Berea, OH
11:55 PM
I wish I could bottle the positive feelings I have right now. My day was incredible. The crescendo was the talk at Berea High School tonight at 7 PM. We gathered in the auditorium and I shared my story and the stories of those I met on the road. The group was diverse in age and sex. I would say 75% female. There were no students. As I talked I could see and feel the group wanting to interact. And when the questions came, it was not me answering. It was a dialogue between peers with the supreme goal: helping. The group went back and forth on various topics and questions. Other people than me handled the microphone. And I sat back and smile at the topics being thrown around by a group of strangers: Passion, motivation, success, happiness, fear, trust, and the list goes on. As my coach told me many months ago, this is not about me. It’s about facilitating. Tonight I felt like I was living what I imagined.
The morning came early with a 6 AM buzzer on the cell phone. I went to the Strongsville Rotary club meeting. A group of 60 incredibly energized people lifted my non-morning person self up and got me into the groove. A full buffet breakfast was served. Two of the Three Amigos led us on a ride of barbs and jokes as they levied fines and collected Happy Dollar stories. A foreign exchange student and two high school students spoke. The Chili Golf event sounds like fun. 36 holes in the November cold with food and fund raising as the goals. Then it was time for me to speak. I’m not sure if they knew who I was or what I was all about. But as I spoke and heads nodded up and down, I knew we were connecting. I always love people staying after to talk with me and ask me questions and that happened today. This group of people come to network, but they also give back and have a strong camaraderie. Laughter is an incredible motivator and bonding tool and they had a lot of it this morning. It was a great way to start the day.
After Rotary Carol and I came back to Angel House and relaxed before the NPR show at noon. I had learned so much about Angel House from being a resident here and spending so much time with Carol, but we formalized the evolution of Angel House and Carol with a formal interview. The tape recorder came out and we covered a lot of ground. Yesterday Chris asked me what I felt when I was sitting and listening. I didn’t have an answer. Today I could feel it in my gut during a few of her experiences and advice. That feeling is always followed by a smile. Now I know where I feel it.
After a PB&J, we drove the 25 minutes to downtown Cleveland, past Jacobs Field and to the NPR station. One of the producers had to pull me out of the bathroom, but I made it on air and from what I’ve been told, I did pretty good. It is still surreal to sit there with the headphones on knowing your words are going all over the city and country. I loved the voice of Dee Perry, the host of the show. I could’ve just sat back and melted in the chair as she slowly, deliberately formed her words and asked me questions. But, because of the adrenaline, there was none of that. But her voice and smile instantly calmed me down.
Carol and I walked around downtown for a little while and then came back to get ready for the talk at Berea High. Part of the prep was a nap. Before I shut it down, I walked around the grounds of Angel House, particularly by Rocky River. Instead of going to the ridge, I went down low, to the low running water. I could picture hundreds of years ago with Indians living and fishing on the banks. On the ridge I went to the stone prayer circle and stared into it, wondering what a prayer group would be like. I’ve decided I have to come back for a sweat lodge and to learn more about the Indian ways.
And then we went to Berea HS and the dialogue continued. Even better, a small group went to Damon’s for more conversation. Some ate dinner, others wings, Carol cobbler. A few of us had beers and mine tasted sweet. What an incredible few days this has been. The wonderful, passionate people I’ve gotten to know. Spreading more of the experiences that I’ve been so lucky to have. And making new ones. What a great place and a great stop on the road. I’ll be back.