Twenty one years ago I weighed 190 pounds and in January of 1990 I made up my mind to lose 40 pounds by my 40th birthday which was in July.  I had 6 months from when I started until my birthday and I did accomplish my goal. I walked religiously at least 4 miles every day and I drank 2 of my meals each day in the form of a protein shake along with a ton of water.  I also hiked, climbed and skied with my local Mountaineers club.  But then we moved to a new town and I lost touch with all my hiking buddies.  I also took a sedentary job and the weight started to creep back on.

In 2001 was diagnosed with breast cancer and went through about 7 months of treatment which included chemo-therepy, mastectomy, and radiation.  Throughout that process I became very inactive and my metabolism seemed to come to a stand-still.  Some people lose weight during chemo, but I gained.  And during radiation I was putting on about a pound per week.  I knew something had to have been out of whack!

Sometime after my treatments ended my docs discovered I was low on thyroid, so now I’m taking a daily dose of thyroid replacement.  I had hoped maybe that would be the cure-all and I’d start losing weight, but unfortunately it hasn’t been that easy.  Over the years my weight has crept up to 210 pounds and today I’ve finally made up my mind to so something about it.

For the past couple months my husband and I have been making green smoothies for breakfast.  I thought maybe that would jumpstart the weightloss – after all starting our day with nothing but fruits and vegetables seems like a good idea, right?  And I’m sure it is, but it’s not enough.  What we really need is exercise.  I’m 60 years old now and my metabolism is about zilch!  It’s time to start walking again.

Yesterday I was at my oncologist’s office for another one of those pesky check-back appointments.  Thankfully, everything remains good – no sign of a recurrence, but getting weighed and coming in at 210 pounds proved that I had put on about 10 pounds over the winter.  This has been my pattern for the past 5-6 years.  Lose 10 pounds during the summer while working in Alaska, then put it back on during the dormant period of winter.  Well, after 17 years of tour guide work, I’m not going back to Alaska this summer, so it’s anyone’s guess as to whether I’ll be able to lose the automatic 10 pounds again this year.  So now I’m thinking it’s pretty obvious I better have a plan!  Besides, I want to lose a whole lot more than 10 pounds – more like about 60!!

After my appointment I stopped into the little health care store at the clinic.  A small, inexpensive spiral bound book caught my eye and on impulse I picked it up and brought it home.  It’s called “Walking Off Weight – The 14-day, 14-step program for lasting weight loss”.  I know walking worked for me in the past, so I’m hopeful maybe I can get back into that routine and walk off the extra bulk I’m carrying around with me.

So today I read Day 1 in the book and went for a walk.  I even got my husband to come along too, which is good because he has a few pounds to shed as well.  My walk wasn’t long – maybe 1 mile – and I didn’t walk particularly fast, but it was a start.

I’ll try to check back often to keep you in-tune with my progress.  And if you’d like to start a walking program along with me, just post a comment to let me know.  Maybe we can support and motivate each other through it all.

When I walk I like taking my camera along.  I never know what I’ll find, but I can at least share some of the small details I discover along the way.  If you go for a walk today; notice the small things like wildflowers in spring, interesting rocks, interesting people.  Use your senses and discover all there to find along your route.

Last year we started a new tradition in our family by directing our donation to the purchase of various Mercy Kits in the names of our 7 grandchildren.  Each child was invited to review the types of “kits” available and make their own choice.  Several choose “goat kits” because they raise goats themselves.  Our grandson who loves bugs, chose the “beehive kit.”  Depending on the cost of a kit, some were able to purchase several kits.

As we contemplate the economy this year, we realize that there is very little we all really need, yet there is so much need in other parts of the world.  We are thankful to be in the position of being able to again purchase Mercy Kits to help others around the world.

Last weekend we were taking two of our grandchildren on an outing.  On the way the kids told us about their mom giving $2 to a “houseless” man with a sign that was standing on a street corner. It apparently made a very big impression on them and was likely the first time they realized there actually were homeless people right here among us.

Our trip was going to include a ride on the Santa Train in Tacoma. Our grandchildren have never believed in Santa Claus, but they still find him amusing, so I asked them both what they would ask Santa for.  The 4 year old girl asked for a pony – of course!  But the 9 year old surprised me in that he had no ideas.  He said he thought he had everything he needed.  He ended up telling Santa that he wanted for all the poor people to have enough food.  Wow – what a heart of gold at such a young age!  Santa said he wanted to keep him!

You just can’t have Christmas with children without having some gifts to open, but like last year, we will be channeling our resources towards Mercy Kits in the kids’ names.  Each child will receive a gift card that tells them a little bit about the kit that was purchased in their names.

The Mercy Kit project not only helps those in developing counties, but it is also an excellent tool for getting children involved and educating them to the needs of others.  The economy may be bad this year, but I believe it has opened people’s hearts beyond measure to help those who are not so fortunate.  I think it’s because we can more easily see just how “wealthy” we are when we have the basic necessities of life when others are struggling just to feed and cloth their families.

Mercy Corps is not the only organization to make an impact, but it an organization I know I can trust to manage our donations responsibly.  Other options would include World Vision and Heifer International. Other related sites I’ve found recently are In Lieu of a Gift which allows you to send party invitations with a request for a donation to the charity of your choice in lieu of a gift, and Gaiam fair trade shopping options that allow you to purchase artisanal crafts as gifts or for yourself while empowering craftspeople to preserve their rich cultural traditions and create better lives for their families and communities.

What’s the take away?

Holiday shopping does not have to be extravagent and stressful.  By giving a charitable gift in someone’s name, you can spread holiday cheer beyond our borders and gain a sense of well being unatainable in material gifts.

A couple months later I called the phone number. Not only did I learn about restaurant and hotel jobs all over Alaska, but also that Holland America owned the Gray Line of Alaska tour bus company. The recording spoke of the need for driver/guides for all their division in Alaska and listed where their training sessions would be held. Seattle was the primary location. That’s about a 1 1/2 driver from where we live in Olympia, but it caught my attention, because during our trip the previous summer, I had actually contemplated what a cool job it would be to drive a motorcoach up and down the Alaska highways.

I had never driven a large vehicle before, and frankly, I wasn’t sure if I was even remotely capable, but after contacting the human resources department, I was assured they could train just about anyone to drive a motorcoach. I went through the hiring process and by February 1994, I was enrolled in their 13 week training program. I completed my training with a class-B CDL and on June 6, 1994 flew to Anchorage for my first summer as a driver/guide with Gray Line of Alaska.

That first summer in Alaska was quite an experience. I spent a lot of time transferring people to and from the cruise ship port of Seward, AK. It’s a beautiful drive, but can get a little old when you sometimes have to drive the 127 miles a total of 4 times in one day! I also learned how to wash a bus as quickly as possible, get up a 2:00 am, dump the toilet holding tank, sleep in bunk beds with 4 other drivers to a room, and the list goes on. I can’t say it was any easy job, but I still managed to have a lot of fun. I was 44 years old and most of the other drivers were young college kids, so that alone kept me energized!

Holland America has an incentive program that awards a free cruise to seasonal employees who complete two summers in Alaska. I think when I first started I figured I’d do the two years and take my free cruise and that would be the end of it. That first year I shared a small room with a younger gal who was working her 5th summer in Alaska. I wondered how she could possible have done it that many years. When I came back for my second season in 1995, I really thought it would be my last, but Alaska had other ideas for me. I came back one more year to drive out of Anchorage, and on the fourth year, I switched divisions and began another three year stint working out of the Fairbanks division. This gave me the opportunity to drive different highways and to get into the Yukon Territory of Canada. I even got to drive the haul road up to Prudhoe Bay where the oil fields are. For my seventh year I went back to Anchorage to drive some longer charter tours that took me through the complete circuit – Anchorage all the way down to Skagway, up through Whitehorse and Dawson City, Yukon, and back up to Fairbanks, down through Denali Park and back to Anchorage. I also learned to fully narrate all the tour routes I drove; thus the title, Driver/Guide.

Picture below: John Hall’s Alaska tour bus at Matanuska River overlook with King Mountain in background.

By the year 2000 I felt I had gone about as far as I could expect to go with Gray Line. In August of 2000 I drove a couple charters for a small company out of Minnesota and that’s when I met John Hall for the first time. He ran one bus in Alaska and needed a second coach and driver to handle the large number of guests who were signed up for these two tours. An old Gray Line friend of mine was driving John’s single bus, and recommend that John request me to drive these two charters. By the end of the second tour, John had asked me to come to work with him the following year since he was adding a second motorcoach to his fleet. That was the beginning of what has now been a seven year run with John Hall’s Alaska Cruises and Tours. (John now has four motorcoaches in his fleet!)

Working for John has been a completely different experience than working for Gray Line. Instead of wondering day to what what I’d be doing the next day, I now know my schedule for the entire summer ahead of time. I have my own motorcoach (and the responsibility to keep it clean), I sleep in my own hotel room, and most of my meals are included as well. I also have a lot more independence when it comes to planning my tours. Of course I have to follow the published itinerary, but I have my choice of picture stops and any extra activities I can fit in along the way. My personal opinion is that John Hall tour members get a much better organized and comprehensive tour than with the larger companies like Holland or Princess.

In June of this year, I’ll be heading back to Alaska for my 15th season. Who would have guessed in 1994 that this seasonal career would have lasted this long? I’ve also spent just about every March in Alaska working a volunteer position for the Iditarod Sled Dog Race. (more on that in another article.) I guess you could say, “Alaska has a hold on me.”

As for our son Kevin; in 1994 he ended up working for Holland America’s Westmark Hotel in Skagway and continued to work several more summers in Skagway after that. He now lives in Anchorage, AK and manages a tire store.

So what’s the take away?

I guess the take away is that you’re never too old or too young to find new adventures in your life. Prior to my time in Alaska I had a pretty normal life; raising a couple kids and working some very ordinary jobs. But once the youngest child was out of high school, I seized the opportunity to do something extraordinary and it changed my life completely. I’ll be 58 years old this summer as I drive my motorcoach thousands of miles around the northland. I figure I have a couple more good years in me and maybe then I will retire. But I can guarantee you that I’ll never leave Alaska for good.

If you’re interested in Alaska motorcoach driving jobs, I recommend you start with a company like Holland America Tours or Princess Tours. They will train you to drive and you’ll have the opportunity to learn the tour material for the routes you drive. Both companies have non-driving seasonal job opportunities available as well. Visit their web sites for more details.

If you’d like to see more pictures from my Alaska tours, check out my web site: MooseAndBears.com

Do you remember back in the 60’s when Simon and Garfunkel sang the 59th Street Bridge song? ( if you remember the 60’s you probably weren’t there…) The duo advised us to “slow down, we move too fast…” What a laugh thinking about the speed of the 60’s compared with how fast we are actually moving today! We live today in an instant results – or else – world. If a politician doesn’t produce instant results to our liking we boot the bum out and vote in some other bum. If a corporate CEO doesn’t produce an instant turnaround, then that bum is on unemployment too. If the drive through on Airport Way doesn’t give us fast – fast food we get testy and swear to never go back there again, until next time. It’s a fast pace world we’ve created for ourselves.

Unfortunately, we are trying to live our fast paced lifestyle in what is naturally a slow paced world. Zig Ziglar, the famous motivational speaker, once told the story of the Chinese Bamboo Tree. It seems that this tree when planted, watered, and nurtured for an entire growing season doesn’t outwardly grow as much as an inch. Then, after the second growing season, a season in which the farmer takes extra care to water, fertilize and care for the bamboo tree, the tree still hasn’t sprouted. So it goes as the sun rises and sets for four solid years. The farmer and his wife have nothing tangible to show for all of their labor trying to grow the tree.

Then, along comes year five.

In the fifth year that Chinese bamboo tree seed finally sprouts and the bamboo tree grows up to eighty feet in just one growing season! Or so it seems….

Did the little tree lie dormant for four years only to grow exponentially in the fifth? Or, was the little tree growing underground, developing a root system strong enough to support its potential for outward growth in the fifth year and beyond? The answer is, of course, obvious. Had the tree not developed a strong unseen foundation it could not have sustained its life as it grew. The same principle is true for people. People, who patiently toil towards worthwhile dreams and goals, building strong character while overcoming adversity and challenge, grow the strong internal foundation to handle success, while get-rich- quickers and lottery winners usually are unable to sustain unearned sudden wealth.

Had the Chinese bamboo farmer dug up his little seed every year to see if it was growing, he would have stunted the tree’s growth as surely as a caterpillar is doomed to a life on the ground if it is freed from its struggle inside a cocoon prematurely. The struggle in the cocoon is what gives the future butterfly the wing power to fly, just as tension against muscles as we exercise strengthen our muscles, while muscles left alone will soon atrophy. My problem with exercise is not getting instantly stronger after each work out! I pray for more patience every day and I pray to get it right now!

We live in a quick-fix society. We get frustrated if we have to wait more than 2 minutes for service or a stop light to change. We want instant solutions to every complex problem and every fractured relationship. In short – we want it all now! Maybe its time to reflect on an old, old poem by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow that is as true today as it was when he wrote it over 100 years ago:

“The heights by great men reached and kept
Were not attained by sudden flight,
But they, while their companions slept,
Toiled ever upward through the night.”

Charlie Dexter is a professor of applied business at the University of Alaska Fairbanks Tanana Valley Campus. He can be reached at 455-2837 or ffcnd@uaf.edu. This column is provided as a public service of the TVC Applied Business Department. Copies of this column can be found at www.CharlieDexter.com.