Hearts Know No Distance

Maple Bay, Vancouver Island, British Columbia

It's dawn on Kootenay Lake in Nelson, British Columbia. What a gorgeous place on this planet. The ravens are plentiful around our campsite and have been belting out a wide variety of songs to each other. I have been awake since 3am (3 hours now). This is not typical for me. I am normally a pro sleeper. The nocturnal munching of mice on the other side of the thin, vinyl tent from my pillow was what kept me awake at first. Then a very nearby train with a persistent whistle. Now the morning traffic has also begun. The world here is buzzing and in action like the springtime pollinators. 

The sunset view across the Georgia Strait on our way to Vancouver. Another ferry headed to the islands.

I am letting the reality sink in that we left our home of Vancouver Island and all of the amazing people there. In a way, I wish I could have brought them all with me. Realistically though, I know we are all on our own unique journeys and that hearts know no distance. 

 

It's been a very full and transformational month for us and this blog post has been slowly coming forth through it all. 

Photo by Roxanne Wood. Thanks Roxanne!!! Xo

I want to mention an incredible gathering of amazing women that took place on earth day, April 22nd, in Saanich on Vancouver Island. My sweet friend and magical musician, Astaria, and myself gathered with these ladies and shared a beautiful day of heart connection and earth connection. 

In less than a week after listing her for sale, we sold our sweet motorhome to an amazing retired couple. They intend to take her to the Yukon way up north and also down to Mexico. Our kind of people, indeed. 

"I Believe in the Good Things Coming"-Nahko Bear

On the day we sold our little home on wheels, we packed up our trusty old Jetta with our belongings, except what wouldn't fit in that first car load, which was probably stuff we didn't need anyway. 

We also sold both of our bicycles. We sold our garden rototiller and a few other odds and ends too. We sold the dehumidifier that we had purchased to keep our RV dry through the wet winter months to a man who was raising his two kids in a school bus that was converted into a long, homey RV. Humans and their life adventures are so amazing.

We also decided to search last minute for a larger and more economical vehicle. Our 2003 VW Jetta was amazing and yet she was really showing her age and the 300,000+ kms that we put on her.  We bid on a green 2008 Ford Escape hybrid and got her for an incredible price. She needed a bit if aesthetic TLC, but she is worth it. Tanner suitably named her the Green Goddess. Bye-bye Blue Billy Goat (Jetta's name after trekking through the Mexican and Guatemalan mountains).  Welcome to the One World Wellness team, Green Goddess! You're in for some fun times!

We stayed temporarily at the home of a dear friend on Vancouver Island for the last two weeks while we tied up all loose ends so that we could make a clean departure toward the east coast. Sold a final few items and donated about 7 liquor boxes full of things and stuff we didn't need to carry on with life. Refreshing!!!

We co-hosted a cacao ceremony in North Vancouver at a beautiful venue and said farewell to our shining soul sister, Astaria. We know we will meet again before too long!

We then travelled to Harrison Hot Springs and co-facilitated a beautiful small ceremony with two sound healers (among many other titles) who had an amazing collection of crystal bowls and a crystal lyre, crystal pyramid, chimes, tuning forks, gongs and more. It was sensational. We normally contribute during a sound journey at our ceremonies with the small collection of instruments that we own. This time though, we both laid back and simply soaked up the sound journey vibrations. What a beautiful gift. Learning to receive is something I have been working on for my whole life: material gifts, compliments, nurturing, etc. 

We have just received invitations to Hawaii and Australia for the fall and winter to share our cacao ceremonies. Time will tell which direction we travel...at this point we can only guess. It all sounds great to us! It's all possible because we have taken many small steps to reduce our needs and our ties to any material limitations. Every little thing we own is with us in our vehicle. It's a truly remarkable feeling of freedom. 

I am already missing the fresh stinging nettle soup that we enjoy this time of year on Vancouver Island. We picked and ate so much nettle in April. There is nothing like the green nourishing energy of a big bowl of nettle soup. It has so many physical benefits (google it). We enjoyed our last jar on the ferry from Vancouver Island to Vancouver. 

Enjoying nettle soup while waiting for the ferry. 

Wrapping up this blog blurb, I'm at a little coffee shop in rural Alberta that I used to frequent when I lived here. (I sometimes start a blog in one place and then finish it wherever I can). 

We are facing an interesting reality that Albertans, in general, are not nearly as receptive to cacao ceremonies as British Columbians are.  We are supposed to host two ceremonies this weekend and neither has garnered much commitment from guests, so we may postpone them to a much later date. All we can do is try.

A blurry and dark glimpse of the sound journey at one of our cacao ceremonies. 

It's my mama's 69th birthday today! She was diagnosed with breast cancer over 10 years ago and I did not think that she would be here to celebrate approaching 70 years! Life is truly amazing. With the combination of poor cell phone reception and no wifi on her end, I have both called and texted her today with no luck of hearing her voice yet. I did leave her a voicemail. There are still a few hours left in the day, so hopefully we will connect. Technology remains a baffling mystery to me...it both enables us and limits us in mysterious ways.

Happy Birthday Mama! We are headed your way...it won't be long and then we can have a real hug.

That's my sweet sweet mama, Linda xoxo

Ps. This song is AMAZING!!! I played it for friends last night and they said it sounds like the One World Wellness theme song. Haha!! And so it is.

https://mamuse.bandcamp.com/track/welcome

We Are A Global Tribe

I am having a self-administered timeout lying in the dry, waving summer grasses of southern Vancouver Island on this warm day. Our visit to the island is coming to a close already. Today in particular, I have had a of feeling like I'm watching a comedy film mixed with a sci-fi-mind bender. There was an electronic roadside billboard that scrolled through colorful weekly specials at the grocery store and in the mix there was a slide that caught me by surprise that said something like "DROUGHT: the new normal"...maybe there were other words following those, but that's all I saw. I laughed and thought to myself "what the?! Why would anyone write such a thing? Seems like they are putting a curse on this beautiful piece of the earth. The new normal? Who are they to decide that?" I knew I wasn't alone in this sentiment. Words are powerful creators.

Then, I walked across the parking lot to the auto insurance office to ask about my car insurance renewal. The woman at the desk was very pleasant and I tried to take in every word she spoke. At some point between her telling me I should raise my coverage to $5 million if I'm traveling in the USA ("because when they sue, they go for the jugular") and me laughing in amazement, and then her laughing nervously...and her whispering through her bright lipstick that I should use the other auto insurance broker when I renew because I would save more money...my mind all but short circuited. I looked at her name tag and smiled and thanked her by her first name. As I walked out to the car, I felt stunned. A friend had to cancel our tea date this morning because she was working hard to help the woman who she is care-taking for and who is fading away quickly to another realm. She was cheerful on the phone, despite life's great challenges. I know that in every scenario, there is an opportunity for all parties to learn and grow. She knew too.

...Which then encouraged me to step down from the role of organizer for a new moon women's circle that I had helped to get going. I have almost always been very comfortable in a leadership role, so I often jump in with both feet when someone mentions a great idea or suggests that a such and such could happen. I suddenly realized that I had my own agenda during this limited visit to Vancouver Island.  I needed to fulfill those obligations and complete my own tasks before taking on new stuff, as wonderful as it all may be. It felt so good to notice what my pattern was and to make a decision to play a different card from my hand. I am a hub. I am a connector. I am a leader. I am a trailblazer. I'm also a woman who needs a time out in my bathing suit on a warm sunny summer's day to just lay on the earth and watch the bees and the birds live their lives. A honey bee climbed up my leg this morning during yoga time. I said to it "hello. I'm not a flower. Carry on." Then I thought about what I just said. I am a flower, dammit. Who do I think I am kidding? I can't hide and shouldn't try to. Waste of time. "Bee the flower." That's all. Thanks for the message little bee.

So, next I went to the post office. I mailed a CD called The World Peace Diet: Living in Harmony with All Life by Will Tuttle, PhD. It is headed to some new vegan/ loveatarian (their own term...love it) friends down island. It's about eating a vegan diet to heal ourselves and promote peace on this planet and it's about much more than eating. They want to share it with some of their clients. It's amazing, intensely valid and mind expanding. (Have a read or a listen to this brilliant book if it sparks your curiosity.)  These same new friends hosted one of the most wonderful collaborative events that we have ever been a part of to date last weekend. We were so grateful to have been in the mix of it all! It was a full day of love, music, nourishing food, beautiful surroundings and amazing people. They called it Cosmic Heartbeat. It was exactly that. 

Us with a Cacao Medicine jar

It's now a week later and people are still talking about it and basking in the residual positive energy field that was created. We delivered cacao orders right up until we just got in line for the ferry we are currently waiting for. We missed the one we were hoping to get on, which can happen when you call an island home, and so the ferry fairy has gifted us two hours of free being time. Here I write.

Leaving one of our global tribes behind on Vancouver Island (again) was no easy task. I had a very emotional week asking myself why. Why are we leaving again, and so soon? Are we crazy? I knew the answer already. It's in the ocean and the sunshine. It's in the stars and the wind. We are being ushered in the direction that we are being called. A friend recently asked me to show her 6 year old daughter some new yoga postures. I just couldn't say no to that request. Her uncle had bought her a yoga mat and she learned some basic yoga in school this year. Her family was doing their best to support her in her recent diagnosis with epilepsy. When I mentioned the idea of a yoga date her eyes got huge and she jumped up and down. She is a brilliant and cheeky girl with tons of energy, and her toddler brother has even more energy. Which is why I gave him my phone to keep him busy and capture some yoga shots from a two-year-old's perspective. Here it is...Lola the Bassett Hound and all.

Our other new little friend, Grace, who is 8 years old, "graced" our car by signing her own bumper sticker on the trunk. Our car is officially blessed. We added our new One World Wellness bumper sticker to the collection. Let us know if you would like one. We can send you one of these beauties to help us spread the word!!!

We received a new generous donation to our Indiegogo campaign from a dear friend who has seen our work in action. She knows that what we do is much needed on this earth right NOW. Much of what we "do" is nearly impossible to put into simple words. It's felt and received and shared and only those receiving our time and energy can explain what is really happening when we connect with one another genuinely from heart to heart and soul to soul.

We were so grateful to gather with friends old and new on our final evening on the island to celebrate both a birthday and a Bon Voyage. We sat over the latest angelic gateway near our friend's garden and enjoyed a beautiful fresh summer potluck picnic supper.

I am marveling at our little Jetta, packed to the brim with nearly everything we own. We decided to leave our two bicycles with our pal who will take good care of them for us while we are on the road for a while. Other than that, we have decided that if we will continue on this vagabond-wellness-team adventure that we will need to upgrade to a van or small motorhome to better accommodate us and all of our wellness gear. (Plus a cozy place to sleep in the back would be an amazing bonus.)

Until then, we motor on in our little car. Across land and sea to answer the calls of the universe. It's calling to all of us. All we have to do is answer. Listen. Just be still. Listen. The instructions will be given freely. 

You will be supported. Have faith. All is well. This is my new mantra.

With LOVE,

Kristin

The Cocoon Phase

Images from Sugarboo Designs. 150 Love Notes booklet.  So lovely!

I just looked at my last blog post and it's been one month since I have had the inspiration to write. Whoa! That is the longest that I have gone without a post since I started this blog, just over a year ago. Hmmmmm...red flag?

This actually confirms something huge for me: that I was feeling uninspired which means that I was living a relatively uninspired period of my life. How sad is that? Can anyone out there relate to that feeling?  Yeah, pretty much everyone? Which brings me to the topic of this post... Why aren't we all living and speaking our passions and feeling alive and inspired every single day of this short gift called life? You can try to make up a million and one excuses, but do yourself a favor and don't bother. I will have a comeback ready for all of them. There is no good excuse...just our own fears getting in the way of our happiness.

I recently realized that the job that I was  working for only four short months was not getting me any closer to living my passions. Like most "jobs", it was a great way to meet new people, make a wage and keep myself busy- because that's what we all seem to think we are supposed to do. Don't get me wrong. I loved all of the people that I worked with and the connections with customers and sharing laughs and teaching and learning. And helping people. Helping people to love and empower themselves. That's what I really love to do. This may not come as a surprise to you.

The pieces of the puzzle have been showing up for me for several years but it has taken me until now to realize what they all mean.  I feel like I should have realized this a year ago when I began blogging to help myself and others to live a more authentic life. Or maybe I could have clued in when I opened a used clothing store and everyday, for several years, dozens of people came in to talk, not to shop. Well it's never too late to start living your passions. 

So. This is me announcing that I will be embarking on a journey to help others to love and empower themselves and live their passions. I know this has already been happening to some degree. Now I am making it my main focus. It's what I love to do. It makes me happy to see others improving their lives and giving themselves the love that we all deserve. I'm still not totally clear on how this will all come together, but I know for certain that it's happening piece by piece. 

I have been working with a book called The Passion Test. It has really helped me to differentiate my passions from my hobbies and goals. I now have a clear list of my top passions as of today. Passions change. Life is full of change. So make sure you aren't stuck in that life that you wanted 10 years ago, but that isn't suiting you today. It happens too often. 

The last month has been part of my cocoon phase. I have had at least 3 or 4 other cocoon phases in my life so far. It's what happens when something big happens in life that forces me to stop and look at the bigger picture.

 I stop doing the things that aren't moving me closer to peace and happiness. I sift out the people who aren't enriching my life. I make more time to do the things that I love. The things that make me ME. All of these things combined creates a cocoon-like state where I can be and know myself. Unadulterated. Uninfluenced. Unwaivered. Each time, I have emerged as a brighter and happier version of myself. A butterfly. Try it. I dare you.

PS. PLEASE contact me if you are seeking some soul guidance. Even if you are across the globe, I will be happy to help you to live your soul's passions. 

Alongthehearttrail@gmail.com

What are YOU eating???

This weekend, I participated in my second March Against Monsanto event, this time on Vancouver Island. According to the founder of MAM, on Saturday, at least 366 official events took place in 43 countries around the globe. Wow. The people are not happy, Monsanto. 

In case you aren't familiar, Monsanto is the chemical company that developed DDT (the insecticidal chemical that was used to kill mosquitoes during WWII and then sprayed freely as an agricultural insecticide in the 60's and 70's and caused massive environmental devastation), PCB's (toxic, organic chemical compounds used in electrical equipment and in coolants until the 1970's), RGBH (bovine growth hormone), Agent Orange, a carcinogenic defoliant used in the Vietnam War, and Roundup, the readily-available friendly,  neighborhood herbicide that has been highly controversial over the last number of years. (Info confirmation Resources: Wikipedia)

Over the last few decades, these clever folks have mostly sold off their chemical side to multiple outsiders, and have now focused on seeds and animals, playing around with the genetic material of various plants and animals to great new species of living organisms that look prettier, decompose more slowly, glow in the dark, are more convenient to slaughter, survive despite heavy pesticide/herbicide application, look like a tomato but taste and smell like a lemon (Why??!) etc, etc, etc.  Voila! GMO's. 

Back to the march...

The event was exhilarating, and it was uplifting to shout out loud how I feel about a global corporation playing "GOD" with nature's creations that feed our world. I also felt deep sadness and anger that our fellow desensitized and money-hungry human beings are behind this madness. I have a really hard time wrapping my mind around the idea that profit and "economic growth" can seem more important to some than human lives and the health of our only home!!!

Monsanto isn't the only problem that humanity faces, but they are at the mast of the corporate ship that is headed straight for a massive iceberg, of which the destruction of the global food system is just the tip. 

It was heartwarming to see the variety of people who spent their Saturday marching the city streets, waving their lovely homemade signs and trying to wake up those who are not yet aware of the frankenfoods that they are consuming on a daily basis. It's pretty safe to say that if you purchased it from a run-of-the-mill restarant/fast food joint, it's full of GMO's. If it's not labeled as Organic certified or GMO FREE, and you bought it in a regular grocery store, it likely contains GMO's. YES. IT is TRUE. They are in pretty much everything that contains a (non-organic) corn product and many more ingredients. 

Here is a list of the most common GMO ingredients you will find in your food:

10. Sugar beets

  9. Potatoes

  8. Corn

  7. Tomatoes

  6. Squash

  5. Golden rice

  4. Soybeans

  3. Cooking oils

  2. Animal feeds

  1. Salmon

http://www.discovery.com/tv-shows/curiosity/topics/10-genetically-modified-food-products.htm

And the list goes on and on...and keeps growing. So. Think twice before you eat that stuff we used to think was food. Read food labels and ingredient lists. 

What's the solution? The same as most solutions that I suggest: educate yourself. Grow a garden using organic seeds and heirloom varieties that have not been messed with by greedy corporate hands. Shop at farmers' markets or join an organic CSA. Buy organic food. "But it's soooo expensive!", you might argue. 

And here is my rebuttal:

Our food is our nourishment, Our lifeblood. Without it we perish. Without our health, we truly have nothing. Our bodies need clean, fresh food to thrive. I can't think of anything that trumps healthy eating on my list of basic needs. Think you need that daily latte, new outfit, car or fancy phone? Think again.

Personal challenge: Track all of your spending for one month. You might be surprised at how much you spend on frivolous things. Instead of having the latest and greatest STUFF, shift your focus to cutting unnecessary costs and making healthy (NON-GMO/organic) food your top priority. Your body and the planet will thank you.

To close, this awesome poem was written a few years ago by actor, Woody Harrelson and I couldn't have said it any better myself:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SVNpzT4Y38s&sns=em

Whoever painted this, it's awesome. Nice work

. 

It Starts with ONE

A revolution begins when one person stands up for what they believe is right and true, then others join in to stand up together for change.  There has been a major revolution happening over the last few decades and it's growing exponentially.  It's called....permaculture. 

"Permaculture is a philosophy of working with, rather than against nature; of protracted and thoughtful observation rather than protracted and thoughtless labor; and of looking at plants and animals in all their functions, rather than treating any area as a single production system." - Bill Mollison

The green thumbs are joining forces to save the world, one garden at a time. I took my permaculture design course (PDC) in 2009, on Orcas Island, Washington, when some good friends were more or less reborn after learning the permaculture ways. I wanted to know what all the excitement was about. For a whole month, I was immersed in permaculture living, breathing, speaking and eating. My way of existing in everyday life was changed forever. In a very good way.

I recently completed the book The One Straw Revolution by Masanobu Fukuoka. It was written in the 1970's in Japan. This man was way ahead (some might arguably say behind) of the times. I believe that Mr. Fukuoka was the father of the permaculture movement, before it was even called permaculture.  His philosophy was simple: Do less to nature and it will take care of itself. He believed that once humans disturb nature to try to control its functions, it starts a cycle of destruction that is very difficult to repair. 

My favorite parts of this book were the philosophies that he had on life in general, not just the parts about growing food. I closed the book feeling refreshed and inspired and more aware. I want to share a few of my favorite excerpts instead of trying to reinvent the wheel, so to speak.

"The path that leads to right awareness involves living each day straightforwardly and growing and eating wholesome, natural food."

"Produce grown in an unnatural way satisfies people's fleeting desires but weakens the human body and alters the body chemistry so that it is dependant upon such foods. When this happens, vitamin supplements and medicines become necessary. This situation only creates hardships for the farmer and suffering for the consumer."

"Human life is not sustained by its own power. Nature gives birth to human beings and keeps them alive. This is the relation in which people stand to nature. Food is a gift from Heaven. People do not create foods from nature; Heaven bestows them."

"When it is understood that one loses joy and happiness in the attempt to possess them, the essence of natural farming will be realized. The ultimate goal of farming is not the growing of crops, but the cultivation and perfection of human beings."

"If economic growth rises from 5% to 10%, is happiness going to double? What's wrong with a growth rate of 0%? Isn't this a rather stable kind of economics? Could there be anything better than living simply and taking it easy?"

"Originally human beings had no purpose. Now, dreaming up some purpose or other, they struggle away trying to find the meaning of life. It is a one-man wrestling match....From the time they enter nursery school, people's sorrows begin. The human being was a happy creature, but he created a hard world and now struggles trying to break out of it."

"Other animals fight but do not make war. If you say that making war, which depends upon ideas of strong and weak, is humanity's special "privilege," then life is a farce. Not knowing this farce to be a farce- there lies the human tragedy."

"Let us say that the key to peace lies close to the earth." - Masanobu Fukuoka 1913-2008

I AM.

Whenever I have a creative lull and don't know what to write about in my next blog, the universe seems to throw me a bone. In this case, it came in the form of a documentary. I don't tend to watch many documentaries these days, because I went through a phase about 6 or 8 years ago where I watched so many films about the devastation of the planet and its wildlife, peak oil, GMOs, and natural disasters that I wanted to crawl into a hole and never come out. Not a healthy view on the world. I have since then turned to sharing what positive changes I think we can all make to emphasize the beauty of life.

So...I borrowed this one, which appeared to be uplifting, from our library and it was one of the best I have seen in a looooong time. 

Quick synopsis of I AM: a very wealthy Hollywood film director "has it all"- more money, properties and possessions than anyone could ever want or need. Then one day, he has a serious cycling accident that causes him to reflect on what's truly important. He embarks on a quest to answer the question "what's wrong with our world?!" And instead, discovers what's right with our world. It's uplifting and so beautiful. I recommend a movie night.

Be the change and spread the love is the message. We don't need stuff or tons of money or fancy clothes or cars or anything that can be essentially destroyed or taken away from us.  All of that stuff that we seem to accumulate is actually clogging up our minds and spirits and preventing us from seeing through the illusion and realizing that none of it matters at all.

Our love and spirit are what is real and carries on forever to future generations. It seems all to easy to live in our own little bubbles of self-serving actions. Let's work on expanding our bubbles to include the whole world, shall we? And...don't use the excuse "I just don't have time for _____ because I'm Sooooooo busy."  I used to use that one. Then I realized that I have a choice of how I spend every precious moment of every single day. So do you. Prioritize your life.

The next time you think you need a thing to improve your life and make you (temporarily) happy ask yourself if you would be equally as devastated if you were to lose that thing (such as a new car, fancy clothes or jewelry, toys, etc). Then maybe consider investing your money (in essence, your time and energy in the form of numbers) into making the world a better place for all of us. 

Selfless acts of service are one of the best things you can do for yourself and everyone else here on this magical planet. Send a fried an actual tangible piece of mail. Yup, that's still a real thing.

Volunteer. Babysit a friend's kids. Plant a garden for someone who isn't able. Purchase a house cleaning or meals for a new mom. Bring a sick friend some flowers and a hearty meal. Pick up litter. Plant some trees that you may not live to see bear fruit, but that coming generations will enjoy. Or Smile. Just smile. Smile at everyone. Even when you don't feel like it. What do you have to lose? 

Are you doing something (even tiny) every single day to raise the level of love in our world?

Nature: The Original Internet

This morning I was feeling a little out of sorts. Low energy and very little motivation to do anything before I had to be at work. I had noticed that some excess moisture had built up on the windows of our cabin over the winter months, due to drying laundry inside and also from all of the moist seedling trays we have in there at night. So I made a tub of natural cleaning solution and scrubbed away for over an hour. While I scrubbed the mold, I felt an intense sadness, but I didn't know why. Then I climbed onto a chair to clean the top of one window and was startled by a snake skin that a former tenant must have placed up there. Interesting find. Shedding old skin?

When I finished the cleaning, I opened up all of the windows to the sunny spring air and lit some Nag Champa incense to clear the house. Ahhhhh. Much better. 

I decided to go sit in the morning sunshine on a log in the garden.  As I sat and felt the warm sun on my face and the gentle breeze in my hair and on my neck, I closed my eyes and I soaked in all of the sounds around me. I heard a woodpecker loudly knocking in the distance. I heard a pair of frogs down in the creek calling to each other. I heard the bees buzzing in the patch of heather flowers on my right. I could hear the neighbors flock of geese and some wild geese playing in the pond just over a small hillside. I heard a hummingbird squeak. I opened my eyes and saw him in a fruit tree nearby. He zoomed away. Then i noticed a pretty orange butterfly amongst the bees and purple and white heather. 

I heard another tiny clicking sound and saw something out of the corner of my eye. I looked to my left and it was a very cute, round, brown mouse. He was trotting happily along the bright green garden hose that was stretched along through the garden.  I sat very still watching him. He stopped periodically to nibble things. Then to my surprise, he made a bee line ...straight toward me. He came right to me, as if he had heard me calling his name. He came closer and closer and then jumped right up onto the toe of my boot. He seemed to say hello. Then he hopped down between my boots, and sat for a minute chewing on some clover. Next to him in the grass sat a small bumble bee warming himself in the heat of the sun enough to be able to take off on a mission. The mouse looked up at me and made his clicking sound, then made his way to the heather patch to join the bees and butterfly. I sat there smiling and enjoying the sun and the magic of nature. Then I thanked everything that was present around me and realized that the sadness and angst had disappeared. Nature IS the best therapy. The information contained within the wilds of Mother Nature is endless. 

Here is something interesting that I read:

http://spirit-animals.com/mouse/

Not so long ago, we came from nature. We are nature at our core. Eckhart Tolle says that birds, crystals and flowers are the three most enlightened forms of matter on the planet. They are the things that we humans adore and the things that we aspire to be. Light, flight and beauty. Its so true. As I typed that last line, a hummingbird buzzed around me garden chirping up a storm. She landed in the top of a cherry and tree and is watching me as much as I am watching her.  When I was little, I found a lifeless hummingbird in my father's airplane hangar. I picked him up and admired his rainbow of feathers. I said a few words for him and buried him in the forest underneath a flap of moss that covered a huge rock that we neighborhood kids had a secret fort at. We dubbed it "hummingbird rock" after that. Hummingbirds have always fascinated me. So tiny and so fast and so quick to appear and disappear. They are abundant on this property. Sipping nectar from the peach blossoms and playing tag in the sun. 

Hmmmmm....

http://spirit-animals.com/hummingbird/

Mother Nature is the origin of every single one of us. As children, many of us spent the majority of our time getting down and dirty outdoors. It was hard to tear us away from the endless wonders that nature supplied us with. Nature, not electronics, used to be the best babysitter. We were one with the wildness. Yet, as we age and "grow up", many of us humans disregard her and treat her like a moody teenager treats their parents. Eye rolls at the weather, disrespect, attitude, lack of gratitude, entitlement of her resources. Sound familiar? We all know folks that have this view of the planet. Then, one day they feel guilty, so they go visit her because they feel like it's what they are supposed to do every once in a while. An obligation. This is family disfuction at its finest. Respect your mother (earth). 

Spending time with her is what we ALL need more of. Hands down. She holds the secrets and answers to everything, and many of us have forgotten how to ask with our hearts because the e-version of the worldwide web is at our fingertips. What about the original World Wide Web of Life? The one that is engrained in all of us? So many have forgotten how to access it. No wifi required. No electricity even! Time to shake off the dust and relearn to connect with your true roots.

Get into the wild. Into the forest. Into the sun and rain and mud. Into the garden. Get into the rhythms of the sun a moon and the seasons and the plants and animals. Plug yourself into the original source. Make. the. time. Even 15 minutes each day. For you. Notice how you feel. Really notice....