Another Trail Tales: A Conversation With Inspiring Community Members happened this last Tuesday. This month, I had co-host Denny Dragan up there with me. I wrote about Denny last summer as one of the people that really supported me through my MCL tear. He was, in fact, my physical therapist (and probably as much my emotional therapist). Denny is the kind of guy that makes every single person he talks with seem like they’re the most important person in the world. Great guy and was relieved to have him up there with me this last week.
We talked with two guests, Rick Wright and Adam Short. Rick is a long-time whitewater paddler in the Bend area. He’s a true community member, sitting on the board of both the Upper Deschutes Watershed Council and the Downtown Association, and is extremely humble and well spoken. His story was poignant and the audience had a ton of questions for him. It was awesome to get some real dialog going! This was a big part of Jaymo’s and my vision for this talk series. I particularly liked hearing about his assistance to paddlers who get into trouble on the rapid in front of his house. Appropriately named after him “Wright Stuff”, it’s the first of the serious rapids on the town stretch “Riverhouse” and has given many paddlers a run for their money.
Adam was also a great guest, and turns out, the husband of a friend of mine which made it all the more interesting to me. This is so typical of Bend…we truly are still a small community. Adam was a pro-snowboarder and like many pro athletes realized his run had an expiration date. He determined to go back to school and became a PA at Desert Orthopedics. He helps people who’ve been injured via his work while raising his family of three kids and wife Tammy (awesome dancer, teacher and human).
The night was good, but here’s my “secret”. I was barely functional having been to the ER just two nights before. I’d spent the previous 2 days sleeping and surviving in considerable pain. I was only partially coherent when “interviewing” these guests. I won’t go into detail other than to say it was stomach-related and meant a clear liquid diet for several days. No bueno. I hate the feeling of being helpless and alone in my studio. It’s a scary feeling, perhaps worse than the pain. I’m on the mend now which I’m grateful for, but I am more grateful for a few people who supported me in this. A friend who called and stopped by with medication and well wishes, and Denny who prior to the event, literally had me laying on the floor of the pub doing adjustments (upstairs before anyone arrived) trying to relieve my head/neck pain that had accrued from laying in bed so much.
It’s important to acknowledge that even when we feel alone, we’re probably not. It truly is about community and I’m fortunate to be a part of an awesome one. The greatest of thanks to those who helped….We’re paddling this canoe together after all!! Thanks for listening.
Frisky Ripples 