Eva Mondon

I stayed two nights in Putney, VT (Sunday/Monday) of this week. I was haphazardly on the phone with you on my way to Eva Mondon's house. Eva is someone who is listed in the Quaker Traveling Friends Directory (read: couch-surfing Quaker style), so I had emailed her beforehand to find out if it was alright for me to stay with her. She said yes, and that she would have a meditation group meeting at her house just before I got there, but that we could have dinner together afterwards. She signs her emails, and evidently her mailbox, "evaeva" and answers her phone, "you've got eva!"

Dinner reminded me a lot of you! Kale, beans with cheese, tortillas, sweet potatoes, all with a bit of rice wine vinegar.

Anyway, Eva and I talked a lot while I was there. She is someone who seems to know (and take care of) everyone in town, and she made two or three phone calls on my behalf to help me build my contacts in Putney. She is sort of elderly, and has Rheumatoid Arthritis, so she is a little less active than she used to be. But, she's been all over the world and has done wonderful peace work and community building her whole life. 

There is a sign above her garage door that says "A room in the house of the village." That pretty much tells of her life in Putney. She says she never locks her door, because about once a year someone might come through and stay at her house in the middle of the night, because they know she's here and need a play to stay. She told me that she often sees people biking through Vermont at the food co-op and she'll just invite them to stay with her and have a shower or camp outside or whatever. She's not a woman who has very much, but she shares everything she has, and in turn, people share with her. She told me that she received hospitality all over the world when she was younger. Everywhere she went people welcomed her in. She said that the hospitality in this country is pretty pitiful and that everyone is always so scared to welcome strangers, but she's not been swayed. 

I am always thankful to find people who advocate taking a chance on people, and trusting in the inner-goodness of things. It makes me feel like it can work. I mean, I certainly benefitted from her kindness. She had a man named Fletcher over for breakfast Monday morning (a weekly tradition) and a decent group of people from her tai chi class for dinner. She said she just wanted to me to meet EVERYONE. Meals were simple, but with great company. All wonderful people, all really engaged with their world. Not distracted, not disinterested. 

Anyway, Eva gave me her "card" when I left. Evidently someone else had it made for her.  It reads:

EVA MONDON

storytelling * matchmaking

advice sought and unsought

advisor to the lifelorn

word of mouth

Let's be sure to visit her together some day.