They spent hours pouring over the customs and cultural of the Caribbean people, their food, the activities offered and the paradise they would be immersed in.
When the time came for their departure, my friends, whose expectations were very high, boarded a plane and flew off into their next adventure.
What they had not counted on was their luggage, packed with everything they would need for their travels, did not make it onto the plane with them. In an airline mix-up, their luggage had been mistakenly put on a flight to Colorado.
Upon their return from their Island Paradise vacation, I remember sitting down with them in a cafe where the roasted, blended and filtered coffee layered the air,with a beautiful, aromatic, lingering.
I expected to hear of their many explorations, see endless photographs of their precious time away and hear captivating stories about the Caribbean culture, they spent two weeks, being a part of.
Having lived on a tight budget and saved up enough for their idealic trip, I was eager to hear of their life experiences, while in the Caribbean- the golden sands clinging to their sandle- free toes and of the exotic meals, they were blessed to eat.
Unfortunately, what I heard about for the next hour was all about their lost luggage.
Forget the tropical paradise they had been so fortunate to be a part of...they were consumed with sheer anger and frustration over their paradise being ruined, because she didn't have the itsy bitsy bikini with her- the one she had nearly starved herself a year for- and he didn't have his silk shirts that were folded and tightly packed like a layer of crisps.
They complained about the airlines mix-up, how they still hadn't been compensated, for their 'nightmare vacation' - as they referred to it!
Despite me asking questions such as how was the food, the resort and the Caribbean culture you both were treated to? My dear friends were focused on the negative so much so- that it swallowed the pristine beauty and paradise, they had spent time immersed in.
I have never forgotten this and it has proved to be a valuable life lesson.
Therefore, in sharing my thoughts on my time spent in Desolation Sound, I prayed over the words I would compose and share about my time there.
Instead of dwelling on the negative, unforseen circumstances I found myself in, I am choosing to write about the one day of pure joy, happiness and peace, I found myself surrounded by.
While working, I discovered CBC broadcaster Grant Lawrence would be reading from his best selling stories from his books, "Adventures in Solitude" and "Return to Solitude," interwoven with his highly-rated podcasts and infused with his beautiful wife, Jill Barbers vocals. Included in this special event, was Ashleigh Ball's singing, that filled the foundation of where we the audience, were privileged to be a part of.
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| I was blessed by the personal signing Grant wrote for me~ in his book I purchased, 'Adventures in Solitude.' |
I imagined the outpouring of creativity colliding with the pounding surf, and being tussled among the waves, holding onto the harmonies.
Refuge Cove Gallery had brought Grant's "Stories and Songs," to a place where I had sought healing from my own prior health and life experiences.
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| Matt and Christine, proprietors of "Refuge Cove Gallery" who put on the outstanding event of Grant Lawrence and Friends. |
This place I had come to work and explore was for the same reasons others chose it...as a place of solitude and refuge.
Only months before, I found myself in the complete opposite situation- one of fearing for my life!
I had an open Police File, on a man who drugged me daily, scammed me of hundreds of dollars and assaulted me nightly- for a two week period, before I gathered enough strength to escape and contact the local authorities!
Inspite of my scars on my heart, and the battles I have overcome, I greeted every single customer I served -working in the general store- with exceptional service and a smile.
I also found my 'wounds' cleansed by the deep sea and a connection to my late daughter, Shayla, here. Being born in February, she was a 'fish in water' and savored the ocean, and delighted in swimming, in Okanagan Lake.
Having passed, before Christmas in 2011, from a sudden car crash at age 21....both her and I shared a common thread in standing up to our bullys.
On the difficult days I endured- crying myself to sleep over the bullying I had to put up with (despite my pleas for him to stop), I also took solace in knowing, I have survived the very worst day of my life, when my daughter's car entered the frozen reservoir...with her in it!
Nothing compares you, to having your only child pass away...
My tender heart has needed a whole lot of TLC, ever since then.
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| First Aid kit I would need... |
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| My beloved daughter Shayla Rae Dawn and I xo |
The day I spent listening to Grant read and hearing the intricate harmonies of Jill and Ashleigh, filled my weary spirit with healing and wellness.
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| Ashleigh Ball and Jill Barber wowing the crowd with their beautiful harmonies Jill Barber performed songs from her upcoming album, "Homemaker." |
I saw starfish, jellyfish and an abundance of sea life- everything except for whales, orcas and seals!
My daily highlight was to make clear, sweet water for the many hummingbirds that gathered outside my window. Their constant buzzing, was a gentle reminder that life can seem fleeting, so much that we need to slow down and appreciate the beauty in the littlest of things.
As I write this, I am drinking my brewed coffee, from the giftware I bought at the store where I worked~ a mug with the adorable depiction of a seal.
While working at the store, a combination of stress and the recent heatwave were causing havoc, on the GORE device, I have on my heart...to close a hole in it. I was born with the PFO (hole in my heart) and fortunate enough, after a Stroke and an Aneurysm, to have it surgically repaired, last summer.
I was thankful, when my best friend Judy sent me in the mail, more medications for my thyroid issue and for my Post Traumatic Stress Disorder , that I acquired...after my daughter was killed.
I also received an important phone call from Vancouver General Hospital, that the TEE Procedure I had waited a year to have done, was now scheduled for August 19th.
Originally, I had my flight on CorilAir, set for picking me up on August 15th.
Due to unforseen circumstances, I needed to leave 2 weeks earlier or risk having a heart attack, at a location, out in the middle of the Salish sea.
Prior to my departure, I had shared with my one roommate, Roman, about the loss of my only child and the last, poignant, journal entry Shayla had written, only 3 days before she died.
Roman had requested I email it to him and I did so, as it has been shared world-wide.
Later that night, as I read my daughter's wise- beyond her years- words, I realized I hadn't been kind to myself and holding onto the heartache I endured while living, temporarily in a floathouse with two other men, who were also my co-workers.
I looked at what I had taped to my bedroom wall~ a quote that I always put on display, in every remote location I've ever worked in.
These reminders, helped me to understand that I was not valued here any longer and my self-worth had depleted.
Despite greeting visitors, locals and guests with the community, with wonderful customer service, I was being subjected to tears- on a daily basis.
It was then, I realized my health and wellness needed to be my top priority and I booked a flight on the next floatplane (August 1st).
Flying over the vast blue sea, I remained silent while my kind- hearted pilot Shannon, navigated the course.
She had shown up, to find me in great distress, on the morning of my 7:30 am departure!
My device, was once again set off, by the chaos and stress inflicted by a former co-worker.
Shannon had graciously packed in all of my belongings and I was deeply grateful for the chartered, private flight, paid for by the company I had worked for.
Once in the air, I felt my heart murmurs leveling off and I soaked in all of the beautiful visions I had been blessed to see!
My Neurologist had urged me to be in a place of little stress, prior to my TEE. Therefore, I was thankful when Roman wished me well with my upcoming hospital procedure.
It's true that often times things that are rooted in negativity can be simply turned around with the proper management.
For me, I returned only to be sick for days, unsure what was the problem, I even took a Covid-19 test.
It came back negative.
My health issues were attributed to all of the negative space I had been surrounded in, while living in confined quarters with another roommate, whose daily bombardment, made it difficult to carry on in a positive manner.
However, the feeling of unwellness, finally lifted days later when I realized...
I was now in a safe place of transition and true healing.
For me, I now understand that the whole life lesson, was more about the journey- rather than the destination- in that what we often run away from still finds a way to cling to us....in a new way.
Within the sprawling countryside of where I am currently at, there is an honest feeling of refuge.
One where the next chapter of my life begins and as for my 'lost luggage'...I've handed it over to those who have a better authority over the matters that threatened to consume me, in such a place of paradise- I only hold the Joy near and dear to my weary heart.
By TL Alton
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