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Remember those Q-tip arrowheads from last week? They are much more believable this week!  Comparing the images, you can probably spot many subtle changes.

There were many Timeouts for Art this past week.  This post, however, addresses the concept of “Warrior.”

Ecuador —   “I have a confession to make,” I said to my friends, “I did not give that little doll to a child in Jama.  I kept it.”

My two friends looked at me and waited for the rest of the story.

“It represents the challenges we’ve faced over the years, especially the most-recent one.  It will always connect me back to that day.”

“That day” started when I took the 7-hour bus to Quito to meet three friends.   One would be leaving the country – hopefully with one of her precious little dogs if all of the hurdles could be cleared at the airport.   Since I had helped send pets to the USA for other friends, I knew where Agro Calidad-Dpt of Agriculture was located in the Quito Airport.   Hugo Valencia, a pet broker, agreed to pre-check the paperwork, and we had a short window of time to get something to eat before meeting Hugo.

Hugo and his wife Carmita — working from their truck office in the airport parking lot!

McDonald’s was an easy option with its drive-through window, so my three friends, one precious little white fluffy dog and I rolled forward.  I wasn’t very hungry and wondered what they would say when I made my request.

“May I have a Happy Meal?”  I said with a smirk.

Permission was granted, the order was taken, and we moved forward in line.   When the nice man handed the food through the window, the Happy Meal box was passed back to me, and then – oh my – two little plastic dolls were sent my way!  Like a little child, I rooted through my box of goodies but was brought back to the present when the man said I had to choose and give one doll back.    I kept what I now call the Wonder Warrior.

She guards the door at a little hostal!

Wonder Warrior now travels with me.  She sometimes takes naps in my purse or camera bag.  Other times she guards the door.   When I visit close friends, she joins us for social hour.    

“May I be a Wonder Warrior too?”

She tagged along for a sunset dinner at my friends’ home:

Their home was demolished, but they’re building back! That didn’t stop them from preparing a beautiful dinner, complete with good wine and pure locally-grown Ecuadorian chocolate! These are Wonder Women!

She stayed hidden in my purse the night of the disco – I feared that the locals might think i was a bit too weird if I pulled out a doll and started photographing her in different locations.  It’s my loss, and maybe yours as well, as she would have made a wonderful Disco Wonder Warrior!

Sorry – she might have been the star of the evening!

My friend’s flight went well, and Wonder Warrior connects me with her  – and with many of my strong Wonder Warrior Women friends.   You know who you are – you strong, intrepid, valiant, sensitive, true-to-your-true selves women!  You have the the ability to keep going even when there is no map to help navigate through the chaos.  That’s OK because Wonder Warriors posses extra genes to find their own way – and never lose their inner strength!

She’s often my cross-country co-pilota…

She assisted checking Casa Loca’s Solar Calendar

The calendar shifted after the earthquake…

Life sometimes hurls unexpected challenges to all of us.  Sometimes I call those challenges “Pop Tests” when Life seems to have a sadistic sense of humor and says, “Hmmm.  Let’s see how well she’s REALLY doing!”     Sometimes we sail over those hurdles in true Wonder Woman style and sometimes we hit a few glitches.   That’s Ok; we learn valuable lessons from those tests, though it may be years before we discover what those lessons were!

I wonder if that little Wonder Warrior doll can sing like the lady below:

…

Saying Hello and Goodbye to Casa Loca

In the end, all of the puzzle pieces fit, and every piece helps make Wonder Warriors of us all!

………