Nikki the Wonder Woman

Nikki was a wonder woman. Truly. And she would loved to have been called one. She's probably laughing right now. I can hear her in my head. She was not just the transcriber for much of my book, but she was a wonder woman because she laughed at life, laughed at herself, was brilliant, read copious amounts of spiritual stuff online beyond what many do, and was the likes of a comedian who could have blown Ellen Degeneres out of the water. Seinfeld too. She was Lucille Ball incarnate. Kathy Buckley (a renowned deaf comedian) would have adored her.

And she was a writer who could have written the next Pulitzer Prize. Plus her own award-winning "Sweat the Small Stuff--after all it's Only Small Stuff" books. And probably novels. And movies. And more. Nikki would have liked to hear this too.

All the more amazing because Nikki had a disease which had made her very small with severe scoliosis and more, and was in a wheelchair since birth.

She wanted to learn yoga, she wanted to learn reiki, she burned with passion to try all. But last week, due to a staph infection from a hospital operation, she passed away.

I never met Nikki in person, just on the phone when we'd discuss my book. I wish we'd discussed more of her stuff. But over the past few months I got to know a person who was a sage in a small body. Such a powerful sage that she was probably a yogi in a past life, or a Tibetan Reiki Master. She would have loved to hear that too.

We read to learn, we do yoga to expand yourselves and feel more connected to the universe, we turn to "gurus" to teach us more. But sometimes the "guru" is life itself, including the person right next to us, who can teach us volumes just through the way they live their own lives. Nikki was one of those.

She'd have loved to hear that too. And maybe she can.

Drawn to her reply to an ad I posted last summer for transcribers, I followed my intuition and gave her a call. I'm sure it wasn't by chance that I'd meet one of the most beautiful people I've ever met-- and one of my greatest gurus. To me, her legacy will be that she has lead all she has met--including myself--to strive to live our lives as she would have wanted hers--fulfilling, exciting, with grace and service, and willing to try anything.

My blessings back to her will be living my life with as much grace and kindness as she did her's, and keeping her in my buddhist chanting prayers daily, in my yogic prayers, and in my passion for life. May it always equal her's.

You may send blessings in your own way, as well. Glimpses of her soul are at http://www.nikkijeannotte.com/

May we be blessed to encounter souls such as hers in all of our lives.