But 3 Day Remaining (Powell River)
The week of “lasts” is in full swing here in Powell River. Each night has ended another day of “that was the last tour this and this was the last tour that.” It’s mind spinning to think back to all the tours “1st’s” and sentences we started with, “that was the first time that’s happened”. And yet, here we are, enjoying these moments of “lasts” while continuing to have very full days to ensure all is in place for the tour’s very last, Friday, May 8th. All but 4 days of lasts, away!
The return to the mainland was the last time we’d be on the Island, the weekend was the last before we were home, today marks our very last full day of school presentations, our last weekly team call was, last night and the “last list” seems to keep growing.
There is a real time “stay focused on the NOW”, along with all these “lasts”, as we are still experiencing the intensity of 4 school presentations yesterday, ensuring liability insurance was in place for Friday (HUGE thanks to Mike at Underwriter’s Insurance), Police escorts, emails flying back and forth with team members, media interviews and a knock on the door, for a momentary pause asking, ”Do you guys want some dinner now”? It was our team mate Shaunah asking last night, as she and her Mom (and our new Mom, Jen) had watched us working feverishly inside Racy for 4 hours upon returning home at 3, saying, “we’ll be in by 5”! And here it was, almost 7:30pm.
The great thing about a lot of “this is the last time we’ll ever do that or experience this”, is the fact there is still so much to do in the now, that it keeps us rooted firmly in the moment a lot of the time. A truth I know we are all very grateful for, as it stops us from racing forward too much and just enjoy the process that continues rolling along underneath our feet.
Powell River kids are AMAZING! Our 6 schools ran down like this:
9:00am, 315 cheering kid’lets at Edge Hill Elementary, all intent on being the one picked by “sparkely Stephanie” to come up and take the Action Challenge!
11:00am, 150 middle school almost adult kids at Ocean View Middle School. We had the unique opportunity to present in an intimate setting like a concert in the round, as the kids all sat in a semi-circle like in a theater, were eager to discuss our tour and go deep into environmental questions and answers. And they instantly returned to being 10 years old, when we told them I was a ninja turtle and other cartoon characters.
1:00pm brought us 165 mini peeps and peep-ets at Henderson Elementary all eager to welcome us in like returning hero’s with cheering so loud it made our ears ring.
School #4, Assumption School, was Jen’s former school, where she taught until last year at the young age of 76. Shaunah’s mom Jen (who really is a super Mom, came complete with lunches on the go and dinner on the table for our time here). We had a blast with our final 250 pint-sized peeps of the day, enthusiastically joining in on the Action Challenge fun. And asking me to “do that voice on that cartoon again”!
Day 2 schools ran down like this (I said ran):
9:00am, Kelly Creek Elementary and 200 joining in on our very, almost last presentation, with me, climbing the gym walls to a thunderous applause as I tried to make it look like the hills of Northern Ontario. Thanks kids!!
11:00am, Grief Point, where our newest pint peeps, Sophie, Zak and Tia joined us on-stage to have a blst doing the Action Challenge with their classmates cheering along! Tia made a great plastic bag, Sophie was a great tip reader and Zak, well he’s known as the GUITAR HERO MASTER, said his friends!!! Thanks you three mini pint sized pals, for your incredible energy and Tia, thanks for the awesome picture!
And school presentation 3, which WAS our very LAST of the tour, was at James Thompson Elementary. We were greeted by our last group of 200 and cheered for soooooo loudly, we truly felt like a returning band to their favorite city! Thanks for making our very last presentation so full of energy, enthusiasm and a HUGE thanks to the principle, for taking the Action Challenge and committing to eliminating PLASTIC BAGS!!!!
Thanks to everyone, for another day of “lasts”, here in the incredible seaside town of Powell River.
We’ll see ya’ll next year!!!