Celebrating One Year ...

I just made the twelfth mortgage payment on my dream property. I turned it into a ceremony of sorts. A celebration. I wrote out the check with my favorite purple inked pen. The pen I've used to autograph my books. There is something about the energy of purple that makes my heart beat happy.

​I pay all my bills electronically, but for some reason, I make it a ritual to write out the mortgage check each month. Then I get in the car, drive through the neighborhood, walk into the bank and present my check to the teller. Perhaps it symbolizes the "old way" of doing things and is my way of connecting the past with the present. Perhaps it's simply about the ritual that reminds me of how it all came to be.  Or perhaps it's to honor the property, the beauty that surrounds it and it's place in the community. But it feels important ... and special. And today it seemed even moreso.

I picked up the check and my car keys from my kitchen table. I paused for a minute to take in the view of Mount Chocorua and the way the sun was dancing on the leaves that burst from their buds over the past couple of weeks. I walked into the living room and watched the family of geese play in Forrest Brook. What a wonderful spot Mom and Dad picked to teach their young how to swim and play!

I walked downstairs through the barn and paused to reflect on all the changes that have been made since I purchased the property. Fresh paint, bigger windows, new lighting, carpet and sheer curtains along with deck access to the back yard make it a perfect place to hold a class, workshop, meeting, discussion group or social gathering ... even a small wedding! Or simply sip a cup of tea with a visitor.

Don't forget to check in with Jake and Ian about deck staining plans once Ian gets out of school. The list never ends, but it's all coming together beautifully ...

I step into the front hallway and am again reminded of the never ending to do list. Rent carpet steam cleaner next week after school ... 

I head out the front door and pinch a few spent petunia flowers on my way. A slight breeze is coming off the lake and it brings a waft of the scent of lilacs my way. My Mom's way of saying hello and reminding me that she's closeby. I stop, close my eyes and take in a full deep breath of lilacs. As I open my eyes, I notice a kayaker out on the lake and an older man standing on the bridge with a younger boy, each holding fishing poles. What a beautiful playground we share!

On my way to the bank I stopped in to get my mail at the Silver Lake post office. I chatted for a few minutes with Patty, the postmaster. She is very active in the local garden club and she gave me a couple of gardening tips as I fetched my mail out of my lock box. In came an older woman who is moving rather slowly. Patty greeted her and expresses her condolences for the loss of their mutual friend. They both shed a few tears and hold hands over the counter. I am compelled to linger a bit, as if to honor the memory woman who passed. In just a few minutes, I learned alot about the woman. She was a matriarch of the neighborhood and a powerful influence in some of the neighborhood kids. She was very much connected to the history of the two women who shared stories of the old neighborhood.

It became evident that the older woman was most likely around when my grandmother and mother used to summer on Silver Lake. I showed her the picture I had on my phone of my grandmother on the beach of Silver Lake in 1924. The picture that I look at often to remind me that there is a reason I feel so connected to this property and to the Silver Lake area. 

We exchanged good days and I headed along Route 41 along Silver Lake enjoying the views along the way. I thought back to the feelings I had that day I drove along this route heading to the closing. As if watching the scenes of a great movie unfolding, such is the story of how I came to purchase the property. Clearly the purchase was meant to be. It all came together in the midst of an extremely difficult time for me and my family. I had lost both my Mom and my brother and the day after my brother died, my Dad had a major cardiac event. On my closing day, I had just come from Florida where my Dad had just turned the corner from a two months battle for his life and was finally starting on the long path back through rehab. I am so grateful that's all behind me now and that after two years of challenges, I'm finally settling into my new life in Silver Lake.

Wow ... so many thoughts and memories and connections! And so much gratitude that I am now looking forward to seeing my vision evolve and coming to life.

On my way into the bank I ran into a woman who stopped in the parking lot to ask me about the upcoming Open House on June 22 & 23rd. I never met her, but she used to attend yoga classes in the barn. She was at the local hardware store and heard that I bought the house from someone she ran into. She was excited to hear more about my vision for the property and the work that will happen at and around Ripple on Silver Lake.

More about my ever evolving vision tomorrow or the next day ... along with a schedule of events for the upcoming Open House! For now I'm off to add a couple of plants to the garden and shower before I head out to meet with a client about a team building workshop and do some work on my Success on Snow program. 

A life in one of my days at Ripple on Silver Lake ...

---