Hello, So sorry for the five-month gap since my last newsletter. I’ve been spending a lot of time outdoors hiking, mountain biking, working on my plant and mushroom identification, and watching the seasons change. The only face-to-face contact I’ve had in the last two months were with my love and a stray cat that curled up on my lap in front of the fire.
The last time I checked in with you I was learning practical skills like self-defense, foraging, jumping car batteries, fishing, survival skills, fixing toilets, etc. I also mentioned starting a membership site so you can learn alongside me as I learn from the pros, but I’ve decided to put that on hold… for now. I’m still learning so many cool things and would love to share more, but for now, the belly calls me back.
It’s interesting to look back in time and see how our heart’s desires eventually manifest in our lives if we keep taking baby steps.
Sadhana
Years ago I read the book The Path of Practice: A Woman’s Book of Ayurvedic Healing, by Maya Tiwari. The book inspired me to study at Maya Tiwari’s Wise Earth Ayurveda school and to weave those nourishing treatments into my abdominal massage therapy sessions. The book also moved me in personal ways and influenced my decision to live more in-tune with the natural cycle of the seasons and reconnect with my roots. …something that’s not all that easy to do when you’re ingrained in a forty-plus hour human-constructed workweek. We live in a world where our natural cycles are viewed as more of a hindrance, something to be manipulated so that we can fit into a man-made box. Yet nothing in nature is meant to bloom all year-round. When the trees drop their leaves it doesn’t mean the trees aren’t productive. Instead, the energy is sent deep into the roots to nourish and replenish in preparation for the buds of Spring. We humans can learn a lot from trees by slowing down and going inward during the Winter.
“Sadhana is a Sanskrit word whose root, sadh, means to reclaim that which is divine in us, our power to heal, serve, rejoice, and uplift the spirit. Sadhana practices encompass all our daily activities, from the simple to the sublime-from cooking a meal to exploring your inner self through meditation. The goal of sadhana is to enable you to recover your natural rhythms and realign your inner life and daily habits with the cycles of the universe. When you begin to live and move with the rhythms of nature, your mind becomes more lucid and more peaceful and your health improves. Your entire life becomes easier.” Bri. Maya Tiwari in The Path of Practice.
Letting Go
As you probably know, the COVID-19 pandemic led me to close the business I spent 22 years building in Portland. In hindsight, I started prepping for this event years ago without consciously knowing it. I took a course on Daily Om called “A year to clear what’s holding you back”. It consisted of a daily reflection or exercise to slowly clear, not only the physical clutter in my life but also the mental clutter that holds us back. Slowly I let go of stuff, lived simply, and squirreled my earnings away. When I moved to Michigan, I fit all of my belongings after 51 years on this planet in a single 4X6 storage container. I now feel lighter and freer and don’t miss the stuff I let go of at all.
As I get older I realize what’s truly important to me are heartfelt connections, experiencing life in the natural world with people I love, and staying curious. While in Portland those last few years, I became drained and depressed. I loved my work, but work consumed my life. I missed my family and longed for a more balanced life but the thought of leaving a successful business that took so long to build kept me in the hamster wheel. I grew up poor, moved around a lot, wore hand-me-downs, and went hungry often growing up. I first started an official tax-paying job when I was 15 years old and have been consistently working since. I’ve never been unemployed. Before COVID I couldn’t imagine taking time off work. It seemed crazy to leave the security of a steady income behind. The pandemic didn’t give me a choice! As a result, I moved from the city to a rural area in Michigan to be near my family. I now live in a wooded area on a river, cook nourishing homemade meals, go to sleep when I’m tired (even if it’s only 8 PM), wake when my body and mind are rested, forage, enjoy and study nature every day and live a life warmed by deep love and connection.
A Feast Nearby
Another book that got me longing for a life that connected me to the land and nature was
The Feast Nearby: How I lost my job, buried a marriage, and found my way by keeping chickens, foraging, preserving, bartering, and eating locally (all on $40 a week) by Robin Mather. Interestingly enough, the book is based in Michigan so I had a special interest in her story and the story of the land, as well as how she made connections between the seasons, animal behavior, and what foods were available in the wild or farmed locally. Similarly, I also went through a divorce and lost my job before moving to Michigan. If I were to write a book the title could be
The Feast Nearby: How I lost my job, buried a marriage, survived a pandemic, fell in love, and found my way in Michigan by being open to new experiences, foraging, fermenting, and staying centered in my belly.
COVID UPDATE:
So what’s next? As a self-employed LMT, I always knew I needed a contingency plan in case I broke my wrist and couldn’t physically work with clients. Little did I know, it would be a pandemic that put me out of work! My contingency plan became
my online courses and teaching. The cart for
my courses are open now! Hopefully, Just last week I happened to come across several
Google reviews from past clients. I had no idea these reviews were published because my Google account was suspended when I took a break from seeing clients due to COVID. I discovered the heartwarming reviews nine months after they were written, just when I needed a nudge and reminder of what I’m meant to do. Reading the kind words reminded me how much I miss working one-to-one with people and how much I absolutely love what I do. Thank you to all who took the time to leave me a review!
I passed my Michigan state boards and received my license to practice in Michigan so I’m ready to open up an office again when things are more stable! I plan to do this in a way that allows me to stay in a natural flow and balance. It’s just too risky to sign a lease on an office space not knowing if the state will enforce another freeze on doing business in person.
You may also follow my business on Google. If you’re in Michigan or the surrounding area (I’m just across the lake from Chicago) and interested in receiving in-person sessions when I establish my new office, please let me know and I will keep you posted.
In Health,
Barbara Horsley (formerly Loomis)
