After a lazy three hour drive Patricia and I arrived in Mount Dora, a small lakefront
"destination" town about thirty miles northwest of Orlando. We'd been
hearing about Mount Dora for a few years. Friends described it as
"Victorian, quaint, artsy, antiques and charming." So, with our
seminars and retreats completed for the season, we took an overnight
trip to the area arriving in time for lunch at a scenic restaurant overlooking Lake Dora, the town's claim to fame.
This
journal is not about the "Victorian, quaint, artsy, antique" sights of
Mount Dora which we found trite. But in order to set the stage for Ice
Cream Jane, the town should be portrayed. It's a tourist town filled
with endless rows of gift shops displaying kitschy items. The only shop
that enticed us to enter was the Used Book Store. The single Victorian
building we found was the Masonic Lodge which unfortunately was closed.
It might have been interesting to tour it.
After
walking the few streets in the humid hot afternoon, we felt we'd made a
big mistake coming to Mount Dora. What were we missing about this
town? Especially as so many rated it very highly. So, we went looking
for an ice cream store to ponder the question. There were only two
seats next to an elderly woman who sized us up, decided we were OK, and
patted to the two seats.
The Ice Cream Shop Mt Dora
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It's hot out there we remarked sitting down, though the heat was not bothering her with an over-sized dish of ice cream in front of her and an umbrella imprinted with miniature hot-air-balloons hanging
on her chair. She looked like a "local" so we asked her "What do you
do here?" Momentarily perplexed by the question, she replied with a
laugh, "I live here!" as though that explained everything. She was
beautiful with an engaging but serene presence. Her snow-white hair
pulled back in a bun framed her sparkling blue eyes. With nothing
calling us outside the ice cream shop and by silent agreement, we let
the conversation evolve. It soon became clear why we'd come to Mount
Dora. It was to meet Ice Cream Jane.
Not knowing her age I
addressed her as Miss Jane. She was a triplet, born in Pennsylvania,
to parents with nine children. She was an identical twin with JoAnne
while Judy was a fraternal sister. She told us the story of meeting her
husband who was an only child. She found that amusing and odd that he
was an only child yet married into such a large family. Everything she told
us was punctuated with a follow up comment like "Don't you think so?"
or "Have you ever heard anything like that?" enchanting and thus
engaging her audience further.
She was a school teacher fifty years ago but had to quit teaching because of
Miss Jane
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"those kids in the sixties." We told her we were "those kids" but she waved that comment aside with a merry laugh. Instead, she told us she'd gotten a degree in nursing and switched careers.
She told us proudly about her successful children - lawyers and
teachers. She came to Mount Dora five years ago after her husband of 59
years died. And in Mount Dora she knew every shop owner and restaurant
owner along with the history of the town.
Before ending any
part of her story, she inquired about our lives. Her questions always
related in some way to her own story. I began to notice synchronicities
between some of her life events and ours. She did too, commenting on
it frequently. I asked her, "Miss Jane, do you believe in
synchronicity?" Without missing a beat she said, "Sometimes, but not
all things are synchronous." Pursuing the opening I asked her to
explain. She said "Some things just happen; some things get put in your
path; some things you have to figure out; some things are a sign."
Warming to the topic the old sage said, "You'll know!"
Soon it was time for
us to leave. But I wanted to ask her one more question. "What life
lesson would you leave for your grand-children or great-grandchildren."
She grew quiet for a moment and then said, "Be kind. Be kind."
We fully expected to
say goodbye at the door of the ice-cream shop. But Miss Jane wanted to
accompany us to our car which was several blocks away. She opened the
umbrella up over her head and began to walk with us, telling us more
stories about her life. When we reached the car she saw the Namaste
bumper sticker and inquired about it. When I explained that it meant, "the Divine in me honors the Divine in you!"
and how the people in India greet one another with a hand over the
heart, a slight bow of the head, and the word "Namaste" she cooed in
delight. "I love that," she said over and over.
Standing by our car, I
bowed to Miss Jane, put my hand over my heart, and said, "Namaste."
Tears welled up in both of our eyes. She took our hands in hers and
said, "Today has been my favorite day of all time. I'm glad you came
into my life today." It was hard to keep the tears back.
As we drove away, we
saw Miss Jane, twirling her hot-air-balloon umbrella over her head as
she walked towards the lake. We knew Miss Jane was why we'd come to
Mount Dora and Miss Jane might be why you would consider a trip to Mount Dora. For a sage walks those streets under a hot-air-balloon umbrella.
Jo Mooy - July 2014