecreativespirit.com/2012/01)

Gayle at the big reveal

Gayle at the Big Reveal

 

And you can read more about the room makeover at these links:

http://www.wncwoman.com/2011/10/28/a-chance-to-pay-it-forward/

http://www.wncwoman.com/2011/11/30/winner-of-the-freen-room-make-over/

http://www.wncwoman.com/2012/01/02/the-room-make-over-gift-project/

http://www.wncwoman.com/2012/02/01/the-room-make-over-gift-project-2/

http://www.wncwoman.com/2012/03/02/the-room-make-over-gift-project-3/

http://www.wncwoman.com/2012/04/04/room-makeover-project-final-update/

 

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