Kindlandia: Remembering Edythe in Whistler

Dearest Edythe,
The day you died last Christmastime, daughter Kizzie Marie phoned and said, “Mom, I can’t take Edythe’s place, but if you like, I will set aside the week you and Edythe always traveled, and we could take that time together.”

Edythe, this first year without you continues to be especially difficult. Yet, comforted by Kizzie Marie’s offer, I researched possible options and was able to trade timeshare points for a studio room at the Westin in Whistler, British Columbia, Canada.

From the first person we met there to the last, we had only friendly exchanges. Travel can be stressful, and friction anticipated. Yet, our interactions with residents, hotel workers, shopkeepers, restaurant wait staff, masseuse, and fellow guests were without exception pleasant, helpful, kind, and welcoming.

An especially heartwarming exchange took place before the Women’s Evening Mountain Bike Class. Kizzie Marie was a bit nervous meeting up with a group of strangers for a first-time mountain bike ride. Yet, the very first woman we met, Nadine, greeted us with a warm smile and a German accent. To our amazement, she came from Thüringen, a region in Germany where my grandfather, Professor Dr. Carl August Schleusing was born, where in 2010 a museum opened an exhibition of his paintings and had a street named for him! We joked that we were likely distant cousins and Kizzie Marie had a good buddy for her mountain bike adventure.

Nadine worked at the local Scandinavian Spa and offered us a discounted coupon for a massage and use of the multi-temperature baths. At the end of our stay, we gave Nadine a ride from Whistler to Squamish on our way home. I used the opportunity to gift Nadine a copy of my bilingual German/English children’s book, A Tall Tale About a Dachshund and a Pelican, to say thank you for her friendship, and for her recommendation and coupon for the spa. Nadine, not knowing me as a children’s author, was so touched by the gesture she vowed to write an Amazon review and purchase another book for a dear friend expecting a baby soon!

What unexpected kindness we found in Whistler, British Columbia: another entry into Kindlandia!