When I was just a sprout of seven I would watch my peaceful inventor/ artist Papa turn “pieces of junk” into beautiful functional art. The things that he created always had so much more style and personality that the stuff we could buy in stores. So I wanted to be an inventor-artist.
By the time I was youngster of twelve, I knew well my Dad’s kindness that extended to many life forms – wild or domesticated – including trees, flowers and bugs. I liked that Dad would use found materials to create cool looking little gardens in our yard.
I also liked using my magnifying glass to find the insects and other small creatures that enjoyed living in the little oasises that my dad made and other places. I would try to figure out what they were up to, and what they meant to us and us to them. I loved these journeys and always wanted to find out more about Mother nature, so without knowing what the word was, I wanted to be an ecologist too.
My Aunt Gladys was a massage therapist. From about the time I was a whipper-snapper of nine, I remember my little Aunt Gladys telling me that the sometimes painful muscle treatments that she gave her clients were good for the internal organs, joints and muscles. For many years, the foot and hand treatments that she gave me with her strong hands made me feel good too. Aunt Gladys seemed to be some kind of doctor. So I wanted to be a doctor too, except I wanted to be the type of Doctor that had an x-ray machine and all those other cool tools that “real” Doctors seem to have.
I could tell that the massage that Aunt Gladys was doing was done sincerely and for the health and happiness of her clients. So because I wanted to be a Doctor, over the years my Aunt Gladys started helping me get a head start by teaching me anatomy, physiology and about medical conditions. Of course, she also taught me various massage techniques and principles along the way. She would test me on what she taught as well. She believed that people could often stay healthy without surgery and medicines. Ok, so then decided I wanted to be a Doctor that also did massage.
Well, time goes on. I moved away from the old hometown many years ago… but those early experiences are still very evident in my life.
Thanks to Dad, my inventor-artist self still loves to create useful things from “un-usable junk”.
My ecologist self is still fascinated daily by the beauty and mystery of those things I can see with a magnifying lupe in the fields. And in my desire to help protect both the small, medium and large life forms in our priceless biosphere, I use music and other media to create more awareness and funds that will help protect it.
Although I did not get to use all those fancy tools that only Doctors get to use, I did get a nursing license and worked in hospitals for a few years. That experience has taught me that preventive medicine – including “preventative environmental medicine” – is a very critical approach for long-term health.
Today, after my studies and working as a Certified Massage Therapist for over 15 years, I feel blessed to be in a profession that focuses on helping people stay healthy so that they may continue to celebrate this priceless life.
My dear Papa is still ecologically tending his yard and gardens, and creating recycled forms that follow function. Keep at it Dear Papa.
And finally, throughout my entire life, my sweet Mom has gently taught me by example the value of love and acceptance. I thank her for the nurturing trust that honored my choices and that helped many of my dreams come true.
For the life, Stele Eugene Ely
3O3.818.5199
3454 Stanford Avenue
Boulder, CO 80305
steleely(et)yahoo(dat)com
Greentopia.org
PS: Feel free to check out my resume too if you would like.
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