2013
Hello again! Thank you so much for returning, or if this is your first time- Welcome! And thanks for being here! Let’s start where we left off from last week’s post… but be advised, the best version of this story, is the long version. Don’t say I didn’t warn ya 🙂
It’s 2013 and I live with my grandparents in Raton, NM. Day to day, I help with gram, by this time I am a housekeeper at the Microtel, and in my free time; complete commission paintings! I’m so blessed to be where I am at this time in my life; with my Grammy, close to family, and making art 🙂
Sometime in early January I picked up some shifts at the hotel, as the front desk clerk. Though the exact date eludes me, I do remember I was on an evening shift on this fateful day. Two young men checked in for the night- one tall with dark hair and a bright smile, the other just a bit shorter with a large blonde-ish beard and a head full of curly hair to match. Both pleasant and quite friendly, they inquired about the local night life (to which I chuckle) and continue to direct them to the Loaf n’ Jug. It was the only place both open, and selling alcohol haha. We exchanged names , I gave them their room keys, and off to Loaf n’ Jug they went. Upon returning, the gentleman with the beard, Hunter ( I had learned), came to the desk to ask about the smoking area, and asked if I’d like to join. I had about 30 min left on my shift, and agreed to meet afterward. When my shift was over, I’d call to the room, and we’d meet out back for a smoke and chat. Turns out, Hunter was a musician traveling with his band from Houston, TX to a winter music festival in Colorado. Funny enough, they had chosen to stop in Raton, NM because of a song that referenced the snowy mountain tops that could be found here. I still find it amazing that there is a song that mentions lil ol’ Raton 🙂 I was completely enjoying the company of this individual, and we seemed to have a great deal to chat about. Before we went our ways, he asked if I would be interested in a CD, and of course I was! I didn’t expect what I would receive next. I have a lot of CDs from local bands, and typically they were a burned disc labeled with sharpie, in a jewel case. Hunter handed me a beautiful, professionally produced, full color printed, 3- part fold out sleeve. The disc was embellished with a printed image, and the unit was sealed in cellophane… this thing belonged on a store shelf and for sale! I felt awful that payday had me waiting on funds, there was no way I could take this amazing manifestation of hard work, for free. So in trade, I offered to make a painting for him, and he gladly agreed. He would travel back the same route, and would pick up his custom artwork on his way home.
I managed to finish this painting in record time! With no subject initially, I tried to remember what I could about this cosmic stranger. I remembered a large Buddha pendant hung from a necklace he wore, and immediately the inspiration poured out onto the canvas. On his return to Houston, Hunter picked up the painting, and much to my amazement, he loved the artwork! The visit was brief, we friended on Facebook, and said our goodbyes. I knew very soon after meeting this friendly stranger, that this was uniquely coincidental. I would highly underestimate the plans the Universe would have next on deck… Hunter shared the painting online and soon after I would get an inbox message from one of his FB friends. It would be a commission inquiry from a gal named Beth, who also lived in Houston. She saw the painting, liked the painting, and wanted her own custom painting… simple enough right?! She wanted a visual concept revolving around- nature, music, twin flames/soul mates, and wanted it to have a Starry Night kind of vibe. Our chats begin mostly about the painting, and slowly evolved to more casual context, mostly us being extremely silly. We were already FB friends, and made a habit of talking daily via text, and one night while painting, I decided to call her. We talked literally all night, about anything and everything either of us could relate to, until we had found ourselves asleep on the phone together. This became our evening routine, and we insisted on sleeping on the phone together hahaha. If I’m being honest, I wasn’t in a place to even consider a relationship at the time. So when our connection was more than inevitable, I mentally resisted, however. It wouldn’t be long, with the accumulation and time we spent communicating, I would no longer be able to deny this attraction anymore. Luckily for me, we both were in this infatuation together, and on Jan 27th, she would ask me to “go steady”. Granted we hadn’t even met in person, she lived 800 miles away, and essentially we met on Facebook. Despite all of that, I anxiously agreed!
The 2nd weekend in March, we had planned to meet for the first time in Albuquerque, NM. She would fly in, and I was set to take the train. I was loaded with nerves, so many variables hung in the balance and I didn’t want any of them to change what her and I already had. My worry was all for nothing, she was every bit the perfect stranger who had already stolen my heart. Beautiful, incredibly goofy, and great company, all the things that had drawn me to her, she certainly was. She was real, she was mine, and soon she would leave a terrible ache in my soul. We killed 3 days’ time, and in the blink of an eye we’d go from hello, to goodbye. In tears, we would part again, all while holding on tightly to these shared moments. Leaving her was difficult. There was no way I could deal with this distance after being in her presence, I could barely tolerate the mere thought.
The first 2 weeks back home were pretty low, I already spend most of my time thinking about her anyway, but I just wanted her near again. We would continue to talk on the phone, but our longing only grew louder and louder. My soul knew her, I instantly I felt at home, and thankfully she felt this way as well. In a few twists of fate, the path would lay way to move with her to Houston, and on April 6th I said my goodbyes, and left Raton. Life felt like a dream, each little piece finding it’s place, and meanwhile, I got to wake up and fall asleep next to her every day. My heart was so full. In May of that same year, she would propose! And the following year, in December, we were officially and legally married in Raton, NM! I was thankful, blessed, and sometimes, still find myself in disbelief that this was now my life.
It’s been 7.5 years now, and I’m still completely enchanted over the chance encounter that changed everything. How making a painting would bring such an amazing soul into my life, and set in motion a completely new purpose to exist. She is absolutely everything; my lover, my friend, my muse, my greatest supporter, my comfort, and the water that quenches my soul. Her influence, and belief in me, is constantly making me a better person, and pushes me to new levels as an artist. It’s imperative to me to make her proud, her investment in my creative career is truly priceless, and for that my gratitude is without bounds. Our coexistence has been the greatest factor in my growth as a person, and as a soul. Her love is my greatest inspiration <3
It was destiny, that I would be working at the Microtel that cold January night and would meet a young musician from Houston TX. All of these things fell in sequence like dominoes, and that initial encounter with a sweet spirited, bearded stranger; would be just the right impact necessary. I smile as I write this, knowing that I was blessed by such chance, and I’m thankful for that night, since then, my life has never been the same. Art, like a fairy Godmother, transformed my world <3 and I intend to use art to keep my world changing, and evolving. Thanks to my wonderful wife, I’ve got a lifetime supply of love and inspiration. My admiration and love for her is ever expanding and abundant <3
I’ve likely said enough, this is a very, very long post this week. So, I’ll zip it now haha! I hope you enjoyed this story. See you next week!
<3 Miki Len
