How a snake and an apple created a perfect day

Vitality Stories

Teri Case Vitality Stories

Bonnie in her finery

How a snake and an apple created a perfect day

 

Pranks and picnics

Bonnie shares:

I remember one prank I pulled on my mother in 1945 just before my tenth birthday, and she got so upset with me I didn’t dare go near her almost a whole day.

We had a small field my dad plowed every spring so my mother could plant her garden. In this field, or parts of it, there were snake dens. They were not poisonous snakes. They were garter snakes. I used to take my dog, Rex, and we’d dig around in the mounds and when we found a den, we would open it up and dig out the snakes, and I’d tell Rex to “Sick ‘Em,” and he did. But one day we dug a den up and there were a bunch of baby snakes so I gathered a few snakes in my hand to show them to my mother.

When I’d left, she’d been hanging clothes on the line, but by the time I got there, she had gone into the house for a minute. So what I did was mix the snakes in with the wet clothes so when she pulled out a piece of clothing the snakes would fall out.

Oh, if you think I wasn’t in trouble… She screamed and hollered, and I took off like a bat out of hell. I waited two hours, and when I went to the house she met me at the door, waving her broom and yelling, “Bonnie Lou, get out of here or I’ll get you.”

I did what any smart girl would do. I got out of there. Again.

Boy, I was hungry, but I didn’t go home. I went out in the woods where we had wild apple trees. I picked a nice big apple. We also had wild grape vines so I picked a bunch, and Rex and I sat down and had a picnic.

The prank definitely didn’t go over well with my mother. In fact, she never forgot it. Every so often we’d talk about it. She laughed about it in the end, but she sure didn’t laugh in the beginning.

~ Bonnie
Teri Case Vitality Stories
Bonnie in her play & work clothes

 

What I learned

Bonnie reminds me how children have an  innate ability to live spontaneously and embrace life in the moment. THE NOW. She saw an opportunity for a laugh, and acted. When the joke backfired, she ended up basking in the sun with fresh food and a favorite pet in an apple orchard. Kind of sounds like a perfect day to me!

Ever since my trip to Tokyo, I’ve been practicing mindfulness. I want to seize the day in all of its glory and this is why this particular story of Bonnie’s stood out for me. I’m wondering what age we begin to lose sight of existing in the moment and become focused on what’s ahead. I’m sure there is a healthy balance of living and planning to be found. I’m working on it.

How do you remind yourself to be mindful or live in the now? Or what was your last spontaneous action and how did it turn out? Feel free to email me.

As always, I’m grateful for your time and input. Have a wonderful week and thank you for being you.

Teri

Teri Case Vitality Stories

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I’m glad Dad wasn’t fired for getting me an egg

Vitality Stories


Teri Case

Leona and Bonnie, April 1935

I’m Glad Dad Wasn’t Fired For Getting Me An Egg

I’m excited to begin sharing excerpts of Bonnie’s memoirs with each of you on a regular basis. As is my practice, I strove to capture her memories word-for-word out of respect for her voice, recollection, and perspective. I hope you enjoy her reflections and memories as much as I did. Continue reading

From Brain Trauma to Art

Vitality Stories

Erica McClain Humming Bird

From Brain Trauma to Art

Brain Freeze

Over the summer I found myself in Port Angeles, Washington, killing five hours until the next ferry to Victoria, Vancouver Island. We wandered next door to the Heatherton Gallery which hosts artwork for more than forty local artists. Ted noticed a black and white piece with three hummingbirds. The ink seemed to rise off the paper and the flowers and birds seemed multi-dimensional. Ted walked over to the register to buy it.

The cashier was explaining how the gallery worked like an art co-op and he asked Ted, “Did you read the artist’s story? It’s on the wall.”

I was still looking at Erica McClain’s pieces. There was an asian influence to her work and I had future plans to visit Japan. I found her bio: Continue reading

An interview with Director, David Wachs – Part Two

Vitality Stories

8 Rounds with Hitler A Film for Life Henry Wermuth

Henry Wermuth, “8 Rounds with Hilter” by A Film for Life

an interview with

Director, David Wachs

Part Two

Use your talent for good

Last week I presented Part One of my discussion with David Wachs, director of Holes In My Shoes. This week I’m thrilled to not only share his answers to the Vitality Stories interview questions, but tell you more about his current projects. Spoiler Alert: You will be inspired to do something for the better of humanity. Continue reading

An Interview with Director, David Wachs – Part One

Vitality Stories

David Wachs and Jack Beers

David Wachs and Jack Beers

an interview with

Director, David Wachs

Part One – Behind the Scenes

 

Who, What, Why

In October, I wrote about Jack Beers and the documentary of his life, Holes In My Shoes. And when I couldn’t get Mr. Beers out of my head, I also mentioned him here.

Vitality Stories captures the life stories of those who have lived and learned, so it’s not a surprise I was drawn to a feature documentary called Holes In My Shoes. 94-year-old Jack’s zeal for life heavily influenced me, and in large part, this is due to the man who met Jack Beers and recognized there was a vitality story to share, someone who had the vision and talent to deliver the documentary in a way that would, indeed, make it ‘An inspirational story for all ages, and that man is Director, David Wachs.

I wanted to better understand the connection between David Wachs and Jack Beers, and as a person on her own creative journey, I was curious how and why Mr. Wachs chooses his projects, which are many and varied, ranging from pilots to children’s series, including We’re Puppeteers! for Nick Jr. He granted me an interview, and after a long conversation with Mr. Wachs, I was rewarded with a life lesson and inspiration as I learned more about his recent endeavors. Continue reading

Growing In Tokyo – Day Three

Vitality Stories

Growing In Tokyo Day Three

Growing In Tokyo – Day Three

All aboard

Steps Taken: 10,834
Day Three (Day OneDay Two)

Today was the day. The day to brave the Tokyo Metro, or subway, comprised of 9 lines, 184 stops, and with an annual ridership of ~3.217 billion in 2014.

3.217 billion! For the sake of comparison, New York City’s subway had a ridership of 1.751 billion in 2014. ~GULP~

Yet, after two full days of walking, our back and feet weren’t up to taking 20k steps on Day 3, so we found the nearest entrance to the Ginza Line which has been running beneath the streets of Tokyo since 1927. Our destination was the Senso-Ji Temple and Nakamise-dori shopping street in Asakusa, northeast Tokyo. Continue reading

Growing in Tokyo – Day Two

Vitality Stories

Growing in Tokyo Day Two Teri Case

Growing in Tokyo – Day Two

Wake and walk

Steps taken: 20,865

The time difference between Seattle, Washington, and Tokyo, Japan, is 16 to 17 hours depending on daylight savings. Exercise seems to help us with jet lag, so after a good night’s rest, Ted and I strolled westward. Our destination was the world famous and busiest intersection in Tokyo—Shibuya Crossing.

Multiple subway lines and trains intersect underground and there is an endless flow of people onto the streets. Shibuya Crossing is also known as Shibuya Scramble. When the pedestrian light turns green, an average of 1,000 people swarm the intersection, scrambling and weaving towards one of the four corners. After forty-six seconds, most everyone has cooperated and reached their destination. And just like that, the traffic zooms by once more and by the time the walk sign flashes green again, there is another 1,000 people waiting to cross.

Continue reading

Growing In Tokyo – Day One

Vitality Stories

Growing in Tokyo

Growing In Tokyo – Day One

First Impression

Steps taken: 19,654

Not knowing much about Tokyo, we were hesitant to book traditional Japanese accommodations and instead opted for a western hotel between the Akasaka and Roppongi neighborhoods. As is typical when staying at a western-influenced hotel, our fellow lodgers were a mix of business travellers and tourists.

Ted and I are walkers. I wear a pedometer on our travels to track our daily adventure (and to figure out how much dessert I will eat) one step at a time. We have struck a fashion sense inclined towards practicality and comfort, avoiding aching feet and backs without feeling underdressed, or barring ourselves entrance to nice restaurants or establishments due to tennis shoes, t-shirts and jeans. Our packing philosophy has always worked—until Tokyo. Continue reading

Holes In My Shoes – The Jack Beers Story

Vitality Stories

holes_promo_photo

Jack Beers, promotional photo provided by Holes In My Shoes

Jack Beers

What are we living for?

Holes In My Shoes

I recently watched Holes In My Shoes, a documentary directed by David Wachs, chronicling the life story of 94 year-old, Jack Beers. As lessons tend to go, Jack’s story drove home something I’ve been hearing and writing about a lot lately: whatever you choose to do, put your heart into it.

Jack Beers was born in 1910 and survived the Great Depression, growing up in Lower East Side New York City. He decided to drop out of school because he wanted to help support his parents and siblings. When he told his father, his dad said, “If you’re going to sweep floors, I want you to be the best floor sweeper. Anything you do, be the best at it.”* And so Jack set out to be the best at everything he did. Continue reading