Rachel, Linda and Steve had the pleasure of chatting with our friend Reenie McFarland the other day. If you do not live in Mesquite, Nevada, after hearing this conversation with Reenie, you will want to move here.
Reenie McFarland 2-3-2023
As the daughter of an Army colonel, I grew up in a variety of locations and attended a dozen schools by the time I graduated high school. This gave me some strengths, such as the ability to adapt to new surroundings easily and to feel comfortable getting to know new people, but it also gave me some weaknesses, like no life-long friendships and an “out of sight out of mind” mentality. In addition, I had many opportunities to visit new places and get to know different cultures while my dad was stationed in Germany for 9 years of my life. I’ve climbed the Leaning Tower of Pisa, been to Pompeii, seen concentration camps, been to the Acropolis in Greece, skied St. Moritz, been to the Netherlands, Sweden, and other places in Europe. I’ve also seen Plymouth Rock, the Alamo, Niagara Falls, and many other US sights.
I feel I had a fortunate childhood although different from many others.
As a young adult, I graduated college and became a special education teacher. Later, I started my own elementary school that I operated as a one-room school for 10 years. I got my master’s degree in Educational Leadership, and spent the last 10 year’s of my career as the Director of Career Services at a private applied arts college.
But for me, the greatest achievement of my life was mothering and raising four well adjusted children. I credit the 10 years I spent as a volunteer for La Leche League International with helping me become the best mother I could be. Your Child’s Self Esteem by Dorothy Corkille Briggs was my “go-to” book, which I read 3 times, where I learned that we are our children’s mirrors, and to only criticize behaviors and not the child, and many more things that build confidence and security in a child.
As a retired adult, retired Dec. 29, 2017, I now have the time to explore things I thought about doing, things I started and stopped because work got in the way, or things I never thought I could or would want to do. The first thing I jumped into when my husband, Larry, and I moved to Mesquite, was volunteering. I joined Mesquite Works, the Mesquite Showgirls, and the Women’s Center. The second thing I did was get involved with the Mesquite Rec Center and personal fitness. I have always enjoyed exercise, specifically step aerobics, so I became certified and started teaching classes. I currently teach 5 classes at the Rec Center and 2 classes at Mesquite Fitness. Truthfully, this is my passion! It makes me feel good about my body and mind and I love the people I have met through my classes. I hope to continue doing this for as long as my body will let me.
Performing at the Virgin Valley Theater is a new endeavor for me. I never did any acting as a child in school or church and never thought about doing it as an adult. I have always enjoyed plays and while attending one in Mesquite, one of the actor’s drew a blank with their lines and said “I got nothing”. Nothing happened and they continued the performance and there were no negative responses from the audience. This is what most people fear the most, and I thought, “it wasn’t that bad, I’m going to give this a try”. So, I auditioned for the upcoming play, “An Evening of Culture” and got a part. I did my second play, “The Hallelujah Girls” and still find it enjoyable so I will probably do another.
Who knows what lies in store for me next, but I am always open to exploring new avenues!
The Art Box - Episode 199 - Desert Dames - Meet Bobbie Green
The Art Box - Episode 192 - Meet the 2024 Ms. Senior Mesquite Contestants
The Art Box - Episode 191 - Ms. Senior Mesquite History - Jean Watkins and Becky Boyd
The Art Box - Episode 190 - Meet Ms. Senior Mesquite Bronzie Dabney
The Art Box - Episode 193 - The Heart of Creativity - Meet Romy Umholtz
The Art Box - Episode 194 - Interviewing ChatGPT - Meet Jessica
The Art Box - Episode 187 - Connect, Dream, Pursue - Meet Lindsey Packingham
The Art Box - Episode 195 - Sonic Warrior - Meet Captain Kevin Smith USN Retired
The Art Box - Episode 188 - Blessings of Nature - Best in Show - Meet Lynn Craven
The Art Box - Episode 186 - Reaping Colors, Patterns, and Shapes - Meet Jeannie Hua
The Art Box - Episode 182 - Celebrating Life - Meet Bobbie Ann Howell and Robin Stark
The Art Box - Episode 183 - Shaped by Wilderness and Wildness - Meet Michael Engelhard
The Art Box - Episode 185 - Dreaming of Junipers - Meet Cody Chamberlin
The Art Box - Episode 184 - It's a Small "art" World - Meet Sean Russell
The Art Box - Episode 189 - Coyotes are Among Us, Relax - Don Molde
The Art Box - Episode 181 - Off the Rails
The Art Box - Episode 180 - Muskegon, Trappers and Writing - Meet Brian Cornett
The Art Box - Episode 179 - The Great Gallery - Meet National Park Service VolunteersTeresa and Dave
The Art Box - Episode 177 - Imagine Nature - Meet Liana Morales
The Art Box - Episode 178 - Mesquite Public Arts Comission
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