An Opening Statement:
I left Bethesda in the summer of 69 to pick up my younger brother, Charlie, in Maine (Outward Bound program). We were headed West to California. I was with my best friend from Hawaii (the redhead, Patty McLean) - we were headed back to Hawaii, her home state, to attend college. We had purchased a 1959 VW Bus. We took the back seats out and the guys built a bed in the back; I made curtains out of Indian bedspread material - oh so cool. I think gas was $.29 that summer.
We ended up at Judd William's dorm @ UC Berkeley and after frolicking in Northern California, Patty and I took off for school in Hawaii.
I dropped out and came back to California, (see a photo from that time in Golden Gate Park, San Francisco) eventually back to DC, then hitch-hiked all over the country & Mexico with my boyfriend TJ Yore around 1970-71, landing in Chapel Hill where he was in school. How did my parents survive?
Somewhere during that time, I connected with Lisa Johnston...although we'd never really been friends in school.
After that, I had the good fortune of living in Manhattan on my own, working at Harper & Row Publishing by day & a wild jazz club by night - it was located at the edge of Harlem, not far from my 5-story walkup on W. 89th bet CPW & Columbus (a fringy neighborhood then, but swanky now).
I don't think I slept very much during that time - but hey, I was young and didn't care - did some serious partying and serious growing up.
I moved back out to California in 1973 and have been here in the SF Bay Area ever since. I have finally - 18 years ago, found something wonderful to do with my life. After a traumatic breakup with long-time boyfriend/partner & feeling quite untethered & lost - I went back to school and became a Massage Therapist.
I've been going back to school ever since and have taught at the National Holistic Institute in Emeryville (just across the Bay Bridge from San Francisco, a couple of miles from Berkeley) for 17 years. (check out the website, see me under 'Instructors'. Or check out the Blog (I have some entries in Aug/Sept/Oct 08). Or to see me in action, there is a video under "Pressroom" of a TV spot I did)
It is a wonderful company and a great job - terrific, young, intelligent owners with vision. They have expanded our one campus to five and now the sixth on the horizon....and they've only owned the 30-year old school for 6 years. I am mostly out of the actual classroom now, but travel to the other campuses training teachers. It is exciting, fulfilling work.
I'm very involved in the community/industry of health and wellness and enjoy school more than I ever did in my younger years.
I am very close to a few of my 5 siblings - and I have structured a "family" of friends here in California that round out my life. After many years of being the only Wheeler Sibling that didn't own my own home - I finally managed to purchase my own tiny-but-darling condo in Oakland, 2 years ago.
High School was rather a blur or an annoying obligation to me. I do wish, as I look back, that I had been more involved. It is only because of my surrogate brother, Judd Williams, that I have attended 2 of the Whitman reunions - always having a wonderful time.
I have been lucky enough to travel all over the world, but there are still some places I would like to experience.
One of my most memorable trips was with my younger brother, Charlie. In my 50th year, we returned to Japan where we were born. I had not been there since I was 12. It was everything that I had dreamt of and more. It was one of those unforgetable "roots" trips. I've been to Europe, New Zealand (Taj Mahal concert in Aukland) and Australia - but this was the trip that really touched my soul.
With my younger sister, we kayaked around La Paz and Magdelana Bay in Mexico - remote and other-worldly. We celebrated her 50th Birthday with her husband Scott, close friends, Judd and our brother Charlie in the Napa Valley Wine country 3 years ago.
Mary (Nini) lives in Phoenix with her husband, Scott Ross and visits me often - we are as close as 2 sisters can be. She took a temporairy job in Manhattan a couple of years ago and lived in my old neighborhood - so I got to experience Manhattan several more times while she was there, this time around I was all grown up and it was terrific in a different way - and great to share it with Nini.
With my twin brother and his family, we've had some good times on the Outer Banks in North Carolina. I am the only one in my family who continually goes back to Hawaii, retreats, reunions, weddings, workshops - for awhile there it was like a home away from home and I always feel connected to those islands when I visit.
Some of you knew my parents - especially Dad who was fascinated by our generation and genuinely interested in us.
He was a great listener and storyteller - he died early on of cancer - back in 1981.
My mother died only 6 years ago, she was in good health up until that time and really enjoyed her long life, traveling, volunteering and visiting her children and grand-children. She and I grew out of our differences and she became a close friend (but always Mom!!) - I guess I'll never really get over missing her.
Both of my brothers are in the DC area, but my sisters and I scattered all over the U.S.
