This website is dedicated to my parents, Stan and Ellie.
We all have inherited ancestral legacies of trauma and abuse to one degree or another. But we also inherit much of positive benefit as well. Sometimes it may be harder to recognize all the good we have received, because those qualities have been more quietly ingrained in us. They don't jump out and clamor for attention, in the way that troublesome traits do.
The unconventional life that I live, looks very different from that of my parents. On the surface we have little in common. It appears as though I walked away from their religion, and all that is personally meaningful to them.
I want to apologize for not having a bio up yet. When I first made this website, I wrote a long elaborate bio for myself. I worked hard on it. But when I shared what I had written with my husband and closest friends, they all gave feedback that it wasn’t good! I somehow had failed to capture my story. I’ve written obituaries and bios for other people, and have some skill in capturing the essence of someone’s life. Just not my own! I fully intend to try again. I hope that who I am and what I value, shines through everything that I write. Thank you for your patience and understanding. Please check back here again. Eventually, one will be here.
My name is actually Heidi Arena. Arena is my middle name, and it is pronounced Ah-ren-na with a soft 'e'. The Finnish pronunciation on this page is how I say my name, and how my parents pronounced it when I was growing up. How to pronounce Arena. But I also love the Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese (Brazil), Russian, and Spanish pronunciations. They are close enough for me. I am astounded by the number of different pronunciations people have derived for my name. Believe me, there's even more then that website listed!
Arena was a religious name given to me when I was born, but it was not my middle name back then. My mother named me Heidi Jill, which was a perfect childhood name – it even came with a storybook and nursery rhyme!
Denny is my husband. In September of 2019, after 24 years together, we married in a simple and ordinary way, at our kitchen table, with a friend who is a Justice of the Peace. However, we still do not live together much of the time. Originally, I envisioned Denny and I doing a website together, but he has other pursuits that magnetize his time. Perhaps in the future he will be inspired to write some posts, but for now I am the scribe for our shared endeavors. Articles that I write about his interests in particular, will be compiled on this page.
Denny possesses a fierce independence – he likes the freedom to do his own thing. Over the years of being with him, I have gradually come to appreciate the value of nurturing separation and space. Our relationship thrives on this balance of intimacy with autonomy.
My good friend Stevo has been my biggest support for this website. He has tirelessly read and given editing advice for almost everything that I have posted here. I am grateful for his help.
Stevo and I met on our first day of college in 1979. Our lives have been closely intertwined ever since. I refer to Stevo as my housemate, simply because I don't know what other word to use to describe our relationship. We have lived together for most of our lives. We know each other as intimately as couples who have been married for a long time, but we have only been partners for about 10 of our early years together. Since 1995 I have been in a committed relationship with Denny.
This is the place for leaving general comments, questions, or testimonials for Arena Heidi or kindground.org. I am interested in your honest and respectful thoughts, and I appreciate your feedback!
I designed this website myself using the Squarespace platform and the Rally template. I had zero experience with website design when I first began, and the first days were tough – really tough. Initially, the free videos that people posted on YouTube, with step by step demonstrations, helped me more than any of the Squarespace tutorials. I was grateful for the ordinary people who took the time to give freely of their expertise.
Since my initial learning curve, I have been satisfied with Squarespace. However, there are some basic things that the Squarespace platform does not support. Sometimes I find a solution that circumvents the issue, and sometimes not. Squarespace would be truly amazing if they fixed some of their basic limitations.