Dear Readers,

There are people we meet in our life journey who make us want to do better. They inspire us – not so much by what they say, but it is their approach to life. They attack each day with a reverence for living well and making this world better for all of us. They don’t do it with huge pronouncements of how to change. They don’t do with a lot of titles behind their name. They do it by living each day making choices that will improve the beauty and peace in their own life. Simultaneously, they make choices that enhance their community. Their altruistic choices happen just by the mere fact that they live on this planet, in their community making positive choices about their life and their kindness to others. We don’t often give this person, who may be you, or may be your neighbor, the recognition for being a public-spirited person. Why? Because rarely do we hear of their good deeds. They quietly live life, one day at a time, making decisions that are decent, noble and kind. Reader, do you know someone who approaches life with curiosity and enjoyment?

Laura Ambler is one of those people in my community. The more I get to know about her, the more I find out about her ungrudging quietly-administered compassion for others. If you know someone in your community who just does good deeds for the sake of doing them, I hope this blog inspires you to say “thank you”.

 

Headshot of Laura, white skin, short light-colored hair, dangling turquoise earrings, wearing a multi-colored scarf over a dark blouse, smiling

 

 I don’t write a lot about the way Laura impacts others because she doesn’t toot her own horn. Instead, I tell her story and let you get a glimpse of her infectious, yet soft personality. She’s not an “in your face” person (as I tend to be sometimes). Instead, she lives life gently. Let’s discover Laura and maybe uncover points along the way that motivated her to be the woman she is today.

Now, age 58, Laura Ambler was born and raised in the San Francisco Bay area of California. “I was an oops baby,” she said. Her mom was 40-years-old when she gave birth to Laura. Laura’s three older brothers were all more than a decade older. By the time Laura was five-years-old, they had already left their family home for school or marriage.

 

 

Left is a black and white photo of a baby girl sitting in a stroller; right is a picture of Laura with short blond hair as a young girl wearing a light blue jacket and skirt; beside her is a middle-aged woman wearing a brown and cream swizzle-designed dress and holding a brown purse; in the background on the porch of the stucco house is an older man with balding white hair and wearing a dark shirt.

Laura was born premature. She weighed in as a 3-pound 7-ounce baby. During the first forty-two days of her life, she lived in an incubator at the hospital. Laura said this was hereditary. Similarly, her mother was a premature baby. Laura’s mom was born in 1922, in a very tiny town in Kansas. In fact, the town no longer exists. It was small Swedish settlement. Laura told me that back then, when a baby was born premature, they tiny infant was placed in a shoe box and kept warm in an oven with the door open.

Laura’s birth attracted the attention of a medical team, and she was placed in a lifelong study that tracked the health history of premature births. For the first ten years of her life, Laura had annual reviews with this team. They were measuring attributes such as her growth, physical abilities and intellectual aptness. From age 11 on, the study team continues to follow Laura’s life with medical reviews every five years. Do you have an unusual birth story, Reader? Where do you fall in your family’s birth order?

Throughout Laura’s childhood, her father was a “fixer upper”, (for those of you who watch HGTV). He would buy, renovate and sell homes. However, his full-time work was an administrator, predominately throughout the Berkley, California school system. For his doctorate, he wrote about the changes needed in education. One of those changes was that he felt it was important to have people of all races teach in the schools. This was during the late 50s to the 70s, when such an idea was considered radical. He would recruit teachers who were not Caucasian. Sadly, his life was often threatened for his recruiting practices. Reader, have you ever taken an unpopular stand about something important to you?

Laura’s mom also studied education. She then became a homemaker and a professional volunteer in her community and church. Laura described life having older brothers who were so much older than she was. They were grown men for most of her childhood years. “It was like having four fathers,” she said.

Two people surrounding by lots of shrubbery and flowers; on the left is a young girl with blond hair and pigtails tied with yellow ribbons; she is wearing light blue shorts and a striped shirt of light blue, red and white 

Though her brothers no longer lived at home, Laura’s home was still full. She lived with her mother, her father, who was also a World War II veteran, her dad’s dad and her mom’s mom. She described their home atmosphere as, “having a European feel to it – very Swedish,” she said of her Swedish grandparents. Christmas Eve dinner consisted of such dishes as lutfisk (preserved cod) and rice pudding. The elders in the home spoke Swedish, and they were not a hugging demonstrative family. Remembering the saying, ‘Stubborn as a Swede’. Laura said, “Yeah, that was us.” As well, Laura said that “alcohol was served at every meal.” Readers, did other generations in your family influence your childhood?

 

On the left side of the photo is teenager, Laura, with blond hair, white blouse and a light blue vest, she is smiling and giving the Star Trek Vulcan sign of a “V”; on the left side is Laura in a professional photo wearing a dark, v-neckline dress and a gold star necklace and smiling;

During Laura’s teenage and college years, she was the kid who avoided the drug and alcohol scene. “I don’t like the feeling of being out of control,” she said. However, pain still found her. She dated a boy who was abusive to her. “It was emotional – there was a lot of drama,” she said.

One of Laura’s interests, in those years, was being a forensic speaker – or what we think of as a debate speaker. She would enter and win tournaments. As well, she was, in her words, “a nerd”. She loved science-fiction and fantasy books, and she was a member of the sci-fi club. While in high school, Laura also attended some college classes at Santa Rosa Junior College in Calistoga, California. How would you describe yourself in those formative high school years, Reader?

Between high school and college years, Laura expanded her knowledge by becoming an exchange student for a year in Belgium. She attended a French-speaking school. The first three months, Laura lived with a family whose father was an alcoholic and abusive to his family members. Because of Laura’s past experience when she was in an abusive relationship, she was finding it difficult to speak up and tell someone. However, she started to lose a lot of weight. The student exchange organizers noticed the change and moved Laura out of the home. After a brief time with the Minister of Culture, Laura spent the rest of her year living with a family who were calf merchants. She lived in a small country town and had the new experience of attending an all-girl’s school.

The next year, Laura returned to the states. However, in the year that she had been in Belgium, Laura’s parents had moved from California to Oregon. Laura again lived with her parents and began work on her B.A. in Communications from Southern Oregon University.

In her undergraduate years, she was assigned to live in a dorm that housed mostly athletes. “I was not the jock,” Laura said, so she often stood out from the group. She dressed in a bohemian style with scarves and dresses instead of the more common sweatpants. She didn’t agree with many of the perspectives of other students. This came to a head when her dorm-mates decided to hold a “slave auction” as a fundraiser. They thought it was funny, but it was not to Laura. She felt it was offensive to what others had experienced in our country’s history. She refused to participate. The night of the event, she locked herself in her room. However, the other students wouldn’t leave her alone. They continually banged on her door to try to force her to come downstairs. In a gesture of what they thought was humor, at the end of that school year they gave Laura a particular recognition – the “Are you Really an American” award. Readers, where did you draw the line when others behaved badly? How did you protect yourself?

Eventually Laura moved off campus and in 1984, during her sophomore year, she married. She and her husband were students and working. For both, married life was not what they hoped for.

In that first year, Laura accidently banged her head against a car door. While it sounds benign, it ended up being a very serious long-term injury. Initially, Laura was only able to move her neck a few centimeters in either direction.

The next year, her father died. As well, communication between Laura and her husband waned. Getting through school, managing her health and marital changes consumed Laura’s focus. She graduated from college in 1986, however, she said, “I am amazed that I got through school that last year.” It was a year fertile with emotional agony, body pain and migraines. She also began to experience panic attacks and was diagnosed with agoraphobia – the fear of leaving one’s home and being in public places. “I would walk around without memory of how I got there,” Laura said. Reader, if you have experienced difficult health situations, how did you manage emotionally?

 

 

Background is a huge pine tree; in the foreground Laura stand in dark graduation cap with white tassel and wearing her black graduation gown holding her college diploma.

After graduation, it was difficult for Laura to get a jumpstart on her desired career. She was in a lot of pain. She was prescribed treatments such as traction, TENS unit, ultrasound, manipulation and massage therapy. “Nothing helped,” she said. When she went to the doctors, she was told “It’s all in your head,” she said. Her marriage was struggling. “I was depressed. I was just surviving,” Laura said. Her work in those years focused on waitressing, managing apartments and working in retail.

Three years later, Laura began working for a retail store. She started in the men’s department working part-time evenings and weekends. Within six months, she moved to a full-time position. To give context, “These were the days when women had to wear nylons and heels,” Laura said. But it wasn’t just the perspective on fashion that needed to change. Women were also not encouraged, and in fact were discriminated against, entering the company’s management training program.  Laura remembers speaking with one of the Human Resource representatives. She asked when she could enter the management program. “He just looked at me and walked away,” she said. “I still remember his name,” she added with sadness. Reader, what discrimination did you face?

Finally, in the mid-90s, the company became more diverse. Once again, Laura applied for the management training, and this time it was approved. As part of the process, she trained for a year and then started as a sales manager-in-training.

In 1994, Laura was living in Eugene, Oregon. It had been almost nine years since her dad had passed. Through a mutual decision, Laura’s mom moved in with Laura. 

By 1998, Laura was promoted to sales manager in Boise, Idaho. Though often transferred, based on company policies, Laura stayed with this company for 27 years. Transfers took her to Portland and then to North Bend, Oregon. At the latter store, she became the manager of her own store and supervised 50 employees. Next, she transferred to Montrose, Colorado, and as store manager, she supervised close to 200 employees.

 

Professional photo of Laura in middle-age years, short light brown hair; wearing a black blouse and a red suit coat; she is wearing silver earrings and a large silver brooch; she is smiling

 

In 1999, now living in Boise, Idaho, Laura was diagnosed with fibromyalgia. It was a relief for her because it helped to answer questions about symptoms she had for almost two decades. So many times, she was told that her symptoms were “just in your head”. Now she had a reason and could begin looking at treatments or methods to help ease the pain. Reader, have you experienced doctors who didn’t understand your health issues or didn’t take them seriously? How did you resolve that experience?

Two women in the photo; on the left is Laura with short brown hair wearing a black sweater and a purple and white Christmassy-looking hat and white earrings; on the right is Laura’s mom with graying hair, wire-framed glasses and wearing a red blouse; their heads are leaning against each other and both are smiling

Her final transfer came in 2016, when she was transferred to Longmont. Sadly, three weeks before the move, Laura fell on ice and badly injured her knee. Then the week before starting this new position, her mom died. Throughout that difficult year, Laura also developed three bouts of pneumonia. By the end of the year, in a mutual decision with the company and Laura, she retired from full-time employment.

By now it was 2017, and Laura was looking at the rest of her life in retirement years. What did that mean? How would she spend her time? For some, it might be a time to start checking off that bucket list of ideas and adventures. Others might feel moments of fear, confusion, loneliness, and uncertainty. Reader, how did you handle retirement in the beginning stages?

Laura started her new adventure by traveling to different states. She was trying to determine if she should move to a location that she really enjoyed. She also wondered if her best option would be to move closer to family members. Or, should she stay in Colorado where she had developed connections and growing friendships?

While living in Colorado, Laura had built a bond with a group called the Ladies Next Door. The connection started when one of the women from Laura’s city posted a notice on the online site Next Door. The woman was asking for ladies over 50-years-old who might enjoy meeting for lunches, movies, get-togethers, but most importantly friendship. Laura responded that she was interested and immersed herself with her new acquaintances. It was the newfound friendships that swayed Laura to stay in Longmont.

She began to build a life full of activities she loved. As well, she learned new skills. Book clubs, coffee hours, workshops, classes and lectures became a part of her newly-retired schedule.  Laura’s first class was with art teacher, Donna Clement. For those of you who recognize that name, I wrote a blog about her three years ago. She’s a wonderful teacher whose thesis focused on “Teaching Adult Students Who Are Apprehensive About Making Art.” Laura thrived under Donna’s teaching and took every class that was offered. If you follow Laura on Facebook, she often posts pictures of her daily artwork.

Laura also registered for Bobbi Nesheim’s classes. With a focus on philosophy, psychology and esoteric beliefs, Laura shared with others who discussed life issues. Laura also attended history classes, grief sessions, British teas, the opera, trips and other events offered through the Longmont Senior Center and other local organizations.

One of Laura’s unspoken dreams was to one day host a podcast. She thought it would be fun, she said. So, in January 2020, Laura took a business course with author and podcaster, Cathy Heller. Cathy wrote the book, “Don’t’ Keep Your Day Job”. Laura said that Cathy helped her discover her strengths and passions. Unleashing these talents, Laura could learn to shift into a business. What steps do you take to fulfill your dreams, Reader?

Shortly thereafter, Laura realized her dream, and became the host of her own podcast titled “Creating Your Community”. She began interviewing people who were building community in Longmont. Now Readers, we are talking about early 2020, so what do we know happened next? Yes, of course, the pandemic stomped its way into our lives. Laura had to pivot and regroup about how to administer interviews when our community was in shut-down.

 

 

Image shows the podcast’s logo which is a field of yellowing grass in the background and a branch in the foreground with tiny purple flowers; on the branch is a butterfly; on the right is an insert that shows a photo of Laura with short dark hair and a dark V-necked blouse accented with crème-colored lace; against a purple background

 

She took classes and learned Zoom. She registered for a lot of online classes.  As an aside, it was then, that I met Laura. She joined writing classes that I hosted on Zoom. As a regular attendee, Laura brought a wonderful sense of humor, and provided depth to her writing pieces. This time of social distancing also allowed Laura to travel the world virtually. Art classes from England, theater presented from around the world and other global activities continued to inspire her.

Then, she was ready to attempt her podcast again – this time with more of a focus on her “daily musings, fun facts, ideas for self-care and other morsels of good stuff,” as Laura described in the introduction of her show. She challenged herself to create a podcast every day for 90 days – except for holidays. She wrapped up that season on the last day of 2020.

Laura then took a few weeks off. She knew she enjoyed doing the podcast, but she wondered if she should continue. She asked herself, “Did it matter to anyone?” Fans let her know they did enjoy the podcast and looked forward to those moments hearing Laura share her thoughts. So, once again. Laura committed to another 90 days, excluding holidays. This practice of in-between time off and then another 90 days became her routine.

During Season Three, she also added interviews back into her podcast. Now, like so many of us, she had learned the skills for virtual communication and she could interview folks from anywhere in the world. Her fanbase grew from not only locals, but nationally.

In our interview, I asked Laura to describe herself in three words. She couldn’t, because Laura is never at a loss for words…and she gave me permission to say that joke! Like many creatives, she couldn’t settle for three words. Here is what she settled with, and she gave both sides of the coin as to why she chose these words to describe herself.

• Sensitive – sometimes maybe overly-so in that way we say it in the negative, but also that wonderful trait of being empathetic to others.
• Nerd – because she loves odd and interesting facts and Sherlock Holmes.
• Artistic – a word that she loves using now because she would not have had the confidence to say that about herself until 2021!
• Enthusiastic – for anyone who knows Laura, that one doesn’t even need an explanation. She has energy, curiosity and a delight for learning new things with a childlike delight that is infectious.

Reader, what three words describe you?

One more fun fact about Laura – she is a hat collector. Yep, that’s what I said. It goes back to her years in high school when she and her, then best friend, wore “crazy” hats to school. This love of hats carried on throughout her career, when as a manager she would wear men’s suits and hats as she sold those garments to the public. (She also celebrated fun little-known holidays with her employees to make the work atmosphere more enjoyable. For example, she would bring in pizza for her team on Pizza Day. You will hear more of her delight about fun days on her podcast.) So, back to hats! Laura amassed more than 50 hats thus far.

 

photo shows five images; in the middle is a black and white photo of Laura’s aunt wearing a dark skirt and jacket; on her head is a very tall light colored hat with dark fur trim around the rim of the hat; the four surrounding photos show Laura smiling in various hats; top left she is wearing a red shiny hat; top right she is wearing a Santa Clause style hat with black and white trim; bottom right she is wearing a gray knitted hat accented with two knitted large flowers – one is gray and one is purple; bottom left is Laura wearing a black bowler-style hat

 

Now, you might think you know way more about Laura than you ever thought possible. However, by the time this blog publishes, I’m betting that she has learned a few more skills, made a new friend or participated in several new activities. Laura doesn’t sit back and let life happen. She creates a world of interests, delights and new skills to learn. She approaches people and knowledge with curiosity and joy.

At this point in the blog, I might end with a profound quote. I asked Laura for one of her favorites, but I found out another fact: she collects quotes. She has hundreds of them in many notebooks. So, I end this blog with one of her favorites, “A mind filled with curiosity generates a life filled with abundance and happiness.” It truly describes Laura. Reader, do you have a quote that describes you?

Last month you were introduced to Mini Money Management with Loren and Ellen. Diane knew one of my mentors and said, “Well, if one of your mentors was Carl you really had someone good to start with.” Susie: “Carl Almquist….a name I haven’t heard in a long time, but a man I’ll never forget!  From Barb – Love this, Debbie! I met Lorne in high school (he and his sister ran track with the kids of our pastor, so they came to our church a few times), and then re-connected at an entrepreneur gathering as he was just starting to plan to launch Mini Money Management! Love to hear the update. He and his mom are great people, and I love their persistence and dedication to their mission! I also heard “great article” and “interesting read” from readers such as Donna, Ann, Denise, Barbara, Ally, Darla, and others. 

Until next month, may peace be at your side,

Debbie Noel

We have several ways to interact with Debbie!

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• Facebook: Tag me with @DropinwithDebbie or visit https://www.facebook.com/DropInWithDebbie/  to like and follow!

• Email her at DroppingInWithDebbie@gmail.com

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• Send your letters to:

Debbie Noel
C/o Longmont Senior Center
910 Longs Peak Avenue
Longmont, Colorado 80501

 

Connect with Laura and the Creating Your Community podcast:

• Email Laura at lauraambler@ambler1.com.
• Though the website is still under construction, you can visit the website at creatingyourcommu.wixsite.com. 
• Join the Creating your Community on Facebook.
• Follow Creating Your Community Podcast on Instagram.
• Check out the Creating Your Community podcast on Spotify.
• Find the Creating Your Community podast on Apple’s Podcasts.