Ken and Pamela McCarty. PHOTO PROVIDED<\/p>\n
Pamela McCarty said something people may not know about her, unless they know her very well, is that she enjoys helping others. <\/p>\n
\u201cThat was part of my job for 18 years. I worked in a volunteer department at the hospital. I coordinated volunteers and events and things. I really enjoyed that,\u201d McCarty said.<\/p>\n
Two years after her late husband died, McCarty found herself in contact with her current husband, and high school sweetheart, Ken McCarty, who wanted to move to Southwest Florida due to friends of his who came down south in the winter.<\/p>\n
\u201cI put out the map and saw Pine Island. I thought we\u2019d be barefoot, walking around,\u201d McCarty said, chuckling. <\/p>\n
After arriving in Southwest Florida, the couple decided Pine Island was perfect, she said. Although she had been enjoying retirement, she couldn\u2019t help but feel as though something was missing, which led to her decision to come back to work, at least 2 days a week. Feeling as though being idle was not for her, in fact, before coming here, she\u2019d been feeling as though she\u2019d lost her purpose. <\/p>\n
Christine Karow was just opening the salon in her name, which was great timing for McCarty.<\/p>\n
\u201cI went and talked to her and told her two days a week was great for me,\u201d McCarty said.<\/p>\n
She admits the world of massage is more than simply giving clients an hour or so of relaxation, saying that connecting with folks is something she makes a point to do regularly, in addition to helping clients get to the bottom of anything troubling them.<\/p>\n
\u201cI like to take my time and find out what the symptoms are and then I feel out the body and see what I\u2019m finding in relation to what they\u2019ve told me,\u201d McCarty said.<\/p>\n
Years in this career has provided her with a surefire technique, she said, as she\u2019s honed in on the skills necessary to be accurate in this field. <\/p>\n
\u201cI think I\u2019ve gotten a lot better over the years. I really just enjoy helping people that are in pain,\u201d McCarty said.<\/p>\n
One of the things she likes best is getting to meet people from all over the country as well as different parts of the world, she said, although she said she knew at her moment of arrival on Pine Island, that this was where she and husband Ken wanted to be.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs soon as we got here and we pulled onto the island, we saw pigs and loved all the individual little shops and how unique everything was,\u201d McCarty said.<\/p>\n
Her most valuable contribution to the island, she said, is being able to take care of people\u2019s bodies. In fact, she said she cannot stand it when someone has waited in pain, through an entire weekend, rather than calling he immediately.<\/p>\n
\u201cJust the thought of someone in pain really bothers me,\u201d McCarty said.<\/p>\n
If someone who had never heard about Pine Island was to ask McCarty about it, she said she would say it\u2019s a place where there are tons of artists and creative people who are very laid-back and helpful. <\/p>\n
She said her greatest wish for the island would be to keep it unincorporated. <\/p>\n
\u201cLet everyone enjoy the wildlife that we have and the peace of this island,\u201d McCarty said.<\/p>\n