Thu, 28 Mar, 2024

Deborah Koehler, woman of the world

By Barsha Dahal

“I saw life when I left everything back and lived my dreams.” said Deborah, one of the few inspiring women I have ever seen. Every second spent with her becomes a moment to remember. She was 19 years, just a teenaged girl when she ran away from her family to pursue her freedom. At that age, many of us can’t even figure out what we want to do, but she was determined to change her life from the way it was supposed to be. When asked what inspired her to take that unpredictable decision, she said, “I always wished to see and live my happiness in freedom. I wanted to know the real essence of life which could be only possible if I let myself free.” She said that when she left her family hometown and went to Hawaii, she saw a new world welcoming her with its wonderful experiences. She saw the mountains and oceans for the first time. She was free, she was bold and she was always active. She said, “When I saw oceans I was so surprised, how anything could be so huge, so mysterious and so deep. May be love came from the deepness of the ocean. I just love to see Blue Ocean and those high mountains trying to touch the heavens.” Anyone can point out that she is a nature lover. When asked about her studies she said that she had done many courses. She finds happiness in others’ eyes. She is nowadays attending seminars and giving motivational courses. I was so happy to hear that she is now taking music lessons. She said she loves music and rhythm of music gives her heart a beat. She added that she hates cooking. When asked to tell something about her family, I noticed the emotions in her eyes when she said, “My mother every time used to say, ‘be normal’ because I was a tomboy from my childhood. Haha.........” She was laughing but with tears in her eyes. She also said that she had 5 adopted children and feels proud to be a mother of 5 children. Trying to hide her tears, she said her two daughters are not in touch with her nowadays. I could see charm and a smile in her face when she said, “My mom made a Skype account at the age of 84 just to chat with me.” That really sounds great! I became quite personal and asked her, “Why did your relationship with your husband end?” She said, “Love is the meaning of letting go. If you love someone more than anybody on the earth, then more than their presence we want their happiness. My husband loved me so much that for my dreams and my happiness he bade me farewell.” I was caught by those words of love and couldn't stop my tears. How can someone love somebody that much? How can they sacrifice their relationship, happiness just for the dreams of their loved ones? It was something beyond my understanding. 3 She loves travelling. She has travelled many countries. Sometimes she has to say goodbye to many people whom she loved while travelling. This is something she hates the most and keeps her in a dilemma. She said that to be alone, to get hurt, and to be the one who belongs to nowhere is some realities she is living through and at that time, life sucks. But she believes, “Life is about saying hello to new worlds and goodbye to the old ones.” I could notice tears in her eyes when she said, “My husband gave me freedom to travel by greeting me as ‘woman of the world.” She had done everything that she wanted to do and still wants to move on forgetting her age boundaries. She wants to design her life and wants to be known as the best creator of her own life at the age of 83. Nothing makes her unhappy for a long time because she never blames others for her failures or success. She believes that our life is our responsibility. There are always positive and negative sides to anything. Now it’s your choice to think positively or negatively. Happiness never brings limitations attached to it. Happiness brings joy of freedom. When asked what she wants to share with us at last she said, “Be unstoppable, unconquerable and just keep on moving. You may face many difficulties that will surely make you confused, but do not worry. Life is about discovering yourself and creating the best out of it. It’s not a competition to prepare yourself for the internal war.”  That gave me a new enthusiasm to learn from my own life. I have learnt many lessons from this beautiful and positive lady. Live life, break the glass of dissatisfaction, be strong. Life is meant to be difficult, but still it is the best. To get a mentor like Deborah is the best gift we got from Deerwalk. In her presence and her words of hope, I can see myself glowing somewhere inside and I am sure this light will certainly guide me somewhere I wish to go. Deborah, your beliefs and spirit has taught us to love our life. That may be just a motivational speech for you, but for us it is the best lesson, life lessons for our life. Thanks for your time and thanks for being born! I love the way God has made you and appreciate the way you have created yourself. Love you, our inspiring and beautiful Deborah; you are really a woman of the world. ☺