Gizmo is a possum, a paraplegic possum that my friend Drew Bird rescued when it fell from the roof of Hotel de Arryan, the one she manages in Tepoztlan. Presumably the little critter fell from momma possum’s pouch and onto the patio below, as it was a little, tiny creature, only days old. The bad news was that the fall caused paralysis in the hind legs; the good news was that it had fallen onto Drew’s hotel patio and into her life. And it fell into my life as I was living there at the time.
Where to start…with the possum or with Drew? Drew I guess. She is a tall, shapely mid-fifties woman, she shaves her head and wears amazing couture EVERY DAY OF HER LIFE. She’s also an extraordinary hat and clothing designer and a consummate exhibitionist which is “part of her act” in an rather unusual sense of the phrase. Her web page is http://www.hatmosphere.com
I have spent weeks, twice, in the small hotel that she manages in Tepoztlan, Mexico; therefore, I have seen a lot of her. However, I have never seen her without a hat on her shiny, bald head. Even when making the morning coffee or feeding her many cats, she has something on her head. Sometimes it’s a small beany with a tail hanging off it. I am not in a position to know if she sleeps in the beanie, but I’d be willing to bet.
Her hats (except for the beanie) are not ordinary but rather exotic. They are graphically complex networks of leather or feathers or wire or ribbon or flowers or artifacts or all of the above. She has a great sense of form and movement in her designs, and the human face remains the focus of the hat’s shape and texture. Her hats look good on her, of course, and always go well with the unusual clothing that she designs for herself. When Drew dresses to go to town in the morning, she is strikingly coordinated, so much so as to strike the eye of anyone she comes across. Oh! And she also wears odd shoes, usually heels, giving her gait a bit of a bump as she bumps over the already bumpy streets of Tepoztlan in her lively hats, with her big smile.
Pretend that you are in Tepoztaln and visualize a tall, pale women in a strange outfit which is tailored to her curvaceous form. She’s wearing a green and tan feathered tomahawk type hat on her bald head and hopping lightly on espadrilles down the rocky street. Visualize the several heads that turn to watch her and the big smile that she flashes as she says, “Buenos dias,” with an odd accent.
How did Drew happen?
How has it worked out for her to be so willingly odd in appearance? Is she a fake? An exhibitionist? Did she come from outer space? Her life started out pretty simply in Wisconsin, then it got more complex when she left home at sixteen. She proceeded to struggle for a decade or so, working her way in and out of the world of acting and theatre, then clothing design, later forays to New York, Dallas, Los Angeles, continuing to be a creative force in the life of those with whom she came in contact. Sometimes she experienced success, making good connections and some money, usually she just got by with hope and determination to continue to be Drew.
To explain how she arrived at Tepoztlan to manage a small hotel will explain her excessive generosity. It seems (to me) that she is seldom compensated properly for her creativity; therefore, she has had little financial security. She was tired of the struggle and decided to look for something less difficult after all those years. Sometimes you just Let Go of the Rope.
(see my blog: http://howtofindhappinessinyourself.wordpress.com/)
Her “exhibitionism” probably started out appropriately as she promoted her designs in the theatre and fashion worlds. Then she became it. In the same way that someone likes to wear black or denim or whatever, she grew into her own projection of herself and became it. So now she is genuinely the woman with the odd hats and bald head. No fakery left. However, it’s hard to get paid for creativity. It’s the sixth lucky truth on my How to Find Happiness in Yourself wordpress blog: “Don’t sell yourself short. You deserve a return on what you are and do.”
The fact that she is in Tepoztlan where she stands out like a sore thumb rather than in L.A. or New York where she would draw less attention is simply happenstance. Tepoztlan was the place where she landed when she Let Go of the Rope. In her new, Mexican reality, she tries to sell a few of her designs with little success. There’s not a huge market for her haute couture. I have suggested that she implement her plan to do a series of form-fitting dresses with a large image of the Virgin of Guadalupe on them. No kidding here.
Another major facet of her character is her compassion for animals which is where Gizmo, the possum, comes/drops in. Only Drew would have a new-born possum drop into her lap. Fortunately Gizmo is pretty for a possum with nice facial markings. He even demonstrates a particle or two of possum charm, wriggling his pink nose with great gusto when near a new smell, pulling himself into Drew’s jacket with his tiny front paws that do work, imagining that he is back in the pouch.
AND miracle of miracle, Gizmo was ten weeks the last time I inquired and has regained much of the use of his hind legs, although he’s “not out of the woods yet.” Or, I should say that he’s “not into the woods yet” since that should be his destination. Drew is rehabilitating him, very methodically, forcing him to drag himself about on the rug, not allowing him to climb back into his wombic possum nest after he has had his meal of dry cat food soaked in milk.
What will happen to little Gizmo? Hopefully he will fully recover the use of his legs and be returned to the hills and dales of Tepoztlan. There’s not much hope of finding his mother,and she probably would not recognize him, having abandoned him at birth, more or less. The real threat is that he might think that he is a hat designer and try to recreate himself in his surrogate mother’s image. A bald, almost paraplegic possum with attitude might not make it in Tepoztlan. He might have to move to Berkeley.
About Drew? Well, make she glow and prosper. She is an amazing creation/human being with a bit of luck she will find her creative dreams as a hat designer, movie producer, animal rescuer extraordinaire.
Your stories always make me feel happy!
Thanks Phyllis! Hearing from you makes me happy! What is making you happy these days??? Tell me!
What a fascinating woman! Then, that’s what brings these wonderful, eclectic people into your life. You would never find them otherwise…..How fortunate you are that life has got the message of you, Marie. Perhaps Drews don’t happen every day, but they will happen to the detriment of both. Enjoyed reading that very much (your writing and style in what may seem to you to be offhanded pieces is the best…..keep it open….keep it simple.) By the by, Drew’s internet page is not…..it and it’s domain are for sale. I wonder if you have enough people in your life, going through it, to do character studies as a regularity? Thanks for the moments respite, my friend…..love to you xoxo J.
I can’t send from Yahoo right now. I am in a panic…..can’t believe I used the word detriment where I did…..that is just the opposite of what I intend!!! Fill in any word you choose, but in antonym…..(like: “will happen to the good of both….”
Hope you keep us updated on the possums fate! Hope she doesn’t make a hat out of him! 🙂 -b