(Disclosure: the gist of all the below happened… I am outpouring spontaneously so it’s gonna not be exact what was said) …
“Hello again “she said
As if a a forever friend
Her sparkling aqua eyes
Radiating joy and welcome not surprise
It’s you again and your dog
Oh what a site
You’ve suited him up
And his sweater is mighty fine…
I smiled and hugged her warm
We’ve met just once before
But a welcome hello like that
From one who’s journied for several decades before
Is something I never take for granted
And with women senior to me oh I could listen for hours and hours …
“May I walk with you?” I asked
And she said “I would love nothing more”
And we strolled down the sidewalk
And shared for the next two hours…
“What brings you here? She asked
And I responded “uhyou mean right now?
She smiled at my eyes and didn’t respond but I quickly added “time to take little berk for a walk “
And what kind of dog is he she asked
And I sounded out “beeeshon freee zay”
Because I wasn’t quite sure how much she heard and I wanted her to know what I was saying
And where are you from originally
She said then “tell me again?”
I said I was born and raised in Miami and she said “oh golly is it warm down there”
And with that I said “ohh you’ve been?”
I tend to squeal if someone has
Aside: you can’t describe s place like Miami you just must experience every bit of its flare
And she said “why yes I biked there… I led a biking tour
And with that I squealed some more …
I exclaimed WHEN?
And she said “it had to be around ‘54
And there are moments in our days when I feel like shedding all the minutiae
And I know none of it is futile
But oh it was one of those moments I wanted to listen for hours
I the. Became the questioner it just is always my way
If I’m standing in front of a beacon of HERSTORY I wanna have the world hear HER -SAY
I said “how did you learn to bike
She said well it’s what we Women did
She then went on to explain she had learned in New Jersey at the all women’s college she went to
And the story didn’t always connect the dots
But this woman spoke with led many a group bicycling and not just a few miles but LOTS
She said “heard of youth hostels “
And I said “why of course”
She said “that’s where we used to date they originated for bikers in Europe “
She said “long before I married I saw the world on a bike … “
then “they asked me to join their board they knew I loved biking and traveling alright “
And I can’t even begin to describe the lump in my throat at that moment
She was just this beacon of bygolly …stop at nothing and follow follow your heart
And while we are talking she is holding my arm and she is looking down at the sidewalk
And every few feet if she sees a branch she bends down and picks it up
“Gotta keep the walks clear you never know when a bike will come by”
Oh I just wanted to hug her all day
Her stories brought such tears of hope to my eye
And every time she finished a story
She would turn to me and say
“And what brings you here
And where are you from
And tell me again your dogs name”
We walked and walked and she shared many a story
Too many to poem here now
But in listening to her journey
I felt this angel of press on and LOVE the now
And stop at nothing to pursue a dream no matter what it looks like
She saw the world from two wheels and it was long before google earth or maps made it seem safe and alright
And when the conversation would drift back to those same questions
I didn’t act frustrated at all
And I didn’t dare say I’ve already answered
I simply treated them like I was being asked for the first time and as I did we climbed a hill
And she made it to the top faster than me and then she said “you must come on in now”
And where she lives are apartments now that was once a from for a school for the blind
And she graciously showed me their meeting room community library and then the stairs we climbed
And up at the top she led me into her home
Covered with framed photos of the world
And I looked st this woman and then back at the walls and it all just struck in me a deep chord
There are the walls were images of all the places she had ever biked
But when she biked then she didn’t have a camera so after she married she took her husband who did to every site
And I just had no words because I was staring at their love and her zest scouted in about 200 framed photos
And yet how can you capture the stories and all those experiences
She had on one wall the family
She had raised two daughters across the street
And I guess when the family decided it was time that homestead was sold and now these two are dwelling in this charming nest
And I guess I felt this ache like I could have asked her for hours how did you do it
How did you overcome all the resistance all the obstacles and all that you get the world didn’t appreciate about you
How does any woman
And yet even as I was going to ask some deeper questions
The answer was already in my heart… she broke down every seeming wall because her love was greater than any opposition
And as my eyes gazed at her violins (ps she played those for decades too)
She turned and looked at me with that loving twinkle and asked
“Now what brings you here
What is your dogs name
And what is it that you do?”
By now I’m sure my tears were quietly streaming down my face
And I said to her may I hug you
And she cane near and gave me a giant hug and even kissed my cheek
So why outpour all this on the first few moments of Wednesday
Because there are moments we need to turn away from the launches
A we need to honor those who’ve gone before and millions of trails blazed
I may never know how long she served on the board of the American youth hostels
And I may never know the risks she took and how she overcame fear flying across the atlantic in the forties
And I may never know what she encountered as she ventured across borders of so many countries
But this woman
On her bike
Was the press on angel
I deeply deeply deeply needed
Wherever this finds you
May we never shun a seasoned one
May we say hello and mean it
May we listen if they tell you a story
And if they ask over and over the same question
May we answer it…
She graduated a woman’s college the year my mom was born
She toured around Europe on a bike and stayed in youth hostels long before that was cool or a mobile norm
She raised two daughters nearby a college where her husband taught physics
And she then showed him all her fave sites now captured as framed photos on canvas
I could have stayed for hours
Tomorrow I will likely go by and check on her
Maybe it’s just me
But you cant clone or app Herstory or its vital significance
Days like today remind me of a deep need within
To be able to walk around the globe capturing Herstories in every land …
May we listen more
May we love so true
When the nudge comes to take a walk
May we do and seek out whom we can say hello to.
Deepest respect and love to each of you
It’s so hard to slow down and be present but there are gifts everywhere if listen and welcome them in our hearts we let.
Love love love
#myheart2yours
#spontaneous_poeming
#womanhoodwednesday
#ruthhawkins
#herstory
#neighbors
#heart2heart
#inaweofthosewhovegonebefore
#listeningwithlove
#bicycle
#youthhostels
