Introducing Our SEPTEMBER Member Spotlight: Meet DEBBE!
We’re thrilled to shine this month’s spotlight on Debbe, our September Member of the Month!
Debbe has been a sweet and sunny addition to our pool community! Since joining us for the summer, Debbe has brought warmth, laughter, and a joyful spirit to the pool.
She spends her winters in beautiful Mexico, but we’re the lucky ones who get to enjoy her bright energy all summer long. Thank you, Debbe, for being such a special part of our LC family!
Hi everyone!
I am Debbe. I am a newbie here at the Lemonade Collective as it is my first membership at this beautiful place this summer! I do love it here in the Grey Highlands area… staying in a little cottage here on a farm for a few months before I head back to Mexico at the end of October.
Born in Victoria, BC, then to Winnipeg MB until I was 13 and then to Etobicoke for many years, I moved to Collingwood, lived and worked there for 20 years and raised my two children there. My son now lives in Kitchener ON and my daughter in Sayulita, Mexico.
I received a BA Degree in Secretarial Science/Business and returned to full-time school at 50 years of age to receive an Early Childhood Education (ECE) Diploma as I adored working with children. I worked in ECE and started a hot lunch program for children in Collingwood serving all the elementary schools there, which became a not-for-profit endeavour as we found so many were coming to school not eating. It was wonderful as the community became involved to help. I then worked with Community Connection 211 in an administrative role for many years in Collingwood launching and sharing the 211 help line message to all of northern Ontario.
When the world went crazy, in 2020/1, my daughter, son-in-law and granddaughter sold their home in Pickering to visit me in Collingwood before they went travelling. After a couple of months' visit, they proceeded to ask me to join them in going to Mexico! Yikes! Wasn`t ready for that request! Best laid plans as they say... make plans and God laughs!!! Who could resist? I closed up my life in Collingwood and went. The adventure of my life began!
We were what you would call homeless for a couple of years while we figured things out in Mexico! Our family lived together for a while, then I set up on my own there and my daughter and family built their own home. I found myself in a tropical paradise in a brand new culture. It all sure opened my eyes and heart to what is ‘out there’ in the world. We get hooked on the lives we live and don’t realize what life we could be leading other than what we know. I feel blessed to have discovered this late in my life. I spent the next couple of years getting rid of my things in storage in Collingwood… My only possessions now are my car here in Canada and my golf cart in Mexico! They allow me my independence and I am free of ‘stuff’! My son who lives in Kitchener got a lot of it!
Christmas Dinner in Sayulita on the beach!
In Mexico…. sleepovers with my granddaughter, meeting young friends and families through my family there, connecting with people my age, getting involved in book clubs, meditations on the beach, small town Mexican vibes with music and tacos and friendly town people. We live in an international surfing town which brings in people from all over the world. It is super hot, rainy and humid there for the summer right now. That’s why I am here! And I am discovering this beautiful Beaver Valley area here with curiosity and reverence. This area is a gem.
With some time on my hands for change, I am also now focusing on my health and spirituality… (there are incredible offerings around this in Mexico)… and hence the Lemonade Collective here in Canada where I have met some beautiful people and made new friends. Swimming has always been my first love of exercise, so I am thrilled with this place which allows flexibility of use and such a beautiful and welcoming staff. I love to swim here. Different from the beautiful Pacific Ocean in Mexico but a welcome change.
I am also becoming a volunteer mentor with the World Academy for the Future of Women which empowers university women through the discovery of their passion, purpose, and path to success to become world leaders in their chosen fields. There are also opportunities to facilitate their programs in universities around the world.
What drives me to be motivated and focused on health are…. keeping up with grandchildren! and feeling mobile, well and at peace and be able to make a difference and be of help in this world. Connecting with health practitioners in this area and learning as much as I can to help me live in joy and peace keeps my curiosity fed. Lots of meditating and learning what is new in the health field is of great interest to me. It is amazing what is out there for us to move through our golden age!
Most of all, though, the water calls me… I do aqua yoga in the lane swim for an hour at least 5 days per week at the LC. I drive 15 minutes to get there each time and so glad I made the commitment. The hips aren’t yelling as loud anymore and I’m working on getting them down to a whisper!!! I love to dance to the great music in the pool too!
My plan is to come back to this area next summer and learn more of what there is to offer... Hasta la vista to all for now! Life is good. See you in the pool!
Debbe