Monday, May 9, 2011

Adventures in Kentucky

I've just returned from another exciting adventure, this time at Waverly Hills Sanitorium in Louisville, Kentucky. I feel I should confess - Waverly Hills was at the top of my "Do Not Want" list for many years. I turned down several invitations to investigate there, but a recent dream completely changed my thinking.



In the dream, I was walking down long green and white linoleum halls and could smell the sickening combination of sweat, blood, and iodine. It was icy cold, but none of the people I saw were complaining - they all smiled and laughed. Some played cards and others chatted with nurses and other patients. Bright sunbeams flooded the corridor and made the place seem more like a cheery community center than a building where the terminally ill went to die.

Seeing Waverly like this in a dream really made me stop and examine my reasons for having avoided it in the past. I had been so focused on the negative aspects of the site that I completely lost touch with the positive. This realization opened me up to a great opportunity, one that I am extremely appreciative of and very happy to have accepted.

During my visit to Waverly Hills, I had some free time and spent it roaming the third and fourth floors for more than an hour. While I certainly did not feel alone, I never felt anything malicious either. In fact, that time "alone" in the halls was the highlight of my trip.

3 comments:

A New Moo said...

What wonderful and and charming post. You know, I felt the same there.. I did not get the opportunity to explore alone (long story) and there were so many people there, true sound evidence was tainted. While I was there I never once (even remotely) felt threatened, I did have my emotional moments of sadness, illness and activity, I would gladly visit again.

Glad you got to experience it. Thank you for taking the time to type up and share with us as well

Beth Brown said...

Thanks, Moo!

Connie Moreno said...

That is an interesting perspective and one I've not heard before. Thanks for sharing.