The combination of finishing Karuna, scrambling to get last minute tasks completed (tour scripts, signs, resetting misbehaving pose balls, etc.), and preparing for the grand opening ceremonies on December 1st. had me feeling more than a little stressed. By the time I actually got up to read my story and talk about the importance of storytelling I was running on adrenaline fumes and a strong cup of coffee. Everything went well (or so I am told), but I had reached the point where I felt totally disconnected from the spirit of the place I'd poured so much time, energy, and love into. It was time for a break.
Because I love the sight and sound of a crackling fire, I wandered over to the fire ring in the Garden of Experience and was sitting there relaxing when a woman named Lotti came over to say hello. Cleary new to SL, it took her several starts and stops to type her question: "Where do I donate a picture?" It turns out that Lotti had lost her brother Paul to HIV/AIDS and wanted to have his picture appear in Memorial Falls.
The picture she shared was of a face full of exuberance and laughter. Paul had just completed his first bungee jump and was grinning from ear to ear. "That's how I like to remember him," Lotti said. "He was so alive!"
After posting the picture and seeing it appear several times framed by the falls we went back to the fire. I asked Lotti if she had a story or poem she'd like to share, and offered to plant a flower in our story garden in honor of Paul. She thought about it for a few minutes, then finally passed me this simple note:
Dedicated to Paul, by Julia, Anna, and Andrew (poem author)
Censored Sensitivity
Vision doubled,
Mercy troubled;
Time drips around my globe.
Hearing muffled,
Senses shuffled;
No-one to share the load.
We walked over to the garden, chose a flower, and dropped the notecard into it. "Where would you like to plant the flower?" I asked.
"Oh could we plant it by the water?" Lotti asked. "Paul loved the ocean so much."
And so, together with the five others who had wandered over to see what we were doing, we planted Paul's flower at the water's edge beside an autumn birch. "How's that?" I asked, wanting to be sure Lotti was happy with the place.
"That's perfect," she said. "I feel better knowing he is here."
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