Denise ColemanLyng

Retirement.

A daunting word for some, but freeing for others. Retirement could be a time you’ve dreamed of when your kids are grown and out of the house. It could be a time you’ve dreamed of finally taking up a special hobby. Maybe you’ll travel, maybe you’ll rest.

But, what if you mesh your career with your passion, working and living your dream simultaneously? That’s what one woman in Carlton County is doing: combining a shed in the woods with creativity and massage therapy.

Denise Coleman-Lyng, 60, of Carlton, spent her childhood playing in the woods with her cousin. One day they discovered an abandoned log cabin. Imaginations ran wild. They told each other stories about who lived there and what they did.

“Every waking moment that I had free, I was out in the woods exploring,” Coleman-Lyng said.

Her big dream: Buy 40 acres of land and plop a house right in the middle of it.

Curiosity sparked action when she and her husband, Alan, moved to Duluth for Alan’s job. A 56-acre plot belonging to distant relatives was for sale.

“When Alan found out that it was nestled between the Willard Munger State Trail and Jay Cooke State Park, it was like a no-brainer,” Coleman-Lyng said. “So we bought it.”

Her massage therapy career took over and they have lived happily in the woods for many years. Without children of their own, they wanted to share the woods, but how? They always felt it was there for something bigger than themselves. Something began stirring inside her.

Denise Coleman-Lyng leans proudly against her shed-in-progress, a structure that grows parallel with its builder's own confidence

Coleman-Lyng loves creativity. Finding the book “Praying in Color” by Sybil MacBeth revolutionised her personal faith and brought new revelation that everyone is creative. Coleman-Lyng journeyed through self-discovery. Her creative confidence with guitar, improv, doodling and theater, to name a few, has grown. Loving both silent retreats and the company of creatives, she began asking, “Have there been hopes and dreams that I’ve let die?”

She wanted space for people to reflect, knowing how easy it is for dreams to get put on the back burner. She longed for her own space and to hold space for others throughout their own creative journeys. She already had her childhood dream of a house in the woods, so she decided to build a shed.

Without carpentry or architecture skills, building a shed thrilled and overwhelmed her. She received salient advice, “Just start!” Start where you are with what you have. Starting has allowed her to ask questions and find experts along the way.

Coleman Lyng praises her husband, too, saying that without the empowering gift of partnership with Alan she couldn’t have started this shed project, let alone finish it.

“I hadn’t even built a birdhouse!” Coleman-Lyng said.

Asking for help and making a couple of big purchases of a new chainsaw and four-wheeler (she’d initially been clearing brush, branches and trees by hand and hauling them by foot before she asked for help) have empowered Coleman-Lyng toward progress in creating space for others to enjoy, to reflect, to grow and to heal through nature and creativity.

Building bridges over ravines allows woodland pathways to be cleared further into the woods.

Hoping to create simple walk-in campsites for solo or duo travelers, ColemanLyng has met fellow outdoor adventurers through Hipcamp.

According to their website, “Hipcamp is a growing community of goodnatured people and the most comprehensive resource for unique outdoor stays. … We do this because we believe humans in nature bring out the best of human nature.”

In retirement, ColemanLyng plans to offer mini-silent or creative retreats in the woods, massage therapy at her home practice, Allure of the Woods, and a shed for shelter, inspiration and personal creative renewal.

Coleman Lyng hopes to have sites available through HipCamp in fall 2021.

Denise’s Advice for Shed Building: “Just start!”

Research: Check local government resources to ensure you build within what’s allowed — there may be ordinances in place that limit or prohibit your building plans. “We want to be legal!” Coleman-Lyng said. Watch YouTube for tutorials of how to do everything you’ve ever imagined.

Verbalize your dreams: Talking about your building project can open up opportunities. Coleman-Lyng found a local

Continued on page 22 sawmill, four-wheeler and willing helpers by sharing her dreams with others. Isolation and independence would have meant no shed. When friends, neighbors and family say they have free time to help, embrace it. Be open to the people who cross your path. Getting help from others improved ColemanLyng’s confidence, too.

Know your timeline and budgetary boundaries and be flexible: Some aspects of your project will be a surprise or turn out different from how you’d hoped. Coleman-Lyng learned to be openhanded with the timeline. Custom builds can take longer. High demand or delayed supplies can mean extra waiting or increased expenses.

Prioritize: Decide what’s most important to your vision and stick to it. It can be an overwhelming gift to hear many experts’ opinions about what you’re trying to accomplish, quickly putting you over budget. Take experts’ ideas into consideration. They might have a clever way you’ve not considered yet.

Find a community: Hipcamp is a community of likeminded people who want to provide an opportunity for people to be in nature and respect the area, too. “I want to partner with my community!” Coleman-Lyng said she’ll send campers and retreaters to local Carlton spots like Magnolia Cafe, Third Base Bar and Swiftwater Adventures. D