By Wewer Keohane
Special to The Sopris Sun
VOICES Radio Hour is presented by VOICES in collaboration with Circa 71 Productions. This series is part of VOICES’ latest project in response to our intrinsic need to share stories, coupling with Circa 71 Productions’ mission to preserve memories and stories as the sacred archeology of our loved ones. The next show airs on KDNK on Friday, April 14 from 6 to 7pm.
Steve and I met because, one Christmas, one of my dream analysands gave me a dream book written by Steve’s teacher, Alex Lukeman. I was spending Christmas at the Laughing Horse Inn in Taos and read the book. About seven pages in, I made a note at the bottom of the page: “I need to meet this author/ I don’t know why, I just do.”
When I got back to Aspen, I called the number listed in the book for workshop inquiries and reserved a space in the February workshop called “What Your Dreams Can Teach You.” I wanted to be a student again, instead of the teacher! The workshop was canceled but rescheduled for June. Meanwhile, I made a decision to fully end the short-term relationship I was in and work on myself for the next many months.
The workshop was at Red Feather Lakes in northwest Colorado, at least a four to five hour drive from Aspen. When I arrived, with my cousin Mary Beth in tow, I was surprised how small the retreat was. We were the only “outsiders” as the rest of the group had been working with Alex for years and included only one man, Steve.
The four-day intensive was great. We never talked about last names, profession, etc. We just did the beautiful, deep dream work. Upon leaving, we were given a list of names and contact info. Steve and I hugged good-bye and the heart energy was intense. He slipped me a beautiful arrowhead he had carved out of obsidian. When I got home, I sent him a thank-you postcard and our letter writing began.
A couple of months later, Steve took his kids, Lea and Dylan, to Boston for a visit with his parents. He kept writing to me, and one letter proposed that we might have more than a friendship. I wrote back to his Loveland, Colorado address that I agreed, but I wasn’t in any hurry. When he returned to Loveland and saw my letter, he called. “I’m coming to see you this weekend.”
“Let’s wait until the next retreat,” I answered. Well, he talked me into it and would arrive that Saturday morning! Saturday arrived and early that morning as I was journaling, I realized it was possible we would NOT have a physical attraction. Oh my god, I thought, what if…
The knock on my door came earlier than expected, while I was writing of this scary possibility. I went downstairs and through my tiny foyer and opened the door. Steve came in and we embraced and had OUR FIRST KISS … which might be the world’s longest first kiss, as we were in the foyer for at least 15-20 minutes relishing that there was NO concern with the attraction issue!
The rest of the weekend was magical. Cheri, a friend, was visiting Aspen with her boyfriend and they were coming for dinner. Steve and I were cooking a chicken and making salad when the electricity went out. As we were lighting candles in my dark kitchen, Steve asked me if I was open to marriage. “Ma-ma-ma-marriage?” I barely got the word out of my mouth. At that very moment, all the lights came on and the candles in the kitchen just blew up. We laughed out loud.
When Cheri, who happened to be a psychic, heard the story, she said, “Well … you two just had your ceremony. The universe pronounces you married.”
The next morning, I heard Steve in the kitchen and I tiptoed down and peeked in from the stairs. He was making fish-shaped pancakes for my cats, Matisse and Chesterfield. This is the one, I thought.
Two and a half months later, we did get married according to the law, in Loveland under the double-trunk apple tree in Steve’s front yard. That was way over three decades ago.
We’ve been blessed with four grandkids and a bevy of lovable dogs and cats and ducks. We did have to commute between Aspen and Loveland for the first year of our marriage until we found our cabin in the woods by a creek not far outside Carbondale, which we have been remodeling ever since. That first kiss sealed the deal for living happily ever after, together forever through thick and thin.
Wewer Keohane holds doctoral degrees in creative arts and psychology with an emphasis on dream analysis via creativity. She is a visual artist and author of the best-selling book “Artful Dreaming: A Primer for Finding Inspiration from Your Dreams.”