Kansas City Freelance Writing -- Lisa Waterman Gray, Writing Samples

A Visit with Karen Wisdom
-- Ojo’s Healing Waters Warm Her Heart --

by Lisa Waterman Gray -- New Mexico Magazine – April 2006

Set amid 1,000 acres of New Mexico's pristine high desert country, Ojo Caliente Mineral Springs is the only spot in the world where four different geothermal mineral springs with restorative powers converge in a single location. Ancient Pueblo Indians considered it sacred, and visitors have sought relief here from health challenges and everyday stresses for centuries.

Spa treatments range from massage to facials. Winding hiking and biking trails lead to ancient Pueblo ruins, abandoned mica mines and the magnificently restored Adobe Round Barn, where renowned potters offer intensive workshops. Historic on-site accommodations, gourmet cuisine and a full-service gift shop help create the ultimate experience of rest and relaxation.

When Espanola native Karen Wisdom began to manage The Mercado Gift Shop in 2003, the 52-year-old traded Santa Fe's bustling Plaza and upscale fashion sensibilities for a more relaxed retail environment.

Wisdom's blue-gray eyes flow as deeply as the geothermal waters that bubble to the surface at Ojo, and her radiant smile warms every conversation.

NMM: How do you feed your spirit?

KW: Reading is one of the great loves of my life, and I restore old photographs, too. I pur a photo of Will Rogers—at my grandfather's ranch in Texas—on canvas and then I gave it to my father. He lives in Espanola, and I take care of him. I also have two dogs named Rio and Molly, and a black-and-white paint horse named Halle.

NMM: What drew you to your current job?

KW: My parents used to bring me here, as a child. And whenever I've had a crisis, I've found it was a calming place to heal. I spent the day relaxing here, on 9/11.

I have always loved coming here, so it was an easy choice to join the team. I could drive in traffic every day, or I could drive 20 minutes to get here, which is like - traveling through a Cezanne painting.

In the winter, we don't have a lot of snow, and the highway department is great about keeping the roads cleared, although sometimes it's a little icy.

NMM: Tell us about the people at Ojo Caliente.

KW: The most important thing about Ojo Caliente is always the people who come here for healing of their bodies and their minds. We consider our demographic, at Ojo, 'cultural creatives.' There are some college roommates, who are now in their 70s, who come every year. One lady came here with a walker and was barely getting to the springs. Now, she visits almost biweekly without it.

We are so lucky to have such wonderful people who come here. You never know what creative, intellectual person will cross your path. Generations of one family have come to work here, too. We even have staff members that have come here to heal and then they stayed to live and work.

NMM: Describe your previous work in fashion.

KW: At one time, Neiman Marcus, Saks Fifth Avenue, Lord &Taylor and Bonwit Tellers sold my clothing designs. I painted garments for the Milagro suede line by Char Sher Designs (Santa Fe), which became highly embellished and opulent. I also worked with Salamander Leathers for several years. Then I co-owned a women's clothing store in Santa Fe, from 1996 to 2003, before my business partner returned to LA.

NMM: What education do you have in fashion and design?

KW: I was previously a fine art student. When my shop closed in Santa Fe, I enrolled in computer graphics courses at Northern New Mexico Community College and considered returning to work in Santa Fe but chose Ojo Caliente instead.

NMM: How does The Mercado differ from your shop in Santa Fe?

KW: I traded clothing with Christian Dior and Gucci labels for swimsuits and flip flops, and I had to be educated about what time of year to buy swimsuits. In addition, I buy yoga wear for our huge yoga clientele and shirts, fleece vests and robes.

I stock our all-natural body care products, snack foods and drinks, and books about New Mexican history, self-improvement and healing, yoga and aromatherapy. We have titles by Carlos Castaneda and New Mexico author Rudolfo Anaya and classics such as House Made of Dawn and Red Sky at Morning. CDs of Native American flute music are especially popular, too.

I want this to be a welcoming atmosphere, one of relaxation and peace. All of the staff here are very friendly and relaxed. Our goal is filling our visitors' needs, rather than hard selling.

NMM: How do you surprise your co-workers?

KW: I'll get down on my hands and knees to get things done in the store, and I'm handy with tools, too. I also load hay bales in the truck for the horses.

NMM: How do you envision The Mercado, five years from now?

KW: The shop is part of the healing cocoon that is Ojo Caliente. The atmosphere will always remain the same, while expanding into more products. It's also in our master plan to expand into a gallery and a museum within a year and a half.

NMM: How does your personal philosophy influence your work?

KW: My longtime mentor and friend, Frank Garcia Aon, is a member of the Medicine Wheel. He says that growth is achieved through knowledge and truth, with a spirit of joy and gracefulness. That has become my philosophy for life and work.

For more information on OJ a Caliente Mineral Springs phone (800) 2229162 or (505) 583-2045, or logon to www.ojocalientespa.com

(Lisa Waterman Gray is featured in "Storytellers, pg. 6)

STORY-TELLERS

LISA WATERMAN GRAY, who interviewed. Karen Wisdom (Page 30), loved her first trip to Ojo Caliente Mineral Springs and hopes to return often. "My heart beats differently in New Mexico," she says. Gray won Honorable Mention in the2002 Writers Journal Travel Contest, regarding a foot race at Taos Pueblo. Her piece about Christmas in Taos appeared in Mountain Living magazine in' Dec. 1998.

"Lisa Waterman Gray is an exceptional writer and a superb interviewer who gleans the true dramatic stories behind events," says Barbara Bartocci, author of Meditation in Motion.

A member of the American Society of Journalists and Authors and the Society of Professional Journalists, Gray also received a 2005 Silver Award and a 2003 President's Award from the Kansas City chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists.

Gray and her husband, Mark, are residents of Overland Park, Kan. Their daughters attend college in Arizona and Colorado. For more information, see www.thestorytellerkc.net

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