Ageless Passions by Karen Putz

Category: Uncategorized

  • Sponsor Spotlight: Phonak Hearing Aids

    Slowly, but surely, we’ve become a Phonak family.  The kids all started out with other brands of hearing aids and over time, they’ve been outfitted with Phonak Naidas.  So when it came time for me to say goodbye to two broken hearing aids, I went for the Phonaks as well.  You can read about my experience here:

    Getting New Hearing Aids

    Today’s Hearing Aids are Mini-Cadillacs

    I’m proud to say that Phonak is one of my sponsors for my barefoot water skiing journey this summer.  My journey with Phonak began with Dawn Ruley, who was my kids’ audiologist for several years.  Dawn works at Phonak as a Pediatric and Schools Specialist.  And because it’s such a small world, Dawn’s sister Megan Pullos, was Lauren’s preschool teacher.  She was there for Lauren when she lost her hearing.

    Dawn connected me with Mike Orschlen and Mike provided me a glimpse inside the company that provides such a variety of hearing aids.  Mike is a 30-year veteran of the health care industry and he came to Phonak nearly four years ago.  “I’ve worked in the medical equipment industry a long time, but I never really thought about hearing aids,” said Mike.  “Hearing loss is a hidden thing–most don’t think about it nor do they treat their hearing loss.”

    Mike speaks from personal experience.  He didn’t discover his own hearing loss until two years ago, when he turned his head in bed one morning and discovered he couldn’t hear sounds out of one ear.  “I never thought I had a hearing loss before that,” said Mike.  “It’s the same for many other people–hearing loss is a bigger problem than most are aware of.”  Mike wears a in-the-canal hearing aid, but his process as a patient was an eye-opener for him.   He wanted to see what it was like for others to obtain a hearing aid.  After waiting a few weeks, he was told that he didn’t need a hearing aid.  “The doctor said that I didn’t need a hearing aid, but I know it helps because I wear mine.  It allows me to hear the high frequencies that I’m missing.”

    Phonak is unique in that in provides “Sound Recover,” a frequency transposition that takes the high sounds and converts them to lower frequency sounds that can be heard.  No other  hearing aid manufacturer offers this.   “We are helping people to hear more, hear better and hear more clearly,” said Mike.  “The Zoom feature creates a beam of sound directly in front of the person and suppresses background sounds, allowing people to hear in difficult environments.  I love it– and I’m excited that we can help people hear better.

    “That’s what motivates me about Phonak,” Mike continues.  “The people who work here are driven by something more important than just answering phones–we make a difference in people’s lives.  Everyone’s hearing loss is different, we tailor our products to the customer.  If we help them, we can make a difference– and that feels good.”

    And thank you, Phonak, for your sponsorship and for making a difference in my life and my kid’s life.  I really do like that mute feature– for the times when the house is filled with rowdy teenagers.

     

     

     

  • Missing My Dad

    The tears were streaming down my face when I finally banged the clamp off of the old battery.  The boat wouldn’t start and the old battery had somehow overheated last summer and needed to be replaced.  I had a feeling that the problem wasn’t the battery– I suspected it was the starter– but I wasn’t sure.  And the one person that I always counted on to help me, was no longer here.

    The kids looked at me in surprise.  “What’s wrong, Mom?”

    “I’m just thinking about Dad,” I explained.  “Every time there was something wrong with the boat, he was the one to fix it or to tell me what was wrong with it. I’m just missing him.”

    This week, there’s been one thing after another wrong with the boat.  The battery clamp broke off and I had to run to town to buy a new one.  The starter was indeed the problem, and I ended up writing a check to the mechanic for that one.   “Oh by the way, Mom, the gas gauge doesn’t work,” David informed me just before pulling me for a run earlier in the week.   I fixed that.   “Mom, the water pump isn’t working and the boat has some water in it,” he told me tonight after another barefoot run.  Joe fixed the broken wire and got the pump running again.

    Lately, I’ve been missing Dad a lot.  The house seems empty without him.  If you recall my earlier post about seeing a red-winged blackbird, then you know the story of that connection with my Dad.   Last week Friday, I was doing a clinic up at the Blue Moo Lake and I was feeling a little bit anxious about being able to put together a trick run.  I had struggled on the water earlier in the week at Cedar Lake and had not yet even practiced a trick run.  I was floating in the water, waiting for the boat to return and a lone bird landed on the bank.  I turned to take a closer look and saw that it was a…

    Red-winged blackbird.

    I threw my head back and laughed.

    My First Barefoot Tournament

  • Hands & Voices in Maine

    As I type this, I’m sitting in front of a window overlooking the bay in Portland, Maine.  This is my first visit to this northeastern state.  I know several people who are attending the Hands & Voices conference, and I’m about to meet many more who will become familiar faces in the next few years.  That has been my experience with Hands & Voices over the years:  the wonderful opportunity to meet diverse parents, professionals, D/deaf/hard of hearing folks from all walks of life, all corners of the world.

    How did this journey unfold?  Many years ago, when my three deaf and hard of hearing kids were much younger, I sat down to develop a website for Illinois that would put together resources for parents with deaf and hard of hearing children.  My passion was to connect with other families and share the experience of raising our kids together.  Along the way, I discovered Hands & Voices, an organization whose philosophy mirrored my own: “What works for your child is what makes the choice right.”  I met Leeanne Seaver, (Executive Director) and Janet Des Georges (Executive Director, Colorado Hands & Voices) and I liked them immediately, despite the fact that they were beautiful and fashionably hip.  I was sucked in became a board member and started up the Illinois chapter.

    When I first joined Hands & Voices, we were still relatively unknown– and definitely grassroots, but we all had a vision of connecting and helping families.  It’s amazing to see how much the organization has grown.   Today, we have 26 approved chapters, 11 provisional chapters and 6 start-up chapters.  Our international chapters include British Columbia and Kenya, with provisional and start-ups in the Philippines, Guam/Saipain, Australia, Italy and Nigeria. 

    At the end of the board meeting, I paused for a moment and reflected on the changes over the years.  We started back then with just a handful of chapters, and now we’re connected to families all over the world.  The family in Italy wants the same thing as the family in Arkansas:  a well-adjusted, successful kid.  And the journey is so much easier when we’re connected to one another, sharing resources and support.

    Years ago, at the very first Hands & Voices conference, we all fit around a single table.  At the opening night in Maine, we filled the entire dining room at Southern Maine Community College.   One by one, as we went around the room, we introduced our new best friend sitting next to us.  I had the honor of getting to know and introduce Ann Porter, a parent and CEO of Aussie Deaf Kids.

    What I love most about Hands & Voices is that over the years, I’ve had the opportunity to meet such a diverse group of parents, professionals and deaf/hard of hearing adults from all over.  I always marvel at the stories they share, the paths they’ve taken on the journey and the wisdom that they share which helps guide me as I raise my own kids.  And every time I cross paths with someone, I’m reminded of a quote by Tim McGraw:

    “We all take different paths in life, but no matter where we go, we take a little of each other everywhere.”


    For more pictures featuring the Maine Leadership Conference, visit the Hands & Voices Facebook page.  Follow us on Twitter:  @HandsandVoices.

  • Sponsor Spotlight: General Motors and Driving the Midwest

    In early August, I will be heading down to the Barefoot Ski Ranch in Waco, Texas in a brand new Chevrolet, thanks to Connie Burke from General Motors. I met Connie at a Chicago Social Media Club event earlier this year and she told me about her program, Driving the Midwest.

    Connie Burke has been working for General Motors for 26 years, but her recent position as a Communications Manager has been the most exciting, thrilling, satisfying position she’s ever worked in.  Not only is Connie part of the social media team at General Motors, but as part of her job, she gets to hand out cars to folks all over the Midwest.

    “Driving the Midwest was an outgrowth of the social media program that we created in Chicago, called  Chevy Missions,” said Connie.  “Chevy recognized people that were making a difference in their community.  We gave vehicles to help those were were making a difference in the community –whatever their passion was we wanted them to experience it with our cars.”

    Driving the Midwest program began in March, 2011 as one of five regions, and includes all of the General Motors brands, Chevy, Buick, Cadillac and GMC.  “We’ve received good feedback about this program, and people fall in love with our products as a result,” Connie explained.   “We have a lot of fuel-efficiency vehicles, like the new Chevy Cruze— a  small car that feels like a mid-size car–and it gets up to 42 miles per gallon.   Our cars have improved so much over the years.  We’ve added features like Bluetooth, separate entertainment systems, a 30 gig hard drive that holds iPod music and even the Onstar parking assistance which includes a back-up camera.  We’ve added lots of safety features as well.”

    Of all of the keys she’s handed out under the program, the most memorable one for Connie was handing the keys over to Mark Horvath prior to the SOBCon 2011 conference in Chicago.  Mark is known for his work with people who are homeless.  His mission is to teach people how to use the internet to search for jobs– and break the cycle of homelessness.  They may not have a physical address, but as long as they have email and wifi access, Mark teaches them how to make things happen.    “That was the best day of my career– it was very emotional,” said Connie.  “Just to see his face light up…  He realized that his hard work was recognized–that his work is really important.  That’s the part of my job that is really validating, honoring people who make a difference.”

    There’s no typical day at work for Connie, as she’s involved in all kinds of events.  One day, she might be on a baseball field helping to clean up, the next day she will be at an event such as the Detroit Motor City Pride or speaking at a conference.   Just recently, she kicked off Theresa Carter’s Route 66 Tour to raise money for Endure to Cure.  Just before that, she handed over a Chevy Cruze to Melisa Wells, who just released a book, “Chicken in the Car and the Car Won’t Go.”  The back of the truck was chock full of useful donations for the Ronald McDonald house. 

    I feel extremely blessed to soon be the recipient of a vehicle from General Motors for our trip to the Barefoot Nationals in August.   Two years ago, on my 44th birthday, I spent that day feeling down and missing my youthful days of barefoot water skiing.  Now two years later this August, I’ll be celebrating my birthday with my family, and a whole new community of barefooting friends— what an incredible blessing!   Thank you, Connie Burke and General Motors for making this possible!

     

  • Living Life with Appreciation and Gratitude

    When I arrived home after Dad died, there was a pile of mail sitting on the counter.  It took me a few days before I sat down and finally opened the cards one by one.  One card, in particular, stood out.  It was sent by AnnMarie Mickelson, my friend from Georgia.  On the cover, was a picture I had taken of my hand clasping my father’s hand.  I had taken the picture shortly before he died and posted it to Facebook with the message, “Thanks for 45 years Dad–I’m going to miss you.”

    AnnMarie also included a picture that I had taken from a flight.  Here’s the card:

     

    AnnMarie used a service called Send Out Cards to create this customized, personal card.   I also received another Send Out Card, this one from Glenda Watson Hyatt, a friend of mine from Canada.  Glenda has cerebral palsy, a disability that makes it difficult for her to write.  Send Out Cards was an easy way for her to create a customized card.  She sent me a card with a picture of a sunset from her recent trip to Hawaii (I love sunsets!).

    Intrigued, I wanted to learn more about Send Out Cards, so I opened an account.  I found that I really enjoyed creating cards and surprising folks here and there with a little appreciation and gratitude.  Losing Dad brought that on, for sure– a whole new appreciation for the people who cross my path on this life journey.   Kody Bateman, the founder of Send Out Cards, had a similar revelation when he ignored a gut feeling to share some love with his brother and shortly afterwards, he lost his brother.  That’s how Send Out Cards was born.  Here’s an excerpt from his story:

    Send Out Cards came into existence because of a story, the story of my brother Kris and how I ignored a prompting to say goodbye to him before I moved away.   Shortly after moving away, a phone call revealed the tragic news that he had been killed.   I hung up the phone after hearing this news and realized that this particular story would change my life.  I set out to search for meaning in the story of my brother’s death.  In that search, I made some promises to my brother.  I promised him that I would act on my promptings from then on and find a way to help others do the same.  This became a collected story in my life and it guided my efforts for the next 18 years.  Today, Send Out Cards is the result of that collected story.

    Take a moment to read my previous post, how taking just a second to tell someone how special they are can last a lifetime in their mind:

    A Second That Lasts a Lifetime

    I joined AnnMarie at Send Out Cards, and together, we’re sharing Send Out Cards with others.  This week, we’re toying around with the Send Out Cards video cards– where you can send videos via a card!  Imagine sending a video of a newborn baby to grandparents living in another state.  Or a video tour of your brand new house to a friend who lives in another country.  Or a special message in American Sign Language to a special someone in  your life.

    I was never good at sending cards or remembering birthdays until I started using Send Out Cards.  Now I finally have all of my contacts in one place and a birthday reminder alert.  And a few weeks ago, I received an alert for a friend’s birthday.  I was in another state, with no car– but sending a card and a gift took all of a few minutes.  I snagged a picture off Facebook, designed a customized card, selected a book and sent the whole thing off with the touch of a few keys.

    With Send Out Cards, the possibilities are endless– the connections that result, priceless.  Don’t wait until it’s too late.

    Don’t wait until it’s too late to connect with someone– send them a card today.  The first one is on us.  If you’d like to join our team (I work from a pontoon on a lake and AnnMarie works from an Anytime Fitness gym!) contact me at karen (at) karenputz (dot) com.

    Karen Putz — Passion Pursuits

    AnnMarie Mickelson — Amjon

    Some of the cards we’ve sent:

     

  • He’s Legally an Adult, But He’s Still My Baby

    David, my oldest kiddo, is celebrating his 18th birthday today.   He’s also graduating from high school on Friday.  Needless to say, I’m a muddled mess this week.   We have a tradition in our house where we put up a birthday sign on the front door– it’s the first thing the kids see when they come down the stairs on their birthday.

    The hubby put up this sign:

    I guess it’s a male thing to achieve adulthood, but for a mom, it’s just a reminder of how-too-quickly motherhood comes to pass.  David has been looking forward to this monumental birthday, rejoicing in the “adult” status.   As for me, I’m trying to juggle the flip flop of emotions that are swirling inside of me.  I wrote about it in the Chicago Tribune  TribLocal, which was printed in last week’s newspaper:

    From  Birth to Graduation, Just Like That

    Do you remember those Tom and Jerry cartoons when you were little– the scenes where Tom would chase Jerry and leaving him spinning in a circle–not knowing what hit him?  Yeah, that’s exactly how I feel today.  The years went by so fast– that I’m still dizzy from the whirlwind.

    Happy Birthday, Dave!  I love you! You may be legally an adult today, but you’re still my baby. May your day be an amazing one!

  • Grief Out of Nowhere

    It has been a long, cold, drawn-out spring in Chicago, so when  a beautiful, warm day arrived, I decided to run walk on the prairie path in Naperville.  I didn’t get very far with running– there was a heaviness inside that I couldn’t shake.  I slowed to a walk and soaked in the beauty around me.  I tried to figure out why I was feeling so weighed down.  I recognized that heaviness– it was the familiar feeling of stress.  So many changes had occurred in such a short time.  The countless trips to Michigan and the loss of my dad.  The change from full time employment to part time.  The additional projects I had taken on.

    Out of nowhere, I started to cry.  At first, I didn’t even know why I was crying.  I was thankful for sunglasses and the mostly deserted path.  I struggled to sort out the jumble of thoughts that were racing through my mind.  The one that stood out was this:  I missed my dad.  I hadn’t slowed down enough in the last several weeks to allow myself to feel the loss.

    A bird landed right in front of the path I was walking.  When I saw the bird, I started to laugh.  It was a red-winged blackbird.  Because you see, up in Michigan, we had a red-winged blackbird that used to dive toward Dad’s head whenever he was out in the yard near the shore.  And in all of my years in Illinois, I had never noticed a red-winged blackbird around me.

    I dried the tears and started to run again.

  • The Ups and Downs of Barefooting

    At the moment, I’m in a cranky mood.  I’ve just gotten off the boat at the World Barefoot Center, hung up my wetsuit and sat down to stew a bit.  Just a few hours earlier, I was pumped up, looking forward to some backward barefooting– wanting that feeling of skimming backward on the water on my feet– like I did several weeks ago.

    But this is how I spent my afternoon:

    Did I mention that I was a bit cranky?

    I’m juggling the feelings of frustration that resulted from an afternoon of trying, trying, trying to accomplish the backward deep water start to no avail.  Swampy finally pulled me off the water– there would be no more barefooting until we did some dry land practice.   I grumbled, but I knew he was right– insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.  It was time to go back to the basics and learn again from the beginning.

    “I’ve had days like that,” said Ben Groen, a skier from New Zealand.  “One day I can do my turns– and then I’ll go out there and I can’t do them.”

    I’m learning some lessons on the water, and they’re not just about barefoot water skiing, they’re about life.   No matter where you are with your skills, you’re going to have some days where everything lines up– and days when nothing seems to work.  The gals–Kim, Judy and Claudia– remind me to have patience, that the learning curve is a steep one.   Two steps forward, and sometimes twenty steps back.   “You have to remember where you are in the process,” said Kim.  “You can’t compare yourself to someone who is far ahead and expect the same results.  It’s a process to get there.”

    Tomorrow is another day– another day to apply new lessons and develop new skills.  I’ve already shifted my attitude as I ponder the day and put it in the proper perspective– because a bad day on the water– surrounded by friends on a beautiful, sunny Florida day– is a good day indeed.

  • Karen Putz Barefooting on Growing Bolder TV

    Bill Shafer and cameraman, Jason Morrow from Growing Bolder TV did a great job capturing the story of how I met Judy Myers and Keith St. Onge at the World Barefoot Center.  You can see my very first, sort-of-official backward barefoot start (with no shoes!)– but don’t blink, or you’ll miss me keeling right over two seconds later.

    Find more inspiring video, audio, and images at Growing Bolder.

    Filming at the World Barefoot Center

    Karen Putz on Growing Bolder

  • A Scramble of Updates

    First of all, today’s the first official day of… unemployment.  That’s right, I’m no longer a Sales Manager for ZVRS, a job that I’ve held the last two and half years.  I’ll dearly miss the Z Team, but with my Z-20, I can stay in touch with everyone.  And speaking of the Z-20, I just gotta say that the VCO really rocks on it!  It comes with a phone as well as the headset option.  I just got off the phone with a gal from a major corporation and she had to ask me, “Karen, I know you’re deaf– how is it possible for you to be talking to me right now?”  Technology and top-notch interpreters– gotta love it!

    I just got back from Gallaudet University, where I gave a presentation on “Unwrapping Your Passion” at the Global Deaf Women retreat.  I had the honor of giving away a copy of my ultimate favorite book, “Aspire: Discovering Your Purpose Through the Power of Words,” by Kevin Hall.   Kevin kindly sent me a signed copy of his book and I thought long and hard about who I wanted to share it with– I knew that the Global Deaf Women retreat was just the place for it.  Cindi Molloy was the proud recipient of the book and I can’t wait to see what she learns from it.

    Before I left for D.C., I met Stephen Hopson for lunch and then we took off for the Drake Hotel for the Social Media Chicago event.  Stephen is the author of Obstacle Illusions, another book that I highly recommend to everyone.  Stay tuned for a post on Stephen and some insight into his book!  Stephen and I met online several years back and we connected at an SOBCon Conference in 2008.  He has become one of my dearest friends and my fake husband (yes, the real life hubby knows!).   Stephen was in town to speak at Debra Poneman’s Yes to Success workshop where he received a standing ovation.  Before we took off for our respective speaking gigs, we enjoyed a night of connecting with the SOBCon gang, including Liz Strauss, Chris Brogan, Wendy Piersall, Becky McCray, Sheila Scarborough, Chris Garrett, and Lorelle VanFossen.

    Coming up on PBS and Create TV is a show called Growing Bolder, featuring a segment on my return to barefoot water skiing.  You can see the teaser paragraph on this month’s issue of the Growing Bolder Insider.  Scroll down to the bottom and you’ll see a picture of me barefooting (sort of… I’m on shoes!) backward.  I’m proud to say that since it was filmed, I actually did learn to barefoot backwards on my feet.

    Karen-Putz4x3.jpg

    In the next Insider: What do you do when the one thing you love most is the one thing everyone tells you not to do? As a teen, Karen Putz lost her hearing while barefoot waterskiing. More than 25 years passed, but her desire to get back on her feet kept burning within her, until she finally decided to try to barefoot again.

    No Skis, No Sound, No Problem!

    When I arrived home, I thumbed through The Waterskier magazine and sat down to read “Legends Collide,” an article that I wrote featuring two-time World Barefoot Champion Keith St. Onge and Glen Plake, who was inducted into the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Hall of Fame.  It never gets old to read stuff in print!

    Everyone has been asking, “What’s next?’  I’m focusing on finishing the books I’ve started and booking more speaking engagements.  Joe and I have also teamed up with Send Out Cards, a company that I also use as a marketing tool: Appreciation Marketing Goes A Long Way.  For every card you send, a percentage goes toward barefoot training and competitions. You are welcomed to try it– send a card for free.  If you’re interested in joining my team at Send Out Cards, shoot me an email at karen (at) karenputz ( dot) com.

    To wrap up, I wanted to share a quote by William Hutchinson Murray that can be found at the beginning of Chapter Two in Aspire:

    The moment one definitely commits oneself then Providence moves too.  All sorts of things occur to help one that would never otherwise have occurred… unforeseen incidents, meetings, and material assistance which no man could have dreamed would have come his way.