The Story with Lauri
Trust your instinct to the end, though you can render no reason.-Ralph Waldo Emerson
I first met Lauri Lynn in October of 2023, she was a student in Erin’s Thai bodywork workshop that was being held at New River Yoga in Fayetteville. I was assisting Erin, but I think we had an odd number so I was just as much a student as everyone else and I would work in to the rotations and get demoed on, a pretty sweet gig if you can get it! Our meeting was friendly and platonic and I remember thinking, “she must be from Morgantown”, she just had a class, grace, and a style of someone from the big city. What struck me about that chance encounter (outside of the fact that she actively avoided me when it was time to switch partners) was what she said at our closing circle….
The workshop was roughly two months after my grandmother had passed away and my grandfather shared that he felt he was grandma’s shadow. He had her back through thick and thin, but she was the forward facing person in the relationship and he followed her lead. This really resonated with me and my relationship with Erin. There was a sense of pride in the way my grandfather said it, and I too carried the notion in that way for Erin. But in the closing circle, for whatever reason, Lauri looked at me and encouraged me to step out from behind Erin’s shadow and into the light. In the moment, I was struck by the poignancy of the remark and grateful for the encouragement, as was Erin for the record, for there was nothing in the world she wanted more than for me stand proudly at her side in all settings.
Fast forward one year, again in October, I saw Lauri Lynn again, this time in the Fayette Theatre walking up to say hello before Erin’s service began. I hugged her and thanked her for attending and then went back stage to discuss the lineup for the evening. I didn’t see Lauri again that evening, but later found out she brought her two kids as well, because she felt as though they would never see anything like this event again.
Time marched on into November and I can remember talking to our good friend Ronnie Skeens on the way down the Asheville for a Thai Training, I said “Ronnie, I can’t even fathom being anyone ever again”, and he chuckled to himself and replied “buddy, you know she’s got something in mind, it’s only a matter of time”. I can remember actively dismissing this notion and also hoping he was right, because despite this deep pain and feeling of loss I wanted to love again. In retrospect I subconsciously wanted a second chance, a chance to be the partner I’d promised Erin to be, but fell short for all the human reasons.
Erin made me get instagram in the summer of 2024 because she was tired of not being able to efficiently share reels she found funny or inspiring. By this point, I was hooked and found myself doom scrolling before catching an advertisement for one of Lauri’s Sunday night Soul Sessions, keep in mind that at this time I don’t even think we were following each other on instagram. She was doing a Spirit Animal guided mediation/kundalini/sound bath in Fairmont, in mid-December. I was immediately thinking, I’m going, and maybe we she’ll be interested in leading a future retreat or workshop at the Shala someday.
I had no idea what I was getting into, but needless to say she blew me away. After the session I came up to her and exclaimed “you are a powerhouse”. She laughed at that and hugged and thanked me and I left. The entire drive home I was shook. I didn’t know anything about her but I thought, maybe there is something there, but it’s way too soon and she’s probably married or dating someone. And so, we remained in touch but neither of us had any expectations of a relationship given the timing and still being in the thralls of deep grief, so off I went to Thailand to continue to study Thai Massage and follow through with the trip E and I had planned.
Upon returning, we had several conversations about collaborating on some Thai Jams, which are informal, donation based Thai Massage workshops in order to raise money for the Shala. The first one was at the Rock Mill in Akron, then my hometown of Minerva, Ohio, and then Fairmont, WV. As time went on, it became clear, she was the one. Details regarding how we came to this conclusion are for us, but please understand, we both feel as though our guardian angel Erin set us up, and ultimately it was E’s blessing that assured me that despite unimaginable loss, not only is it alright to move on, it’s imperative.
And so it goes, Lauri is my rock, there has always been something so familiar about being with her. An effortless love, a fun filled silly dance, leaving us both grateful we stumbled into each other’s lives at exactly the right time. Where it goes from here? Hard tellin not knowin, and even if I could know the surprise always makes it more fun. This I can say, we’re going to build EEL’s Shala with the help of friends, family, and complete strangers looking for being a part of something bigger than ourselves. Along the way the life we have always wanted will emerge and may we have the awareness to savor it as it comes into being.
It is Well-Being that comes when we can see the infinite pairs of opposites as complimentary.
-Pema Chodron
