Ageless Passions by Karen Putz

Category: #SouthwestStorytellers

  • Barefooting 50 States: Louisiana

    Barefooting 50 States: Louisiana

     

    “Have you done Louisiana yet?”

    Mark Varnes, a fellow barefooter, left a comment on one of my Facebook posts. He invited me to ski with him in Louisiana as part of my Barefooting 50 States for my 50’s quest.

    The next thing I knew, I had an assignment to speak in New Orleans, just 45 minutes from Mark’s secret spot on the Pearl River.

    Serendipity.

    Or synchronicity, as Wayne Dyer would say.

    I hopped on a Southwest flight, grabbed a rental car, and took off for the river. I met up with Mark and two of his buddies, Brad Ripp and William “Doc” Kutun. All of us were over the age of 50–and we all shared a crazy passionate love for barefooting. Like me, Brad got back on the water just recently–after a 25 year absence. We spent the afternoon barefooting up and down the Pearl River, one of the most calm, tranquil spots I’ve ever barefooted in. Whenever there was a tiny ripple on the water, Mark drove further down the river until we found glass again. As a result, my feet were burning on my first run! On my second run, I decided to try a backward deep start behind the boat–something that had eluded me during the last several barefooting trips. The start was smooth and I found myself up and about–but I couldn’t find my way around the wake. I let go as I was afraid I was going to fall–but I was so, so, so happy to have accomplished the backward longline start once again!

    Each of the guys took turns footin’–and I was impressed with their skills! I still have a ways to go to catch up!

    On the way back to the dock, one of the guys pointed out an alligator lazing between the trees. Fortunately, the boat was going so fast that I missed it. I was really glad I was done footin’ after they found a gator! Check out the amusing alligator sign in the video that Mark put together:

     

    Want some help putting together a Passion Quest of your own? Check out Karen’s book: Unwrapping Your Passion.

     

  • Barefooting 50 States: Rhode Island

    Barefooting 50 States: Rhode Island

    “Who can I connect with in Rhode Island?” I texted one of my barefooting coaches.

    “Bill Brzoza,” was the response.

    After a few texts to Bill, he arranged for his wife, Nikki and her father, Rick Soubliere to give me a barefooting pull in Rhode Island.

    Joe and I arrived in Rhode Island with no idea of where we would stay that night. I pulled up the Airbnb app and did a quick search. I landed on Cindy Wilson-Fera’s Seaside Escape. Her home was so enticing that we went ahead and booked with her–even though we normally use hotels. (We had used an Airbnb just once before–and it was an empty apartment.) This time, we would be staying in someone’s home and using a bedroom.

    It was an amazing experience.

    Cindy and her husband, Dave, made us truly feel at home. Cindy welcomed us with a gift bag filled with homemade soap and lotion. OH, MY, GOSH–her products are divine! Joe and I took a walk to the local marina and had dinner at Iggy’s Boardwalk. The next morning, Cindy whipped up a healthy breakfast before we took off for the lake. If you are considering an Airbnb, here’s a link (affiliate) that will give you a $40 credit to try it out: Airbnb First Timer.

    When we arrived at the lake, we found ideal conditions: no wind and smooth water.

    “Is it always like this?” I asked Niki.

    “No, you guys are lucky!”

    As it turned out, Rick and I met at a Michigan barefoot tournament in 2011 when I first started competing. I didn’t connect the name until I saw him on the dock.

    I barefooted behind a beautiful, brand new Malibu. The wake was so crazy smooth that I couldn’t find the curl! Unfortunately, the hubby forgot his glasses and thought he was videotaping the whole thing. It wasn’t until we later reviewed the (absent) footage that we realized we didn’t have anything that captured my time on the water except a few seconds of the start. Ooops! At least I have two independent witnesses. Thanks to Southwest Airlines as part of the #SouthwestStorytellers adventures, Rhode Island became the 15th state on the #Barefooting50states quest! (The 13th and 14th states can be found here: #SouthwestStorytellers:  Barefooting My 13th and 14th States.) A big thanks to Bill, Niki, and Rick for making it happen!

     

    After the barefooting morning, we took off on another adventure: Cape Cod Deaf Sailing. One entire week on a 45-foot sailboat with three other couples (two who were new to us.) On the very first day, I became seasick. Yes, me, the girl who grew up on boats. When I crawled into the tiny cabin the first night, I couldn’t sleep. At three am, I had a full-blown, claustrophobic panic attack. I desperately wanted to get out of the boat and considered even getting on the first flight home. There was NO WAY I was going to make it through an entire week at sea!

    Or so, I thought.

    The next day, I was better. And the next day, even better. Before long, I was loving it. Joe was too–considering he was reluctant to even go on the sailing trip in the first place!

    As it turned out, it was a trip to truly remember. Sixteen deaf passengers and crew. We sailed to Block Island, Martha’s Vineyard, Nantucket, and Cuttyhunk. What a beautiful experience. I left my hearing aids off all week. I only put them on when we rented bikes. I must say, the silence was complete bliss. When the captain cut the motor and we sailed by wind alone–it was just serenity. I realized in those moments, that’s when being deaf is such a blessing. There was nothing around us but blue skies and blue waters. For all the struggles that come with not being able to hear (communication challenges, etc.) there are the advantages, too–we just have to see them.

  • Southwest Storytellers: Sharing Travel Stories and More

    Southwest Storytellers: Sharing Travel Stories and More

    I love to travel–and I especially love to travel on Southwest Airlines. And this year, I have the honor of being among a wonderful group of #SouthwestStorytellers. Throughout the year, a team of us will be sharing our travel stories and having some LUVing fun with Southwest Airlines.

    Early this year, I met up with the team for the first time at the Southwest headquarters in Dallas, Texas. Before arriving, I stopped in at the Ziglar headquarters to see Tom Ziglar and Howard Partridge. (You can find their stories in my book, Unwrapping Your Passion.) This was my first time at the office and Zig Ziglar’s spirit was everywhere. Zig has touched millions and millions of lives everywhere with his wisdom about sales, business, and life.

    Howard and Tom were in the middle of a Ziglar Business Boot camp. While Howard was talking, I spied a big bag of Southwest peanuts lying on a table. I had seen pictures of Howard with the Southwest peanuts and pretzels, but I wasn’t sure what the story was behind all those snacks.

    Turns out, the story can be found in Howard’s new book, The Power of Community.

    During one flight, Howard began to tease the flight attendant about the lack of peanuts on his tray when he awoke from a nap. Southwest Airlines attendants are often playful and fun, the company is known for excellent customer service. Howard ended up with more peanuts than he bargained for–on that flight and more. Howard began tossing the peanuts to clients at his business events and entwined business lessons from Southwest in his talks.

    “When you create a sense of community among your team members and you have a solid mission, it spills over to your customers, creating loyalty and therefore resulting in higher profits,” Howard writes in The Power of Community.

    Both Howard and Tom are on a mission to help people grow–both personally and professionally. Check out their upcoming workshops and conferences: Ziglar Events

    Now, on to Southwest…

    What an amazing company. I have been flying Southwest for a long time now and I choose them every chance I get.  As a deaf traveler, the company is very accessible–I can receive text alerts for gate changes and flight information. I can sit up front where I can lipread the attendants and they can get to me quickly if there are any changes in flight. Whenever I’m in a situation where I can’t use my videophone to call Southwest–they’ve been incredibly responsive through Twitter. And check out the Southwest Airlines intern who is deaf: Southwest Intern Defies the Odds and Soars.

    There are eleven of us who make up the team of #SouthwestStorytellers:

    Dani Austin

    Justin Forsett

    Lucas Hoge

    Joey Price

    Kody McCormick

    Kyler McCormick

    Leslie Harvey

    Rob Sesser

    Rocky Turner

    Sakura Considine

     

    We met for dinner the first evening and got to know one another. Kyler and Kody McCormick are also from Illinois–and we discovered we knew a fellow barefoot water skier as a mutual friend.  The next day we took a tour of Southwest headquarters–learning about operations, social media, and their specialized training. In one area of headquarters, the meeting rooms are named for the different languages that employees speak. Of course, I had to stop and take a picture of the American Sign Language meeting room!

    You can read more about each of the storytellers here: Meet the #SouthwestStorytellers

    I had such a blast getting to know the other storytellers and learning their stories. We all love to travel–follow the hashtag and watch for our adventures! I’m on a quest to barefoot water ski in all 50 states during my 50’s and I’ll be touching a few states this year.

    And I’m patiently waiting for the day that Southwest touches down in…

    Hawaii!!!!  I can’t wait to barefoot there!