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On Writing and Life

Tag Archives: Communication

Serendipity

05 Tuesday Jan 2016

Posted by Sandie Tillery in Reflections on Life

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

Communication, Travel

Defined once as “one surprise after another,” serendipity punctuates all of our travels. We are not world travelers like some of our friends and relations, but we have taken wonderful vacations all over the northwestern hemisphere. We’ve enjoyed road trips, cruises, rustic camping and luxury accommodations. And there is that one big adventure that took us over land and sea to Norway, some of the north Atlantic island countries, and home by way of Boston before arriving a month later back on the west coast. During every adventure we have been surprised by something that stands out as the pinnacle of the trip, a highlight that we love to share with willing listeners well after we’ve returned home and fallen back into the routines of life. Serendipity: a joyous and unexpected surprise.

Perhaps the fact that we are both friendly people, I more than my spouse, but he as eager to engage in conversation with friendly others, has invited the surprising benefits that come from offering and receiving a smile between strangers. I have always been a fairly self-confident person, but have not always been comfortable with straight on sustained eye contact. As a journalist I have had to write as I interview, thus have had brief eye-contact. As a traveler, I love the eyeball-to-eyeball attention I can give to others. It seems to unlock doors and gently deconstruct walls that we all so often erect. What a joy when suddenly a heart connection blooms and relaxed conversation reveals something, well…serendipitous.

That leads to our “Great North Atlantic Adventure.” At the tail end of a ten-day New England fall colors cruise in 2010, we briefly enjoyed time in New York City where we ordered lunch at a restaurant in the basement of Macy’s. I am a west coast country girl, way out of my element and enjoying the crazy crowded sensory experience of the city. The original wooden escalator in Macy’s tickled me like a child traveling down by magic for the first time.

There we sat in close proximity to other diners of all colors, cultures and languages. Of course I spoke to my nearest neighbors. As it turned out they happened to be visitors to the city as well, on vacation from their home in Oslo, Norway. She had emigrated to Norway from Asia and spoke very little English; he spoke it very well with a wonderful accent. My eyeballs glued themselves to his listening intently to their vacation story and their apologetic inability to help direct us to the subway station for the trip back to our hotel.

We, the older couple, they the young newlyweds, made a friend connection that lasted through email and phone conversations until Vidar surprised us by attending our 40th anniversary party two years after our chance meeting. His wife was unable to join him, but we entertained our Norwegian “son” for a week. Another two years of long-distance communication led to our month-long trip to visit the couple in Norway in 2014. Oh the stories of serendipity I could tell from that trip!

Fast Forward to December 2015.

Recently we drove through a coffee kiosk on our way to visit relatives over the mountains for another weekend adventure. My husband bantered with the young man inside while we awaited our order. Something clicked. Daniel is now another “son” we’ve decided to adopt. He has been over for dinner and plans to bring his girlfriend next visit. His family lives in Alaska, far from where he now lives and goes to school. He so very gratefully accepted our friendship. What fun!

Now it is 2016. Let serendipity reign!

A Wonderful Legacy…WORDS

09 Wednesday Sep 2015

Posted by Sandie Tillery in Reflections on Life, Writing

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

Communication, Heritage, Memories, Parents, Role Models, Wisdom

My Dad and my Granddaughter...Passing on the legacy

My Dad and my Granddaughter…Passing on the legacy

Family time growing up with my dad always included interesting conversation. We memorized classical poetry while hiking in the Trinity Alps of northern California and listened by the warmth of winter fires to The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas and The Song of Hiawatha by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. Dad stimulated our interest in politics, philosophy, religion, social issues, and current events. He asked us to share our ideas and opinions. He introduced us to interesting places on the globe and described exotic animals. We often entertained creative people. His own hunger for knowledge defined the culture of our home.

My brother Wallace has become the great philosopher of our family, a theologian and teacher who expounds from insatiable reading. He is an impassioned purveyor of knowledge. Aaron learned early the need for practicality and hard physical labor, yet he writes wilderness adventure tales from a sensitivity and respect for nature birthed in those early woodland jaunts and years as an avid outdoorsman. Both brothers, embracing opposing political and social views, enjoy a good and vigorous debate.

We three sisters have lived very different adult lives. Janice and I each have a passion to write, both have degrees that validate our skill and training, both speak from lives rich and full. She has lived as a world-travelling cosmopolitan while I have lived as a traditional country homemaker. Our youngest sister, Linnea, races at mach speed through life, a mover and shaker in the fitness world, training pageant contestants and conducting on-line workouts. She knows how to influence others with her encouraging words. All three of us enjoy lively debate, share enthusiastically from our own points of view, and love the challenge of keeping up with “the boys” in any conversation of substance.

“Invictus”, “Lord Randall”, “The Raggedy Man” and “The Highwayman” may be heard recited even by our progeny now at family gatherings, remnants of our childhood entertainment with our Dad. We all look forward to biennial family reunions with extended family. Pinochle games often end in enthusiastic (even sometimes flush-faced) conversation about current events or social responsibility.

My husband is a wise man born of a family with roots in common sense, careful planning and practicalities. I am born of a family rich in words, lofty dreams and spontaneity. I gained knowledge, he gained wisdom. As we’ve blended our lives these past 43 years, John speaks and writes more emotionally and I listen and speak more carefully. We both love words. He whistles and sings harmonies from his Baptist upbringing, I recite epic poetry. What a wonderful heritage has been passed from our forebears that we now pass on to our offspring.

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Barbara Bryant on A Slice of Life
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