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Today a Rocket Scientist Worked on My Car

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Today a rocket scientist changed out the cabin filter in my car.

I set aside this morning to run errands: oil change, car tab renewal, bank, grocery shopping.

I thought I’d start with the one that most scared me: the oil change. I’m always a little scared I’m going to drive my car into the pit.

I got to Valvoline pretty early, and was the second car in line. While I was waiting to face my terror and drive over the pit, Ashlee came back to check my tire pressure, and to see if my lights were working. (All good!) I saw she had a *Star Trek* belt and asked her if she was a Star Trek fan – she said what she really enjoyed was *The Big Bang Theory* – and her favorite character on there was a Trekkie. I loved that Ashlee was a Big Bang fan – anyone who enjoyed that show is okay by me. 🙂

A fearless young man directed me over the pit. I thanked him for bringing me in safely and he said, “You’re welcome” – like he understood that this was serious business for me.

Everything was looking good – battery, brake fluid, and etc. Then the young woman who was ringing me up asked me how my air conditioner was working, and wondered if I might want the cabin filter changed. I had never, in the decade I’ve owned this car, had the cabin filter in it changed. It seemed like a good idea to take care of that.

She asked me if she could come around and get into the passenger side of the car, and I nodded. She opened the passenger door, and then pulled down my glove compartment box and it was like opening a secret door! There was a whole ‘nother world hidden back there!

At this point she went to get Zach, the manager. Zach is like a comic book Super Hero. I long ago discovered his brilliance when he helped me reset my old Ford Fiesta standard transmission maintenance light. The fact that he could even drive a standard transmission was cool – but knowing how to turn off that maintenance light – knowing the just right order to push which pedal and how long to hold it – that was epic.

Zach pulled out the glove compartment box completely, and then removed a panel below it, and, as he was doing this, he was pointing things out to me and explaining what he was doing, and I actually understood what he was saying! I asked him if he’d ever thought of being a teacher – he’d make a good one – and he told me he had considered that – and he knew there would be parts of teaching he’d like – but he could also see himself losing his patience sometimes, and he thought that probably wouldn’t be a good thing.

Zach was working in a very small space in my car – contorted between the passenger seat and the shield under the glove box. When I expressed sympathy to him, he told me he’d worked in smaller spaces, and this is when I learned he’d been a designer for a race car team when he was a student at the Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Prescott, Arizona. (!)

A rocket scientist was working on my car.

For personal reasons, he’d dropped out before he’d completed his degree, but he told me that he was currently enrolled in an online program through Embry-Riddle – the old credits on his transcripts had transferred into the online program – and he was working on finishing up his degree with hopes of getting into a career in aeronautical engineering.

It took Zach probably 20 minutes to get that cabin filter replaced – he’s one of the few people in the Valvoline chain trained and trusted to do this procedure, and I felt really lucky that he was there today. I had such fun chatting with Zach for those twenty minutes. I learned that he’d grown up in a town in Oregon, where his parents had both been pediatricians, and that he loved his mom and dad, but liked the freedom of living up here and being able to create his own life with his wife (whom he’d met at Embry-Riddle and is herself employed as an aeronautical engineer).

Every now and then, while Zach was working on my car, his younger Valvoline teammates would come back and check with him to make sure they were doing things right. I loved the rapport I saw between Zach and the younger technicians. I could see respect and appreciation there. I could see Zach teaching.

After he was all done, I asked him if I could give him a hug – I told him it felt like he was one of my kids. He grinned and we exchanged a hug, and I drove away smiling.

Yup. Today a rocket scientist worked on my little car. How cool is that?!

A New Magazine That Brings Us Renewal

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Excerpt from “Connecting 101: Karen Molenaar Terrell’s Lab Class on Love” from the newest edition of Renewal, published and edited by Constance Mears:
“This consciousness of cosmic connection goes beyond basic friendliness. For Karen, it’s informed by her beliefs as a Christian Scientist.”

Every month my friend, Constance, brings us inspiration, beauty and wisdom in her online magazine, “Renewal.” She brings us magic.

This month “Renewal” prepares us for Thanksgiving – for sitting down around the table with family and friends and celebrating (or rebuilding) our connections with one another.

Author Shannon Willis speaks of the importance of putting down our devices and sharing our stories with each other.

Connie talks about the tradition of gratitude, and the healing that comes from building a shrine to what’s important to us.

And look! There’s me! 😃 Connie interviewed me to get my thoughts on connection.

You can read the magazine by clicking this link and then either downloading the magazine (this issue has happy ducks on the cover) or tapping on the little “full screen” box under the cover, and clicking the arrow to turn the page. (This works best on a full-sized computer.): https://www.constancemears.com/renewal/

My NEXUS Interview and Other Fun Stuff in the Border Town

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I had an appointment at the Blaine Trusted Traveler Enrollment Center this morning, to interview for my NEXUS pass. I’ve known about this appointment for four months, and for four months I’ve stressed about it. Would I remember to bring all the right papers with me? When I was filling out the application, I’d accidentally answered the question about countries I’ve been to in the last five years by clicking on the “Austria” bubble instead of the “Australia” one – would that get me in trouble? Would there be anyone to laugh with me at the office – or would it be a very serious and solemn place?

I’d asked Scott to come with me – I told him I’d buy him breakfast afterwards. I really didn’t want to go there alone.

As soon as we stepped through the door into the office, I was greeted by a friendly man behind the counter named James. I told him I’d gotten there early, and he smiled and said he’d go ahead and take my birth certificate and passport and see if he could get me in sooner than scheduled.

Scott and I took a seat in the waiting area. There was a big-screen tv showing children’s cartoons set up to one side, and that made me smile. How thoughtful!

Soon I was called to be interviewed by an American agent who, I learned, was originally from Puerto Rico. She did a great job talking me through the interview and I told her that she would make a good teacher. She told me she actually had been a teacher in a previous career. I told her about answering the question with “Austria” instead of “Australia” – and told her I’d been a social studies teacher, and I was embarrassed that I’d clicked the wrong country. She smiled and said not to worry, she wouldn’t tell anyone – and she changed the answer for me in her computer.

I took two or three steps to the right, to talk to the Canadian agent now. He was smiling, and told me he’d been terrible at social studies. I told him that later in my career I’d had the opportunity to teach every subject – including trigonometry and geometry. He laughed and said that, because he was Asian, people often assumed he should be good at math – but he’d been terrible at math until he’d gotten the right math teacher in high school, and then math had become his favorite subject. I agreed with him that the right teacher can make all the difference.

And then – just like that – I was done!

It was time to take Scott to breakfast now, and I had in mind a little bakery in Blaine I’d visited last spring. Scott drove us into Blaine, and I pointed past the construction going on there, and told him the place I was thinking of was on the other side of that. So he parked the car, and we walked around the construction fences, past the vape shop, and into the L&L Bakery.

I love that place! There were four or five other pairs of friends there, chatting and drinking coffee at small tables; the walls are covered in colorful art; and the display case at the counter is filled with pastries and cookies, and quiches. It’s one of those places that just wraps you up in a welcoming hug when you walk in.

Lili, the owner, and Megan, were cheery and fun, and let me snap their picture behind the counter. Scott and I ate our quiches (jalapeno for him; vegetarian for me) and drank our coffees and chatted with Lili about the restaurant business, and the value of the community meeting place she and her mom (the other owner) are providing for Blaine.

After we left the bakery, Scott and I wandered through town, soaking up the Blaine vibes. There are Christmas decorations up in parts of the town; and cool murals on the walls; several “parklets” scattered along the main road; and a wide range of restaurants – Hawaiian, Mexican, Thai, a steakhouse, and a couple diners. It’s a really cool little town.

So this day that I’ve been anticipating for four months – this day that I was so stressed about – ended up bringing Scott and I new friends and good food, and a nice walk through autumn leaves.

Trust, Karen. Kindness is everywhere.

Bountiful Blessings: I Asked Love to Show Me She Existed Today

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Ask, and ye shall receive. BIG time!

I asked Love to show me She existed today – after reading the stories coming through my feed this morning, I was in sorry need of reassurance. And Love said “Okay,” and then dumped such a deluge of blessings upon me – one after an incredible ‘nother – that I’m sitting here, still trying to process all the magic She poured over me today. I think Love has a sense of humor.

When I left the house, I was feeling sort of closed-up and tentative about the world. Cautious. I thought I would just walk and observe and keep myself to myself today. But, of course that didn’t happen.

Because. Connections. A Seahawks shirt. A WSU cap. Animal-lovers. A mountaineering father. I have found I don’t need to dig too deep to find a connection with pretty much every person I meet.

The first thing that happened was I saw my old friend, Baker pup, wagging his way down the boardwalk, greeting every human who came his way. So, of course I had to stop to talk to Baker’s human and thank him for bringing Baker to the boardwalk for all of us. Not long after I gave Baker a scratch behind the ears, I came upon another one of my favorite pups, Ari. Ari’s human let me give Ari a treat so that I could become his “hero forever.” And, if I’d just met Baker and Ari, that would have been enough. But no, Love wasn’t done with me, yet.

Just before I got to the coffee shop in Boulevard Park, I saw a little pup stylin’ a purple mohawk, and I was instantly charmed. Her human, Wendy, told me that she dyes Lucy’s hair herself – using masking tape to keep the dye inside a little rectangle on top of Lucy’s head. She said Lucy loves to go shopping with her at thrift stores, and enjoys her spa days when Wendy dyes her hair and gives her doggy massages. The idea of a spa day for Lucy totally tickled me. Wendy graciously agreed to let me take little Lucy’s picture.

I walked into the Wood’s in Boulevard Park to get myself a mocha. The barista fed me my line: “And what’s a good name for that drink?”

To which I answered my usual, “Well, I’m not sure it’s a good name, but my name is ‘Karen.'”

To which he answered, “I love that name! My mom is named Karen!”

To which, I gave him the highest tip.

As I stood off to the side, waiting for my drink, I saw a young man wearing a WSU cap. “Go Cougs!” I said, and he started grinning. I told him the year I’d graduated from WSU – long, long ago – and learned he’d just graduated in June. I learned that his friend also graduated from WSU, and is going to Tennessee soon, to get her law degree. My new friends introduced themselves as Emma and Austin, and cheerfully agreed to let me snap their photo.

I finished my mocha outside at a picnic table, people-watching and listening to the breeze gently rustle the autumn leaves above me. I felt such peace there.

A couple of women passed by, and one of them stopped and started frantically patting down her pockets. Uh oh. “Did you lose something?” I asked, concerned for her. She smiled and said she thought she’d lost her phone, but she found it. Whew!

When I felt it was time, I moved on down the boardwalk. I’d just gotten to the end of the first boardwalk section, when I saw a little group of people pointing and looking into one of the pine trees there. I was curious, and asked them what they saw. They told me there was an animal in a nest in the branches, and they helped me find it. I tried to get a picture, but the nest was hidden in the shadows of the tree, and it was hard to get a clear shot. For a while we stood together, speculating about what kind of an animal this was – we knew it wasn’t a squirrel because it didn’t have a squirrel tail, but see? There’s its ears and “I think it’s looking at us.” Someone thought it might be a mouse. I suggested it might be a completely new kind of creature – half-bird and half-mammal. And my new friends played along with me.

I loved these people. I asked them if they were from Bellingham, and learned they were visiting from Florida. I welcomed them to my part of the world and thanked them for sharing their discovery with me. And, of course, I asked if I could take their picture. I told them I was collecting magic today, and they were a part of that. So we all introduced ourselves, and I learned my new friends were Lin, Portia, and David.

After Lin, Portia, and David continued on their journey, I stayed a little longer to see if I could get a better view of the creature in the tree. And when Caden and Kylie passed by, I could tell they were people who would enjoy seeing the nest, too. So now *I* got to share the nest-magic with more cool new friends!

Little Fig pup appeared on the path as I was heading for the second section of the boardwalk. She just radiated friendly puppyness and it was impossible to NOT take her photo.

When I got to the ramp above Taylor Dock I found the women who’d passed me while I sat at the picnic bench in Boulevard Park – when I’d thought one of them had lost something. They recognized me and asked me if I’d take their photo for them. I did that for them, and then they posed for me so I could take their photo for myself. Rose and Claire were very fun. I learned that they were visiting Bellingham from Alberta, and I thanked them for coming down from Canada to see us.

But wait! There’s more!

When I got up to Fairhaven, I texted my husband to let him know I was bringing home dinner, and stopped at OVN to order a pizza for us. While I waited outside for my pizza, I noticed a dog at the next table was sticking her snout in between her humans, looking for attention, and I started grinning. More pup magic! I told the family around the table that I was loving their dog, and they started laughing. They said Kodak ignores them when they want to give her attention, but then inserts herself between them when SHE wants attention. “Like a cat,” I said, nodding, and they laughed and agreed.

I came over to their table to get a picture of Kodak, and to give her a pet on the head. Kodak’s family introduced themselves to me then. Cindy was the matriarch, and her children Zoe and Jordan were with her, and their friends, Vaughn, and Lani. I learned, then, that Kodak’s family was up in Bellingham because Zoe was attending WWU this year to study anthropology. And all this got us to talking about state universities. I told them one of my sons had attended WWU, the other one had attended WSU, I had attended WSU, and my father had attended UW. I said my dad and I had enjoyed the Apple Cups together – but, of course, that’s all different now from when he was alive. Cindy said her dad had gone to UW, too, and maybe her dad and mine had known each other! And then one thing led to another – we started talking about our dads – and we discovered they’d both been renowned mountaineers and almost surely had known each other!!! Her father, Jack Kendrick, had been one of Fred Beckey’s climbing partners and had climbed with the Whittaker twins. I told Cindy my pop had climbed Mount Kennedy with the Whittakers, and was probably best known for his participation in the 1953 K2 Expedition.

It was so fun talking to Cindy and hearing again the names of people from Dad’s circle of friends! (Here’s more about Jack Kendrick: https://www.mountaineers.org/…/in-memory-of-jack-kendrick ) (And here’s more about Pop: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dee_Molenaar )

Connections! I love these connections we all have with one another.

But wait! There’s more!

My pizza had been brought out by this time and it was time to go. So I bid my new friends goodbye, grabbed my pizza, and headed up to my car. When I got to the statue of J.J. Harris sitting on the bench at the corner of 11th and Harris, I saw a man in a Seahawks sweatshirt who looked like he might be wanting to sit next to Mr. Harris on the bench. I said, “Go Seahawks!” and asked him if he was thinking of sitting on the bench. He started laughing and said he hadn’t been thinking of that, but he would do that for me if I needed someone in a photo. So he sat on the bench for me. I took a photo of him with his cell and then took a picture of him with mine. I learned that Parry was visiting Bellingham from BC, and I told him I was so happy to see Canadians visiting us.

Parry reassured me that we’re “all one” – and it felt like Love Herself speaking to me.

We Are Rays of the Same Sun

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We are words in the same poem.
We are notes in the same song.
We are cells of the same body.
We are rays of the same sun.
We are brushstrokes in the same painting.
We’re all a part of the One.

-Karen Molenaar Terrell

Rainbow Over the Skagit Flats

Gifts from the Cosmos

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I had a most cosmic day, my friends!

I didn’t sleep well last night – woke up at 3:00 feeling disturbed and distressed about the state of the world. Came downstairs to play wordle games – sometimes word puzzles are soothing for me. And, as I was toodling around on my laptop, I clicked on my email and found an unexpected message waiting for me there from a dear friend. The message was full of support and kindness – the words were just what I needed. I recognized this was Love speaking to me.

Eventually I went back to bed and slept a couple more hours. When I woke up I felt impelled to go up to Bellingham for a walk. Before I left, I almost messaged my friend, Rebecca, asking her if she’d be able to meet me at the coffee shop in Boulevard Park – I haven’t seen Rebecca for a while and missed her – but I know how busy she is, and felt hesitant to ask for her time. So, without messaging her, I got in my car and headed up to Bellingham, via I-5.

I-5 was really busy, though, and I soon left the freeway to take the backroads up there. On my way up, I actually passed Rebecca’s home and the thought occurred to me that I could just stop by and see if she was available. But, again, I was hesitant to impose on her time, so I kept going.

When I got to Boulevard Park, I found a rock with “JOY” painted on it, nestled on a big piece of driftwood. It was the exactly right thought I needed right then. Cosmic!

I went into Wood’s at Boulevard Park and ordered myself a mocha. As I was ordering my drink, I glanced over and saw a couple waiting for their coffees – and the way they were standing they looked like they were dancers holding ballet positions. The man looked to be in ballet position 2, and the woman to be in ballet position 4 – and they looked so beautiful standing there that I, of course, had to say something. “You look like dancers posing,” I said. “You’re beautiful!” And they both started grinning and laughing. The man said he was just trying to stretch his legs after his drive from Bellevue. He asked me if I was a local, and I said I was from Bow, twenty minutes to the south. I learned they were from Boston, but the man was in Bellevue on business for a couple weeks, and had brought his wife, Sofi, with him. They were lovely. When they got their drinks, they turned and smiled and wished me a good day, and I wished them the same.

When I got my mocha I stepped out of the coffee shop and saw before me little Bear, Rebecca’s pup, standing in front of me! And there was Rebecca!!! Cosmic!!!

We sat down at a picnic table in the park and talked and laughed and talked and cried and laughed some more, and chatted with the people who walked by on the sidewalk. And in this manner we met:

– Sue (in the jaunty turquoise hat), who comes down from Vancouver every month with her husband to eat at Magdalena’s Creperie in Fairhaven. (Today she’d had a Belgian chocolate/banana/caramel-filled crepe topped with whipped cream – she showed us a picture on her cellphone. Yum! )

– Everett, from Michigan, who asked Rebecca and I if we’d like him to take our photo for us. I handed him my phone the wrong way and it took us a while to figure out that he was having problems taking our picture because the camera was pointed at him, rather than us. 😃 That gave us all a good laugh. And then, once our photo was taken, I, of course, had to take HIS photo.

– Mikey and Grant, whom I’d noticed when I’d driven through Fairhaven earlier. I’d seen them pointing up the hill and giving directions to a couple on the sidewalk. I saw these two men again in Boulevard Park. I told them I’d witnessed them giving directions in Fairhaven, and they nodded and smiled. They introduced themselves as Mikey and Grant, and Mikey said he’d always wanted to be a person who could give directions to someone else, and today it had finally happened that he knew how to get to the place someone wanted to go!

– Steven, who went weaving by us on his skateboard like a pro. He stopped to chat with us, and even went back and did some more weaving for me so’s I could get a photo and a video.

After we’d finished our drinks, we headed down the boardwalk for some exercise. This is when we met two sweet new pup-friends – who, for reasons of privacy, I shall refer to as Pup 1 and Pup 2. Little Bear really enjoyed meeting new pup friends, too.

When we got to the top of the Taylor Dock ramp, we decided to go back to Boulevard Park by way of the path that meets up with the Boulevard Park road. And there were more people to meet! We waved to the Jehovah’s Witnesses at the top of the ramp – we’re all old friends now; said hi to a young man as we passed him reading a book in his van-home; and hugged and said goodbye when we reached the park.

I discovered today that Rebecca is the perfect person to meet new people with – she gets it! She understands those connections that keep our world turning.

And how cosmic to run into her today! What a gift from the Cosmos!

Magic Was Waiting for Me!

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July 26:
Magic, my friends! I got out of bed (I was sorely tempted to stay there) and the Cosmos rewarded me with bounteous gifts!

My original thought was to go to Fred’s for some quick grocery-shopping – I wanted eggs to make a quiche – but when I got to the roundabout I found myself taking the exit to I-5, heading south to Mount Vernon. And when I got to Mount Vernon I discovered there was a Farmers Market going on there.

What a happy place! – fresh fruits and veggies, woodcraft and art, honey and baked goods, kind people and smiling babies, and music!

I bought a bracelet from Jess, raspberries from Harrison, and honey from Jen. And I found perfect magic when I heard a beautiful voice singing under the busker’s tent. Isabella is a gifted musician – and, as it turns out, she wasn’t even the featured artist! The musician actually scheduled to play had loaned Isabella his guitar, and invited her to sing a song. Isabella has only been playing guitar for a year, and she’s still in high school – but she has the presence and poise of a professional performer. I was blown away by her music.

As I was about to leave, I saw my dear friend, Claudia, sitting on a bench, waiting for a bus. I haven’t seen Claudia for months and I’ve missed her – so to find her, unexpectedly, at the Farmers Market was another gift from the Cosmos. We hugged and greeted each other, and she told me what she’d been able to find at the Farmers Market – this included eggs. “Eggs! I was going to stop at Fred’s and get eggs! Are there eggs here?!” Claudia pointed towards the market and I could clearly see a sign for “EGGS” – how I’d missed this before, I do not know.

I hugged Claudia good bye as she went to get on her bus, and then I went to fetch myself some eggs from John at his stand.

When I turned around, I saw another dear friend – Ann – standing in front of me! Ann and I hugged and sat on the bench and got caught up – talked about family and life. Ann has a calm, gentle presence, and I think the Cosmos must have known that’s what I needed today.

I have now made quiche from the eggs John sold me, and raspberry jam from the raspberries I bought from the Lopez farmstand.

I’m so glad I got out of bed today. Magic was waiting for me!

Pictured in the collage: Clark, Apolonia, Dru, Harrison, Jess, John, Jen, Roberta, and officers from the Mount Vernon Police Dept.

Also pictured: Logan, LDS missionaries Watkins and Hawkins; Isabella singing.

“I Have Found My People!”

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I met so many lovely people on our trip to California.

Scott and I got to the parking lot later than we’d expected because the exit off-ramp from I-5 to Sea-Tac was closed and we had to find a different route. But, as Scott pointed out, if we’d hadn’t gotten there later we might not have had Jose as our shuttle driver, and that would have been a huge loss for us. As soon as I saw Jose I recognized him as the driver I’d had before who had sung to us on the drive to the airport. (I posted a video of him on Facebook singing to us.) I reintroduced myself and asked Jose if he was going to sing to us again. Jose smiled and said he always sang. So we got to start our trip with the accompaniment of Jose’s wonderful singing.

We spent most of our time in California in and around Venice. One of our first adventures was a trip to Fishermen’s Village, and it was there that I met Cindy, who was manning the window at the creperie restaurant. Cindy was kind and helpful as I tried to navigate working with one hand – I had my grandbaby resting on one arm, and my purse dangling from my other arm, and Cindy could see before I did that I was going to need help putting the straw in little Linh’s lemonade. So she ripped off the paper from one end of the straw and then held the straw for me so I could pull it out. Team work!

After our visit to Fishermen’s Village, our son guided us up to the top of Marine Park, where there was a great viewpoint of LA in the valley below. On the short hike to the viewpoint I passed a young man with a great shirt that read: “NATIONAL SARCASTIC SOCIETY: LIKE WE NEED YOUR SUPPORT.” I stopped him to read the shirt again, and started laughing. “I have found my people!” I told him. He laughed with me, and I introduced myself as “Karen, of course” and he introduced himself as Diego.

The next day we spent time just taking in Venice. I got a mango juice at a juicery and we met Nancy, the owner of the shop, who is, like my daughter-in-law, of Viet heritage. My daughter-in-law asked Nancy if she spoke Vietnamese – she’s always looking for an opportunity to practice her parents’ first language – and pretty soon the two of them were carrying on a lively conversation – that was so cool!

While we waited in line, another woman, Iliana, got in line to order something. When I was handed my mango juice, I tipped the cup and a little juice splattered down my front. I didn’t noticed, but Iliano took care of me – she looked over and said, “Careful there.” Iliana saved me from making a bigger mess of myself. Like us, Iliana wanted to order from an actual person, rather than from the computer, but, when a couple of other people stepped in front of her to use the computer, I was worried that the juice workers weren’t going to be able to see her. My daughter-in-law picked up on my worries, and let the server know that Iliana was there. I told Iliana, “You took care of me, and now we’re taking care of you.” Iliana grinned. When we left we all wished each other a good day.

We passed the Washington Square Pizza, where a man was wearing a plackard for the pizza shop that read “KISS’N COSTS EXTRA $5” to attract people into the restaurant. He was a character with comic timing. When I asked for his name, he said just tag it “Washington Square Pizza.” He added that instead of making money for the restaurant he feared he might have actually lost them money, and he really hoped he wasn’t going to get fired on his first day.

We stopped at the Lavender and Truffles Dairy Free Ice Cream shop, where our son treated us to ice creams, and where we met the delightful owner, Alicia. The shop was a little oasis of calm and peace – a cool respite from the heat, and with soothing and beautiful artwork on the walls. It was a restful stop on a busy day.

Yesterday we traveled back to Sea-Tac. (I think right after we arrived at Sea-Tac, the airline grounded all planes for a few hours – we were blessed to leave LAX when we did.)

Waiting in line at LAX to get through security, there was a family ahead of us – a woman of about my age (she looked like the grandma version of Leslie Uggams), a younger man and woman, and two young girls. I took an instant liking to this family. The youngest one reminded me a little of my granddaughter – lively and observant and chatty. The older woman – maybe her grandma? – remarked to me that “she never stops talking.” I started laughing. At one point the little girl pulled on one of the security ropes and it snapped undone. Her family looked back nervously, and I said, “I think I can fix that for you.” I grabbed the free end of the rope and slid it into its track and it was back to itself. The grandma turned and smiled and thanked me. Getting through security can be a long process, and I voiced this to the grandma. I added, “And it can be kind of scary. But we’re going to be okay.” The grandma nodded her head once, empathically, and said, “We’re going to be just fine.” If I’d had doubts before, I didn’t after that head nod.

A man in his thirties a little ahead of me in the line, was soon next to me as the line wove back-and-forth through the security ropes. I noticed his shirt. It said “Altadena” on it. I felt my eyes tearing up. “Are you from Altadena?” I asked. He nodded and brought his hand to his chest in a gesture that thanked me for asking. He said he’d lost his home in the fire – the whole town was gone. I told him I’d heard from people who’d known Altadena that it had been a wonderful community. The man nodded, and said, “A secret.” As he moved passed me we smiled at each other one more time, and wished each other good travels.

The plane ride home was pretty quick and uneventful. I was sitting in the middle seat – Scott on my right by the window, and another man on my left. Once again, I had good seat companions. The man to my left was watching “Living on the Spectrum” on his i-phone. The man one row ahead of me and to the left was watching a sci-fi movie. The young woman one row ahead of me and to the right was watching “Creed.” I found my eyes flicking from one to the other, watching their shows with them. When we landed, I let them know what I’d been up to, and they all started laughing. “When you get bored, you just go to another show,” the man who’d been watching “Prometheus” (the prequel to “Alien”) told me. I thanked the man who’d been sitting to my left for being a good seat mate, and he smiled and said, “Likewise.”

And guess who was driving our shuttlebus when we got there?! Jose normally has Sundays off, but he’d been called in to work for someone who couldn’t make it in – so there was Jose! He grinned when he saw me, and I grinned back. A young man in his early thirties sat down in the seat opposite us, and I told him he was going to get to hear Jose sing. He was up for that! The young man, Keith, had the same energy as my sons, and we were soon in conversation about outdoor adventures, and the people I knew in his hometown of Port Townsend, and Scott and I learned that Keith had started a non-profit in Port Townsend to help in food production. How cool is that?!

Jose returned us safely to our car, singing all the way. And so our journey ended as it had begun – with the voice of Jose assuring us the world is good.

Here’s the clip I made of Jose singing to us (Youtube): https://youtu.be/n6xDZol0aig

A Collective Awakening

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I can imagine it –
all the world waking up one morning
as if from a strange dream –
shaking our heads to clear the last
of it from our thoughts
and looking around at the beauty
surrounding us – the beauty
that’s always been here –
as if we’re seeing it for the first time.
I can imagine us blinking our eyes
at the wonder of the first sunrise
after our collective awakening.
Looking at each other with new eyes –
recognizing the Love that’s always
bound and connected us to each other.
Seeing in each other the splendor
of our universal body.
I can imagine it like it’s happening
right now.

– Karen Molenaar Terrell

Moon Over Mount Baker

I Felt Myself Slipping Into the Abyss and Went in Search of Magic

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My newsfeed was full of dark and scary things when I turned on my cellphone this morning and I felt myself slipping into the abyss. I knew I needed to get myself up to Bellingham for a therapy session with sunshine and fresh air and smiling people and pups.

As I was walking down the boardwalk towards Boulevard Park, a man on a bicycle approached from the opposite direction. As he went passed he smiled and pointed back the direction he’d come. “Two eagles in the second tree!” he said.

I knew exactly the tree he was talking about and thought maybe if I climbed up to the top of the knoll I’d be closer to the eagles. But when I got up there, I realized the eagles were on the other side of the tree, and I’d actually have a better view of them from down below.

When I got back down on the trail I could see the pair of eagles right above me. I pointed them out to a young woman named Lisa who stopped to enjoy them with me for a bit. Then three women – maybe of three different generations? – stopped to watch the eagles with me. I told them that I’d often seen one eagle up there, but I hadn’t seen two in the tree before. The younger woman said something to the other women and I recognized the Spanish word for “two” – “dos.” I nodded and smiled, “Yes! Dos!” And they all grinned with me. I thanked them for sharing that moment with me. They nodded and smiled. New friends!

When I got down to Boulevard Park, I went into the coffee shop to get an iced coffee. A woman in a pretty dress walked into the coffee shop. Her dress was cheery and colorful and it made me smile. I told the woman I loved what she was wearing and she smiled and thanked me. Then I took my iced coffee out to a picnic table to watch passersby and the boats on the bay.

Pretty soon a fluffy puppy walked by with his humans – a father and a young son. I asked Mario if I could meet his puppy and take a picture and he smiled and said sure. Little Yoshi is a Burmese Mountain dog, and he’s going to get much bigger before he’s done growing. He’s wonderfully photogenic – seemed to know exactly how to pose for me – and Mario told me that Yoshi has his own instagram account with thousands of followers. I am not surprised by this.

A woman stopped at my picnic table with her friend to ask me if I was Karen from Facebook. And this is how I came to at last meet my Facebook friend LaVonne in the person. LaVonne and I travel in a lot of the same FB circles – birding groups and The Seeing Bellingham group. It was very cool that she recognized me. LaVonne and her friend, Gina, sat and chatted with me for a while about birds and sign language (Gina is an expert in this) and the beauty of the day and Gina’s amazing purple hair.

From the picnic table, I could see the pair of eagles still sitting in their tree. It occurred to me that if I went back to my car by way of the road to Boulevard Park, I might actually get a great view of the eagles. So that’s what I did. By using the road, I was able to get pretty close to the raptors. It was cool.

Just as I was getting back to my car, I saw the woman in the pretty dress again – this time with her husband and a pup. I learned her name is Stephanie, and her husband’s name is Nick, and I learned their pup is named Zena. They all (including the pup) graciously agreed to pose for me.

This morning I went in search of magic – and I found it!