The Dragon Divas

July 14, 2009

- A reflection from Dragon Diva newbie Kathy Miller

Walking down to the lake where the boat is moored has to be the most peaceful and happy of walks for me. As a "newbie" to the Dragon Divas, this experience as a whole is still refreshingly new.

I walk from my van and immediately, beautiful White Bear Lake is seen and smelled and felt. I can hear the first crew, the drum beating steadily, Ron yelling occasionally and as I near the picnic bench, where more Divas sit and await their turn in the boat with me, I see them. Even after only a couple of practices, some of us never having done this before, others seemingly old pros, the precision and beauty and strength of it all come together before me.

For me, it's a break from the craziness of life, a means to be with people who understand and better physical therapy (and mental for that matter) than anything I've thought of or tried before. We stretch, we board the beautiful boat, we push off and we go. It's hard work. It takes concentration, coordination, all the muscles you have and strength you don’t believe you do.

We work together, following the commands, watching our sterns men, our partners. We listen to the drum, to the sounds of the water and beating of our hearts. It hurts and it makes me feel like I felt before: Before all the scariness, the surgeries, the chemo and the radiation. Before prosthetics and blood work and six-month appointments.

I can feel myself healing from the inside out or the outside in, it matters not which way it comes, but that it does come. Healing and hope, camaraderie and care, strength and victory.