Climb for Hospice

Yesterday my friend Ali and I went to Buntzen Lake to hike the Diez Vistas trail. It was a great day, as it was a little bit cool, but not raining, and also not scorching hot… which, well, I guess would be rather unexpected in January, anyway.

So, there are (obviously) ten views on this trail. To get to the first one, you need to slog up a series of mean, cranky switchbacks, after walking for an hour through the lovely forest. The weird thing about this trail is the lack of sufficient trail markers, but more on that later… So, after about 1.5 hours we reached Vista Uno… we think. Whatever number it was, you can see just how excited I am to have arrived at such a wonderful destination.

A few minutes later, at Vista Dos, Ali struck a smart hikery pose, after she triumphantly wove her way through the trails that may have been trails, but might not have been trails, or they quite possibly could have been trails. Or not. Those tiny pink markers can be hard to see! Especially when the park ranger decides it would be much more entertaining (for the bored-when-not-decorating-trees woodland creatures) to watch us dopey humans stop in our tracks to search futilely for a marker that isn’t there. What a nice ranger. Always thinking of the animals.

At one of the next Vistas (possibly #3, or #9, I’m not quite sure), I stopped to contemplate the beauty of this magnificent city and how easily one can find themselves in such a wondrous natural environment after a short(ish) drive from home. Ahhh, just look at me contemplate…

As Ali and I descended from the top of the world (Mount Everest is in Port Moody, right?), we marveled at the scene before us: the quiet forest, the stately trees, the babbling brooks, the complete lack of trail markers… Thankfully we had printed off some information about this climb before we left. It was about as useful as round laces. However, we were grateful for it, as we knew that when we got lost and had to spend the night in the forest, we would at least have some paper for starting a fire.

Finally we made our way down, down, down, down, down, down… to a beautiful gravel road. We consulted our kindling and it said that we should go along this road until we get to a bridge. And ta-dah! We found a bridge! Kind of hard to miss it, really.

Finally, at the end of the bridge we found ourselves on a lovely beach, and at the end of the trail. Wonderful! What a spectacular hike, and what a fabulous day! Ali and I share the same sense of humour, and so we tend to laugh ourselves nutty when we’re together. She’s a great hiking partner, and I feel so lucky to have been able to rope her in to hiking with me. Anyway, we looked at the map to see where we needed to go, and…wait, what? Does that map say what I think it does?

Why yes, yes it does. The end of the trail is pretty much on the OPPOSITE SIDE of the lake where the car is parked. You know, after about 5 hours of hiking, I have to admit that I was pretty much ready to get in the car, put on my flip-flops and go to 7-11 for a Slurpee. However, today that would not be the case. We were pretty sure we knew the right way to go, so off we went for our trek to the car.

Now, I may be mistaken, but I’m thinking that on the list of Things One Should Not Do The Night Before A Long Hike, “wear brand new, not-yet-broken-in high heels and go out dancing for a few hours” is going to be somewhere near the top.

I’m off to limp… errr, hike the Sendero Diez Vistas trail!

Today is the long-awaited opening of the Centre for Supportive Care and Hospice Residence. Last night, volunteers were invited to have a look inside before it officially opens to the public. I knew this was going to be a beautiful facility, but I was still unprepared for what I saw…

I toured the Hospice Residence last night, and I am not ashamed to say that as soon as I walked through the front doors, the tears began to well in my eyes. The Residence is a simply designed, natural, welcoming space, obviously created with the residents and their families in mind. There is a beautiful kitchen connected to an intimate dining area, comfortable home-like seating areas, quiet hallways free of clutter, a childrens’ room stuffed with toys and books, a lovely spa room (with an all-important towel-warmer!), and a family room with a comfortable bed should family members wish to stay the night.

All beautiful, all welcoming, all perfectly personal and serene.

But it was the ten private suites that stole my heart. As I write this now, I have tears in my eyes as I think of how much thought and honesty went into these suites. They are made as much for the living as for the dying. I could tell you about the incredible lift system in each room, that comfortably and safely brings the resident to the private en-suite. I could tell you about the tasteful, simple furnishings that adorn each room. The small fridge, the variety of different lights and settings, the understated and non-institutional bedding of soft blankets and gentle sheets…

I can tell you about the reclining chairs that have been placed beside each of the ten beds. At a time when they are caring only of the comfort of their loved ones, family members have someone to think of theirs.

But the thing that really struck me, the thing that made everything fall into place was this: off each of the rooms is a small, private, covered balcony surrounded by immaculate, understated gardens and trees… and the doors to these balconies open wide enough to allow a resident’s bed to be gently moved outside. It was at this moment of my tour that I started crying and simply could not stop. The idea that someone thought so far as to ensure that even the most ill of residents, those who may be too weak to move, those who are living the final days of their life, could go outside and feel the sun, hear the birds in the trees, take a breath of fresh air, was more than my heart could bear. To me, that wide door was selflessness personified.

This coming week, the public has an opportunity to tour the Centre for Supportive Care and Hospice Residence – I think you should go. All of you.

20 years ago, Nancy Macey had an idea to start a simple phone line where people who needed help or education regarding end-of-life care could call and get connected. Now there is a physical space where end-of-life-care is conducted with patience, dignity, and kindness. A place where individuals can go for support, education, and peace. A place where entire families can get the care they needed. Why? Because Nancy confidently asked the community of Delta to help raise over $7 million, and we said yes. There were donations of a million dollars, and donations of the simple, appreciated change that someone had in their pocket that day. Funds were raised by corporations, organizations, and individuals. Bottles and cans were collected, fund-raising Yoga classes were held, talented stylists donated their tips, and selfless children gave up anticipated birthday presents, choosing to ask for donations to Hospice instead.

And here, today, is the result.

This is the Hospice that our community built.

Mount Kilimanjaro is 19, 340ft tall, which is about 5.90km. It takes me about 80 minutes to run 10k. So, by my calculations, I should be able to climb Mount Kilimanjaro in about 40 minutes.

…right?

Last night I went to Open Space Yoga to attend the first class I have been to in about a year’s time. I was a bit nervous, to be honest. What if can’t do the poses anymore? What if I forget how to do the Sun Salutation? What if I am standing in Tree pose and then fall over, knocking another student over, who in turn knocks another student over, who knocks one more student over, and that student hits their head on the wall, gets knocked unconscious and has to go to the hospital? What if I look over at other students and get jealous that they’re all way more bendy-bendy then I am? Right now, I am about as flexible as an empty cereal box. What if they… laugh at me?

I must admit, I was way more unprepared for this class than I had thought. I felt like a frozen marshmallow… being hit with bricks… while encased in a paper bag. I stumbled my way through the class, and was so very grateful for the soft lighting, given that my face was beet red from embarrassment.

I also quickly realized that I had forgotten the importance of, you know, breathing. Breathing is apparently a very key part not only of yoga, but of basic existence. I remember that when I started yoga a few years ago I was shocked at how ineffective my breathing was. I had absolutely no idea how to breathe properly. It was a very strange sensation to be awakened to the fact that for the past 30 years I had been breathing wrong. I blame my mother.

Even though it will be challenging, I am very happy to be back in the yoga studio. Just that one class really showed me how stressed out I am right now. I had no idea. I have a lot on my plate and feel pretty darn overwhelmed. It will be nice to have a chance now to stop, breathe, reconnect and focus on a regular basis. This sponsorship from Open Space Yoga is a gift in so many ways, and I am grateful for it.

And hey, if nothing else, I’m pretty sure that whole breathing thing will come in handy when I’m climbing Kilimanjaro, right?

Jan 20, 2009

A lot of people ask me what a Vigil is, and what it’s like, so I thought I’d take a moment to chat about it…

I sit on the Delta Hospice Vigil Team – the team consists of volunteers who go in and provide companionship for a person who is in their last 72 hours of life. Sometimes we are called when there is no family available to sit with the individual, and sometimes we are called when the family is there, but maybe needs a bit of a break. We sit in 3-hour shifts, and can be asked to be there on a 24-hour basis, or simply overnight.

Some people wonder why I volunteered for this particular position, seeing it as somewhat macabre, dark or negative. On the contrary, I chose to volunteer for the Vigil Team because I see it as exactly the opposite of macabre, dark and negative. Unless you actually do a vigil, it is very hard to understand one, and even if you do a vigil, it is very hard to describe. I’ll try my best, though…

As everyone lives their lives differently, so they pass on differently, as well. I am not a religious person by any means, but that is of little consequence when I have been given the honour of sitting with someone in their final hours. Something changes in me when I go into that room and see the person I am to be with for the next three hours – I do not bring a book, or a magazine, or any outstanding work that I need to get done, I simply go in and sit. I do not do things like feel a person’s pulse. That’s not why I am there. I am there to make sure that this person is not alone when they leave this earth.

I introduce myself and explain why I am sitting with them, and what they can expect from me. I sit down, take the person’s hand, or place my hand on their arm, and sometimes I may just start talking to them. I look around and take in the photos and personal items adorning the room, and use them as a starting point to begin my conversation. Maybe if there is a book available, I will read it aloud. If there is a magazine, I will leaf through it and describe some of the photographs within it. If there is a stereo, I’ll play some music. If there is a Bible, a Qur’an, some Buddhist readings, or any other religious literature, I may read it aloud, no matter what my own personal beliefs may be. I’m here for that person, and I am going to respect and honour who they are and who they were. But for the most part, I spend a good deal of my time with the person just sitting quietly, maybe not saying much at all.

The person I am sitting with is, more often than not, non-responsive, but that never stops me from interacting with them as best I can. The most important thing that I learned about doing a vigil is this: hearing is the last of the senses to leave us. The non-responsive person can hear me, and so I make sure to always keep that in mind as I am talking with them, with another person, or if I am simply moving about the room.

It is an honour to sit with a person who is dying – it is an incredible thing to bear witness to as someone’s physical story draws to a close. You know that their history will live on, and that their body is simply ceasing to function, and so when the time comes when they do pass into that next world in which they believe in, it is an immensely spiritual, honest moment.

Sitting on the Vigil Team has changed my perspective not only of death, but of life, as well. I have seen incredibly touching moments when sons say goodbye to fathers, and wives tell their husbands that everything will be just fine, and when brothers hold their sister’s hand one last time. I have been in the room at the exact moment when a person makes the decision to let go; be it a family member, friend, or the dying person themselves. There is no greater honour.

It is my privilege to serve people in this way, and I take to heart my responsibilities as a Vigil Volunteer. It is an intensely personal, immaculately open, and truly important part of my life to sit with someone as their life draws to its final close.

And I appreciate the Delta Hospice for allowing me this incredible opportunity.

Exhibit C – Isoflex

Brand: Isoflex
Flavour: Chocolate Flavour Peanut Butter Fudge
Tag Line: Excellent Source of Protein
First Ingredient: Protein complex(soy protein crisps [Non-GMO soy protein isolate, calcium carbonate], hydrolyzed gelatin, whey protein isolate, calcium caseinate, whey protein concentrate, peanut butter [dry roasted peanuts, salt], peanut flour, dry roasted peanuts

If angels and kittens had a company that made protein bars, the Isoflex would be their product. This thing was AWESOME. Eating The Isoflex was akin to eating crunchy joy, covered in gooey glee, and sprinkled with little tiny chewy bits of Paradise. And the greatest part was that after I ate it, I wasn’t hungry until about five hours later!

The next test for this fantastic wonderment of scientific-culinary goodness will be for it to spend some time in my freezer in an attempt to simulate conditions similar to when I will be standing in the Snows of Kilmanjaro and am desperate for a hit of chocolate. I wonder how much energy I’ll need to chew the thing?

I went to Videoland on Friday and grabbed a couple training DVDs. Actually, let me just back up a bit…

In 2008 I decided that I needed to try something new and exciting. For some unknown reason I got it into my head that learning to run 10k seemed like a really good idea. So I bought new running shoes, got a few headbands and a cheap wristwatch. Now, the biggest challenge I was facing was the fact that I had to run, you know, outside. Not a big fan of that outside place. How could I get around this?

Craigslist. “Like new treadmill, $200”. Score!

So, I brought home my “like-new treadmill” and set it up in my living room, with my old laptop balanced precariously in front of it on the fireplace mantle. I was going to run 10k AND catch up on all the movies and TV shows I had missed seeing (given that I haven’t had a TV since 2004). I bought myself some cheap headphones, printed off the “Training to Run 10k” program from SportMedBC and I was good to go.

It took over two months of almost-daily training, but I could finally run 10k. Aside from movies (FYI: the average movie is about 10k long), I was able to watch every episode of Sex and the City, Arrested Development, The Venture Brothers, Boston Legal, The West Wing, Pushing Daisies, Dexter, Dirty Sexy Money, and Californication (plus a few other series that I started but didn’t really like). Along the way I got to know the Videoland clerks pretty well, and came to appreciate Thursdays when I could get 5 DVDs for $10. One particularly lovely clerk was always up on what I was watching and could always tell me what season and episode I was supposed to rent next – this was very, very helpful. She actually memorized my account number. I didn’t, but she did. She has such a nice smile, and is always so positive and cheerful. It makes me happy to go and rent DVDs from her if I’ve had a bad day.

So, I went in a couple weeks ago to rent a handful of DVDs and she was surprised by my return. I informed her that I was in training for something and left it at that. But when I went back last Friday to grab a couple “training DVDs”, and brought them up to the counter, the kind lady with the nice smile simply said, “well, guess you can’t back out now, eh?” (referring to the Delta Optimist article), and rung my DVDs through with a smile.

Nope, I can’t back out now. Especially since I know the nice Videoland lady is counting on me, too.

I was supposed to go camping this weekend, but unfortunately, it just didn’t happen. I did, however pull all my (unused) camping gear out of storage. Of course I’m too afraid to actually open the boxes and go through it all because I am *sure* there are at least 72 big, fat, hairy, angry, heart-stopping, fast-moving, building-jumping, super-sonic, radioactive, big-fanged, growling, snarky spiders-with-a-penchant-for-Robyn-Tasting-Flesh in there. So I will gladly keep the lids closed until I have someone here who has a lesser fear and/or bigger, heavier shoes.

However, I do have to open the boxes before Tuesday because that is when the Delta Cable camera crew will be coming by to film me going through the camping gear. My reaction to seeing a spider is something I’d really rather NOT have caught on film, thanks. I’ve just got to be brave. Or maybe drunk. Or quite possibly both.

Stupid scary British Columbia spiders! I hate them! HATE THEM! Well, at least there aren’t any spiders in Africa! *whew*

…hmmm, you know, maybe I’d better double check just to be sure…

*Googles “Africa Spider”*

Let’s see, let’s see… here we go! First article up is from National Geographic… and what does it say here…

“African Spider Craves Human Blood, Scientists Find”

What? That’s not right. That can’t be right… can it? Maybe I should just stop while I’m ahead. Maybe I should just walk away from the computer and NOT let my curiosity get the best of me. Yeah, that’s a good plan. A really good plan. Yep, just going to get up and walk away… right now… here I go… really…

*Do NOT do a Google Image Search, do NOT do a Google Image Search, do NOT do a Googl…*

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!!!

I am having a dilemma of the heart. It is as follows…

I have two dogs; Jenn, a two-and-a-half year old purebred Border Collie who I fostered (and then ultimately adopted from) the AWESOME That’ll Do Border Collie Rescue in Vancouver, and Luna my nine year old dog who was rescued from a trailer after her first owners moved away and left her locked in there to starve to death (nice, huh?).

This is Jenn:

She is goofy, energetic, playful, crazy, energetic, loving, happy, energetic, eternally puppy-esque, adorable and energetic. I don’t think I’ve ever been able to completely tire her out – she just goes and goes and goes…

And this is Luna:

Luna is my Old Soul Dog. She is a Border Collie cross (I have no idea what she’s crossed with – maybe something smart, like an astrophysicist, or a seal…), and she is the Greatest Dog Who Ever Lived. She is calm, stoic, grateful, loving, at times goofy, and always perfect.

I take these two everywhere I can (you may have seen them outside the grocery store, in the bank, or wandering around Ladner with me), but when I have to go to work or other places that dogs simply cannot be, then they get to go to “Grandma’s” (my awesome mom) for ‘daycare’. I walk Jenn and Lu’ at least 2x a day, and my mom walks them 2x a day, as well. They get a lot of exercise, and they are very happy.

My dilemma, though, is this: Luna was born and raised in the East Kootenays. She is an Outdoorsy Dog, and the forest is her favourite place to be. However, she is now quite old, and even a 40-minute walk around town is getting to be too much for her. She has a wacky liver, an arthritic spine and a bum leg. But she’s still a happy, mobile and life-enjoying dog.

Jenn, on the other hand, is somewhat more energetic (have I mentioned that?) than Lu’, and can run like a maniac for hours on end, stopping only to lap up water, dig holes, or bring a stick/tennis ball/piece of garbage to drop at my feet.

I can hike with Jenn, but not with Lu’.

Lu’ simply does not have the physical capacity anymore. Sure, she’ll push herself and love every minute, but the moment she stops, she is going to be in a lot of pain, and will be so very unhappy for a few days after the hike. Luna, the one who lives for the forest and the trees… has to stay home.

So, if I bring them both hiking, Luna will ultimately suffer. If I just bring Jenn, Luna will know that we’ve gone somewhere wonderful (oh, that canine nose!), and that she wasn’t invited. It’ll break her heart. If I go without either of them, I feel like a guilty, horrible schmuck, knowing that they would both love to be there, and that they should be there, instead of sitting at home waiting for my return.

*sigh*

So far, this has been the hardest part of my training. My poor heart.

Yes, it’s time once again for another installment of The Protein Bar Taste Test!

Exhibit B – ZONE ‘PERFECT’

Ahhhh, yes. Time to once again delve into the fascinating culinary/scientific world of the Protien Bar. My goal is to find the best protein bar (or two) to take with me on my trip to Kilimanjaro so that I don’t pass out from hunger, and slide down a scree slope into the happily waiting jaws of a pride of lions. I chose this next bar because it was so tantalizingly labeled “Perfect”. I was about to get a lesson in False Advertising…

Brand: Zone Perfect
Flavour: Chocolate Carmel Cluster
Tag Line: “Nutritional Supplement Bar”
First Ingredient: Soya protein nuggets (soya proein isolate, rice flour, tapioca starch, malt, salt)

I was out and about downtown looking for a decent pair of hiking boots, when I felt the first pangs of hunger. Knowing I had packed myself a protein bar, I rummaged around in my bag and grabbed my handy-dandy Zone Perfect bar. I was excited to try this new taste sensation, and happily unwrapped the bar in great anticipation.

This is the perfect protein bar for someone who likes their rice crispies covered with chocolate and mixed with rancid peanuts. It has a slightly cardboard-esque aftertaste, with a “Hey Look! I Just Found a Nine-Year-Old Jar of Opened Peanuts in the Back of the Pantry!” flavour. Mmmmmm!

I was really, really happy after I ate this bar because I happened to be close to a Steamrollers shop downtown, and so was able to quickly run in and grab a #3 to go to get the wretched taste of “Perfect” out of my mouth.

Steamrollers is a fantastic little shop (one on Broadway, one on Robson, one on Granville…) that makes these kick-butt wraps in steamed tortillas. Steamrollers are not for the slightly hungry. They are for the ravenous (possibly slightly inebriated) masses who enjoy fresh, filling, tasty food in a funky silver wrapper. And these wraps are HEAVY. In fact, the #3 was HEAVIER than the hiking boots I had just purchased. No joke.

However, I must concede one point about the wretched Zone Perfect protein bar: The #3 at Steamrollers has black beans and cheese, which are fantastic sources of protein, so in a sense the Zone Perfect bar DID provide me with ample energy and sustenance. Golly, THANKS Zone Perfect!!