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About Vernonia's voice. (Vernonia, OR) 2007-current | View Entire Issue (July 2, 2015)
in other words 2015 Small Town, Big World: Love=mc 2 By Britt Bensen Steele I remember when I asked Bob, the man from whom we rented our house the first time we went to Bali for six weeks, “What should we do when we are there?” He replied, “Spend as much time as possible with the two people and their families who will be tak- ing care of you.” He didn’t tell us to go to the monkey forest, or to visit the art museums. He said, “Stay home and get to know your Balinese caretakers.” The name for these caretakers in Balinese is “pembantu” and they are in nearly every western oc- july2 cupied home in Bali. These are the locals who care for the long-term tourists and they help navigate one’s in- ternational journey by grocery shopping, making food, taking you to temples, setting up tours, and anything else you might need. One of our pembantus had two children, and at the time of our first visit, the daughter was 4 and the son, 10. As we settled in to our new home, we found ourselves forming amazing relationships with these two children, Wayan, the boy, and Madeh. We’d sit to- gether for hours after dinner while the light in the near- equatorial jungle faded. We’d sing, draw, laugh, and exchange hand massages (a very Balinese practice). Wayan would initiate some game with “something interesting,” like a wooden stick with a mosquito and a rubber band on the end, or some ice and a piece of cardboard or perhaps a bag would be turned into a hat. Sometimes we’d paint finger nails together or practice Balinese dance, kid style. In all this, there were two constants with the little ones and ourselves: #1: we’d laugh. A lot. And, #2: we did NOT speak, for we did not 7 know one another’s native language. The language we spoke was truly “of the heart.” We had nearly two months of evenings on the kitchen floor, and I fully believe that if we came across one another in the street somewhere somehow, we would laugh and dance right on the spot as a result of this six week “conversation” we formed in the tropics, and we would still not utter a word. I often think back to our time living overseas and wonder how different, how limited, our conversa- tion would have been if we would have used words. Instead, we spoke by spending time together, offering our innocence, and choosing to understand one another FIRST, and then concern ourselves (or maybe not) with being understood. There’s a poem by Radmacher Hershey that says, “I’m not the same having seen the moon rise on the other side of the world.” And I have to admit, I’m not the same. The most important conversations are not those we “speak” but those we feel in our hearts, for words fall short and often go through a very murky, guarded filter. But the heart? The heart always reveals when given space and time to be seen. Rose City Motorcycle Club Food Donation f B w Ha nd -cr Loc al o rga nic sta rts & aft NEW LOCATION! ed Family Dining go NEW LOCATION! od Full Breakfast Menu s & pro mo Burgers & Beer City Hall) from Street) (across (at Bridge re New lo duce cation ! ! ! Prime Rib Fri & Sat Adams Avenue & Weed St. of Bridge The corner 503.429.0214 Check us Out on Facebook Interested in Vending? PleaseContact Penny (503) 804-0424 or Bill (971) 998-3705 A PROJECT OF: n C ia OMM TY NI o v e rn U OPEN HOUSE September 6, Noon-6 pm Garden June t Receive a $5 off coupon Bighorn Logging since 1981 Contract Logging 503-324-2422 Owned and Operated by Don & Kim Wallace DON WALLACE, PLS Professional Land Surveying 1224 E. Alder St. Vernonia, OR 97064 Phone: 503-429-6115 FAX: 1-866-297-1402 Email: DWallace_KLS@msn.com Free Estimates Timber Purchases Timber Management Oregon Professional Logger certified since 1996 CORPORATE MEMBER New Day Massage and Bodyworks Theraputic Massage Specializing in • Auto/Work Injury Rehabilitation • Medical Massage Cupping • Manual Lymph Drainage • Nutritional Counseling • Post Mastectomy Care • Oncology Support • Sauna on-site Heather Lewis, LMT, LMP, CLT, NT 847 Madison Avenue, Vernonia For appointments call: 503-429-4677 Insurance accepted #10732
