My Journey and Life
I wanted to share less about "my story," but rather my journey and who I am at my core. I know I am a curious soul having a human experience. Sometimes those human experiences are memorable, and sometimes those experiences are harrowing. I genuinely believe that our struggles in life turn out to become our gifts to share.
One word that I would describe myself as is Passionate. My family would agree. I am overall a somewhat optimistic human. As a young child, I was often described as wearing rose-colored glasses. I sometimes hid behind that by pretending with responses like "I am OK". As I grew older and worked on healing wounded parts of myself, I became much better at wearing those rose-colored glasses in a healthy and light-filled way. I love teaching others how to see more light in their own life and how to get support.
I love God and Jesus. They walk with me every day. I am very Spiritual and love to deep-dive into great conversations. These type of discussions fill up my soul. I can be deeply loving when I am trusting myself and others. For me, not trusting is all part of healing my wounded parts of myself. I am an emotional human being, and I experience fairly extreme highs and lows. As I heal, this is an excellent tool for self-reflection. I am reasonably transparent. I am a constant observer, and I am typically always aware of my surroundings, which I have learned to use for good and teaching.
What do I love? I love small nooks! I love soulful conversations in groups of 1-2 people, especially all things spiritual. But I also love to find simplicity in life and figuring out how to do something less complicated. I do like a healthy debate when I feel safe.
I like planning out my time, figuring out ways to simplify my life, and helping others learn to do the same in their own way. I love being quiet, praying, reflecting, and journaling. This reflective time is so important to me for peace.
When I am in a funk, I need alone time. I tend to rebel against doing something good for myself. I am human and honor that. It is more of the tendency to want to retreat and need time in my own space, which is good for me. I observe that and try to discern when I might be in a darker place and need some support. Rebellion is what shows up for me most when I am struggling. I know many people can relate to this and why I feel it is my calling to support people through.
I enjoy getting my moves on wherever I can. I wish I did more dancing. I love to dance in the kitchen just for fun. I have wanted to take adult dancing lessons for a while now. Well, I just wrote it down, so that is my next step to doing it. I still enjoy going to Jazzercise because I can pretend I am a dancer and the exercise is good for my body.
My favorite place to go is the lake since I was a young girl. There is freedom there. My favorite part is the sparkles on the water when the sun hits it. I enjoy the calming elements of nature. Hiking, paddle boarding, and kayaking are some of my favorites.
A good laugh is what I need in many situations. I can be a little serious sometimes with life. If I bring myself to be more child-like in my day-to-day activities, it is always good for me. My favorite thing I remember as a child is grabbing some good food and exploring in the woods. Climbing a tree, swinging on a branch, or making a fairy house were a few of my favorite things. If I am in a safe trusting place, I can be extremely goofy and carefree. Remembering this in the midst of life is so important.
Healing in the Kitchen
I enjoy gathering in the kitchen with others. I love cooking NOW. Not always! I feel like sometimes our kitchen is a reflection of how our life is working for us. Or how we experience life is reflected in how we show up in the kitchen. Trust me, there are days I don't want to show up - in life and in the kitchen. Instead of feeling guilty, be okay with those moments and learn from them. The best thing we can do for our health is to be the best observer of ourselves without judgment.
I enjoy teaching others my journey and tips and tricks on how I got unstuck in the kitchen. I love cooking now. It is calming. I love the work I do.
When I am in the kitchen, my family will often describe me as a mad scientist. I am not exactly sure what that always means, but maybe it is my experimentation spirit. This way of being in the kitchen has not always been the case for me. I have discovered this part of myself as I healed and learned not to stand in my kitchen frozen and overwhelmed. I love to pull stuff out - maybe even a day or two before I make something. I enjoy planning out meals in a way that works for my family and me. Playing in the kitchen and not feeling alone in the kitchen is the way to freedom and becoming a kitchen mad scientist. I changed my mindset. Maybe you can too!