Last month I wrote about taking advantage of the stillness of deep winter and giving yourself Permission to Go Within. This month my theme is Scheduling Time with Our Grief. This is not an easy topic for me.

Sometimes it feels as if our grief swallows our growth. But it’s still important to make time for it. Otherwise it remains in the background. This particular image is chilling in its truth because of a recurring dream I’ve had since childhood. One where I was held down by hooded, faceless figures and was unable to scream or cry out. I know now that this was a metaphor for the loss of my innocence, but all I knew then was the terror of being silenced, again and again. Then, my little girl brain, fueled by a motivation for mental and emotional survival, performed the brilliant act of dissociation, pushing it deep below the surface, and helped me create new ways of being that wouldn’t allow fear or grief to rise back up. I practiced and performed this feat for years and years. I got good at it. Really good. But there was one problem: It didn’t solve the problem. It was a child’s way of dealing with grief. Not an adult’s.

January’s post on Going Within held an image of what we imagine going within will feel like, only to be disillusioned by the reality that it can feel rather dark and shadowy if we’ve never dealt with our grief. It’s kind of like playing peekaboo with a toddler. When they put their hands in front of their face and can no longer see you, they assume that: 1) You’re gone and 2) They’re now invisible. I was playing peekaboo with my grief. And I was the toddler, letting myself believe that if it wasn’t front and center, that I’d successfully dealth with it. Unfortunately, unfelt, unresolved grief doesn’t just disappear. It remains present in the shadows of our lives. It doesn’t magically transform into the image from January’s post - clean and crisp and clear, until you actually integrate it. But integration isn’t fun. It isn’t easy.

And often that’s enough to stop us from going any further. Our brains and hearts will always take the path of least resistance if given the choice. Sometimes it’s embarrassing to admit that I’ve made it almost sixty years without realizing how much I’ve been carrying and how heavy it feels. In fact, I’ve put myself into the chrysalis for that very reason - to force myself to choose differently. Otherwise I won’t do it. Obviously…

Having come this far being so perpetually stuck is a testament to my Capricorn nature. My soul is stubborn to a fault. And fiercely protective of my psyche, apparently.

Hell, I didn’t even remember the first inklings of my abuse until I was twenty-four years old with two children of my own. Not an ideal time to process grief with a newborn and a two-year-old.

It wasn’t until later - much later - after raising four kids and realizing I still felt broken, that I finally went searching for the threads to unravel this complex web. By then they were so deeply embedded that I couldn’t even reach their ends. Grief and dissociation had done such a good job that even EMDR therapy, which changed my life in profound ways, didn’t get to the heart of it. I needed to get rid of every other excuse and allow the desire for freedom to eclipse every other distraction. Perhaps you don’t need something so extreme in order to deal with unspoken grief or trauma. I hope that’s true for you, but we all have our journeys, and this is mine.

What that looks like for me this month is scheduling time for grief. Blocks of time with a beginning and an end that are dedicated to sitting with grief and simply allowing it to exist inside of me. And when the time is up I put it back away. I move on with my day. I don’t allow it to swallow me or shipwreck me or steal my joy in other parts of my life. As a self-proclaimed “all or nothing” person, this is not easy for me. I’m traditionally all in or all out. Completely numb or absolutely consumed. So it requires me to learn skills that aren’t currently in my arsenal. To nurture the small light in my lap and to allow the shadows to exist behind me. To focus on the potential for growth if I can learn to truly integrate with intention.

I’ve also been doing quite a bit of ancestor work this past couple of years, which has turned out to be crucial for me in this process. Learning to accept and not hate that which made me.

You might have to read that again and let it sink in. No judgment - it took me years to understand the truth of that statement. In essence, I realized some time ago that hating my ancestors, whose DNA is literally inside of me, meant hating parts of myself that I had no choice in creating. In the end, self-hatred, in whatever forms it may come, is a drain on your physical body, your emotional stability, your spiritual growth and your ultimate longevity. So hating myself through hating them is only hurting me, if that makes sense. And it didn’t make sense, not for a long time anyway. Not until recently. I guess I had to be ready. Kind of like the caterpillar.

How does one heal the things that are passed down generationally, you might ask? Things like grief and trauma and familial patterns and societal conditioning are enmeshed in the fabric of what we know as reality and are almost impossible to extract without tearing down completely and rebuilding.

Hence the chrysalis. In fact, the answer to that question is precisely the journey I’ve been on. One that is deeply personal, often painful, and involves regular interaction with, holding space for, and offering love and healing to persons I have known, as well as those I have never known.

This work involves trust. Vulnerability. And forgiveness. The three things I don’t give away easily. Figures…

Why would I do this? Put myself through this? Because sometimes the only way out is through. Besides, I’ve tried everything else. Literally. And I’m sick of feeling bound and trapped by unnamed grief and fear. Isolated by it. Because the way predators like fear work is that they repeat the same lies until those lies become your lived truth. They convince you to isolate yourself, or hang out in an echo chamber of other voices that are just like yours. Then they feed on your energy. Instead of a single kill, if they can get you alone and keep looping the same messages inside your head that you’ve been hearing your whole life, they have an unending supply of energy to keep them alive. These looping tapes can seem oddly comforting in their familiarity, even if their lies are ridiculous and lead you into line in the procession of the walking dead.

The zombies have evolved. They’ve figured us out. And honestly, it can be hardly noticeable. Part of our fear is change, after all, and as they say “the devil you know always seems more appealing than the one you haven’t met yet”. That’s how fear works. How it keeps us enslaved.

At some point, usually when you’re sick and tired of feeling sick and tired, you’ll have an epiphany, and it’s then that you start to wake up.

When comfort no longer feels comfortable.

I love this quote by Anäis Nin: “And the time came when the risk to remain tight in the bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom”

Suddenly, staying the same, repeating the same patterns of excess and consumption became painful for me, and I began to long for a set of wings.

I had to stop being content to remain a caterpillar. My dreams of flying had to become stronger, more present in my psyche, than the dreams of being held down. Of being silenced. Of being trapped under the weight of unnamed grief. But ironically, you have to first become aware that you’re focusing on it in order to name it and then stop focusing on it. The alchemical process of metamorphosis requires first an all consuming focus and awareness, then the realization that this fixation is unhealthy for you in the long run, then letting go of everything, then dissolving and integrating it so the new imaginal cells can come online. It’s ugly and messy inside the cocoon, but only after that messy work is done can you start focusing on building those new wings. When they’re no longer weighed down by the past but rather free to dream brand new dreams. That’s the only way the caterpillar can become the butterfly.

So I’m naming it. And going inward to dissolve it, once and for all. To change my own DNA through the epigenetics of healing. Not changing the underlying DNA itself, of course, but changing how that DNA expresses itself in my life, and hopefully within the lives of those who come after me.

Then another sticky thought reared its ugly head: Maybe this idea that it is part of my life’s work to focus on generational healing and tending to the grief of others is just another sneaky tactic my psyche is using to allow me to deny myself and keep putting others first! Well, isn’t that just a bitch…

However, even if that were true, taken to its logical conclusion, it doesn’t really matter either way, because continuing to carry this aching feeling that I am not free, is no longer an option for me. This irony of my existence - this need for resolution - has been present as long as I can remember. I have always been an “old soul”, and in fact, the older I get, the more I evolve, the stronger this desire becomes, rather than the other way around, so what I’m left with - what keeps me going - is the “what if?”

What if being able to fly is everything I ever dreamed it would be? What if the ripple effects of healing can really reach back behind me and simultaneously reach forward into an uncertain future? What if it can set my children and grandchildren up for success in a world that is unkind to the untended.

What if I actually make it to the top of the mountain and throw this ring into the fire and watch it melt away, knowing I’ve finally accomplished that which I was sent here to do? What then? What does life look like without that inherited burden?

February 1st was a Celtic celebration called Imbolc, an honoring of the first inklings of life stirring deep inside the earth. The promise of what is yet to come even without seeing the evidence of it. Seems fitting to be having this conversation with my psyche now.

Never underestimate that first glimmer of light in the darkness. The one we can only see with our internal eyes, wondering if the glimmer is real or just a trick of our imagination. Remember that what you focus on, you make room for, and what you fear, you empower. Straining to search for that light helps clear away the smoke and mirrors and see that which has been there all along: The light at the end of the tunnel.

You take a tiny step toward it, and then another. You keep walking, not knowing what the path will bring but knowing somewhere deep inside that this is right. This is real. Eventually the path begins to slant upward. Become even steeper. Rocky. Hazardous. You stumble. Trip. Scrape your elbows. Bump your knee. But still you walk, and the light gets stronger and you become more and more sure of it with each step.

This is the journey that makes it all worthwhile. And so I continue the climb…

Keep climbing my friends,

With love,

Lynda

I’ll be posting along the way - some of the things I’ve learned and the way my journey is unfolding. This is January, 2026:

If there is a theme for this new month of this new year, it is stillness. Going inward to reflect. To unfold. To notice the rhythms of this quiet place in the heart of winter.

Stillness is not easy. It does not come naturally.

One of the many reasons Savasana is considered one of the most difficult poses in yoga to master, stillness encompasses not only a lack of physical movement, but a stilling of our mind and spirit as well. Practicing stillness is at the heart of most meditative practices, because it takes repetition and discipline to acknowledge our thoughts without engaging with them or allowing them to sit in the driver’s seat and steer our emotions into a collision.

You would think that in our crazy, hurry-up world we would welcome stillness as a much-needed reprieve. Our bodies often crave true rest and stillness, but our minds have difficulty grasping the concept. Stilted by culture and expectation, we somehow can’t allow true stillness to overtake all our other senses. To just sit with and within our own thoughts. Simply breathing in and out. Taking stock.

There is no magic mantra. The only way to overcome this resistance to stillness is to do it anyway. To practice and fail reminds us how much we actually need to set aside the time to regularly practice going within.

Cultivating stillness is a rare and beautiful chance to survey the landscape of our own inner worlds and identify the bare spots while appreciating the beauty we’ve grown in patches along the way.

Don’t get me wrong. I’m not a fan of resolutions, per se. But I am a fan of looking back and noticing what’s been working and what hasn’t. Adjusting your expectations to a manageable level. Not with sweeping changes but small, measurable course corrections that more accurately point you in the direction of your goals. Not comparing yourself to anyone else. Putting aside the socials and reading about what everyone else is doing.

Just you, and maybe a notebook and a pen.

Sure, January is typically an opportunity to practice this “out with the old, in with the new” mentality on a somewhat grander scale. Another year older. Another 365 days around the sun. But we have to remember that life is a process, not a product. We have to allow for failure while still planning for success, because a little of each is inevitable.

The older I get, the more I see the wisdom in the Vedic practices of both acceptance and non-attachment. Acceptance of where we’re at each day. Some days are better, stronger. Some are not. But also practicing not attaching to any particular ideal. It’s good to have goals - something to work toward - but often we confuse goals with a need to perform. To be productive. To achieve. But the achievement of the goal and the goal itself are not the same thing. Perfection is not the goal, and that can be incredibly freeing.

What if we kept it simple? What if we took the pressure off ourselves to be and achieve and produce.

What if progress was the goal?

A collective sigh seems to happen this time of year, as we welcome in this season of inner unfolding. So go ahead and light a candle. Steep some tea. Look within and identify which seeds are buried deep within your heart of hearts. Listen for the breaking open of that outer seed-coat that happens only in the darkness, below the surface.

Allow yourself to envision that which wants to grow :)

With Love,

Lynda

I posted this to my Substack near the end of 2025 and I wanted to share it here as well. It explains a bit about my focus for 2026 and the whys behind it… Here you go:

We gather here at the darkest point of the year, when the Solstice arrives to remind us that all growth begins in darkness. The seeds sleep beneath frozen earth. The bear dreams in her cave. The feminine energy of winter holds us close, asking us to turn inward, to rest, to surrender.

“We must be willing to let go of the life we planned so as to have the life that is waiting for us.” — Joseph Campbell

This is the season of letting go—not as loss, but as sacred release. And so, standing at this threshold between years, I find myself called to share something deeply personal: a turning that has been whispering to me for some time now, growing louder as winter’s darkness deepens.

2026 will mark my 60th year on this earth, and I have chosen to honor it as my Chrysalis Year—a sacred season of complete dissolution and transformation.

The Wisdom of Metamorphosis

You may know the story: the caterpillar doesn’t simply grow wings and fly away. Inside the chrysalis, it must dissolve entirely, becoming liquid, releasing every form it has ever known. Only then can the imaginal cells—those mysterious blueprints of becoming—take hold and weave the butterfly into being.

There is no transformation without surrender. No emergence without first becoming formless.

The dark half of the year teaches us this. In the womb of winter, in the longest night, we remember that the feminine principle is not about doing, but about being. Not about pushing forward, but about allowing. Not about holding on, but about releasing what no longer serves so that new life can quicken in the dark.

The Year of Snake and Nine

In 2025, we’ve walked through the Year of the Snake, the sacred number 9—a year of completion, wisdom, and release. The snake sheds its skin to grow. Nine asks us: What cycle is ending? What must you release to step forward?

And now, 2026 arrives as the Year of the Horse and the number 1—movement, freedom, new beginnings. The horse runs with wild courage toward uncharted horizons. One is the pioneer, the fresh start, the first breath of a new creation.

I feel this transition in my bones.

My Chrysalis

Beginning in 2026, I will be gently stepping back from the forms my work has taken: teaching classes, seeing individual Reiki clients, maintaining travel schedules, and even considering retirement from nursing. I am releasing the “shoulds” and “have-tos,” the weight of “I’ve always done this,” to make space for what wants to emerge.

“The cave you fear to enter holds the treasure you seek.” — Joseph Campbell

Like the Solstice dark that holds the promise of returning light, I am choosing to rest in the unknown. I trust that I will always be a teacher, always be a writer—these are woven into my soul’s fabric—but what forms they will take, I cannot say. And that unknowing is exactly where I need to be.

This is the work of the dark half of the year, the feminine work: to receive rather than strive, to gestate rather than birth, to trust the invisible process happening beneath the surface.

An Invitation

“What the caterpillar calls the end of the world, the master calls a butterfly.” — Richard Bach

I share this with you not as an ending, but as an invitation. Perhaps you, too, feel the whisper of letting go. Perhaps you, too, are ready to release an old skin. Perhaps this Solstice season is calling you into your own darkness, your own dissolution, your own becoming.

We can honor these transitions together, even as we each walk our own path into the chrysalis.

“And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom.” — Anaïs Nin

As we move through this longest night and into the year of the Horse, I want you to know: you have been part of my becoming. Every reader, every shared moment, every connection has shaped me. Thank you for witnessing this journey.

May you, too, find the courage to dissolve when it’s time. May you trust the dark seasons. May you honor the feminine wisdom of release. May you trust your own imaginal cells. May you emerge, again and again, into who you are becoming.

With deep reverence and an open heart,

Lynda

In my job as a Cardiac and Pulmonary Rehab nurse I teach classes on Stress Management as well as Relaxation/Breath Work. I really have a passion for helping people to understand the “why” behind the “what”. In other words, don’t just “do this” because your doctor says it’s good for you.

I want you to understand how your own body works so that you can make informed decisions about how you live inside it.

Of all the things I could possibly teach you about your body, the #1 thing I want you to really grasp is how your nervous system works, because armed with that information, you can take control of your health and prevent disease.

Sounds too good to be true, doesn’t it? I promise you, it’s not. Your nervous system is intimately connected to every organ system in the body, and when it’s overstressed and overstimulated, things start to go downhill fast.

When I give my teaching on the science of stress, inevitably people come up to me afterward and tell me how no doctor they’ve ever seen has told them this information, how it should be taught in schools and in job orientations before someone has a life-altering heart or lung diagnosis.

I couldn’t agree more!

Knowledge is power, and I consider this class basic operating instructions for living life as a human being. Even though this teaching was developed for cardiac patients, believe me, this is need-to-know information for everyone, especially those of you who don’t ever want to have to be one!

So I finally recorded this presentation in the hopes that it can help anyone and everyone who wants to live a longer, healthier life.

This 35-minute video course is completely free. In it I present all my teaching slides that I’ve developed over my years of teaching this information. It is concise, immediately actionable, and taught in language anyone can understand.

Feel free to share this link with anyone you feel might benefit from it!

www.scienceofstress.org

And if you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out.

To Your Health!

Lynda

I don’t mind telling on myself, especially if it might help someone else. So here’s the story…

(If you want to skip to the punchline without the background context, scroll down to the video at the bottom of this post.)

It was Mother’s Day, 2025 and I was trying to get some chores done before the family came over for a BBQ. I was so very proud of my design and build of a three-part chicken run door. It is a Dutch Door style, where the top part can open separately from the bottom.

I got the idea for the door while my husband was away on a business trip and surprised him with the finished product when he got home. I spent 4 days straight designing, buying lumber and doing the actual build/install. This is what it looked like during the build.

I wanted the top part to open separately from the bottom so I could toss in scratch and produce and other treats without the little velociraptors escaping. I also built a small chicken door into the bottom of the design with a ramp on it so the chickens could get chunneled into a chicken tractor or just the yard in general.

I’d built things before, but never something this complex, requiring so many different tools and skills. And honestly, I probably couldn’t have done it at all if my husband hadn’t spent the last several weeks teaching me about construction while we custom built this coop and run.

But still…Have I mentioned that I was SOOO proud of myself?

And then, 6 weeks and lots of challenges later… it was finally finished. The whole coop and kaboodle.

My design was working great. Whenever I needed to go into the actual run, I would open the top door and leave it open, then unlatch the bottom door and slip in before my whippet Maverick could catch a snack. When I was finished hanging out with the girls, I would reach my hand out of the opening and pop that bottom latch to let myself out. I thought I was sooooo smart.

This is the part where I channel my husband’s fighter pilot storytelling style… SO THERE I WAS…

On Mothers Day, doing my chicken chores. A gust of wind comes up and blows the top door shut. And it latches. With me in there.

I heard, rather than saw it happen, as I was bent over filling the dust bath at the time with my back to the door.

It was the oh-shit moment to end all oh-shit moments.

The first thought was panic, the second it’s ok. You have your phone. You can call for help. So I did. I called my neighbor, who came and let me out (but not before laughing hysterically at my expense, and rightly so, I suppose).

When my family came over and I told on myself, I let them all have their laughs too, my son marched right into the garage, grabbed a drill and some paracord and and fixed it up for me.

Why didn’t I think of that in the first place? I wondered the same thing after it happened. Who knows? Anyway I made a short video and put it up on my YouTube channel hoping to help others avoid the same mistake I made. To date that video has gotten more views than any of my other videos. I guess people like watching other people tell stories of their stupidity.

Here’s the video, and please - LEARN FROM MY MISTAKE! ;)

Till next time friends,

Lynda

Stress…amiright? This experience reminded me to tell you about the free video I recently recorded of a teaching I do on the science of stress. In other words, why is stress so bad for you and what happens to the body during stress? You don’t have to be a member of this site to view the video and it’s completely free. You’ll find the link below.

It was developed to teach cardiac patients about their nervous systems and how fight or flight affects the body, but honestly I feel like anyone and everyone should learn this stuff, so please, if you know anyone you think would benefit from this teaching (and who doesn’t want to become one of my future cardiac rehab patients), please feel free to share the link!

This video will teach you how to understand your body better to help preserve your health and prevent disease.

Not all climates and locations are suitable for year-round riding, so depending on where you live, your motorcycle may sit idle during the winter. Chances are, if your bike is sitting idle, so is your body!

After a long winter break, getting back on your motorcycle requires more than just checking your bike's mechanics - your body needs proper conditioning too. This guide will help you prepare physically for the riding season ahead.

Why Rider Fitness Matters

Motorcycle riding is a physically demanding activity that requires strength, endurance, flexibility, and mental alertness. A well-prepared body not only enhances your riding experience but also significantly improves your safety on the road. According to a study published in the Journal of Accident Analysis & Prevention, rider fatigue contributes to approximately 20% of motorcycle accidents.

Core Areas of Focus

1. Core Strength

Your core muscles play a crucial role in maintaining proper riding posture and bike control. Strong core muscles help reduce back pain during long rides and improve overall stability.

• Recommended exercises:

  • Planks (30-60 seconds)

  • Russian twists

  • Bird dogs

  • Dead bugs

2. Upper Body Strength

Arms, shoulders, and back muscles work continuously while riding, especially during low-speed maneuvers and when navigating challenging terrain.

• Focus on:

  • Push-ups

  • Dumbbell rows

  • Shoulder presses

  • Resistance band exercises

3. Lower Body Conditioning

Strong legs help with bike control and reduce fatigue during long rides. They're essential for maintaining balance and supporting your body weight, particularly during stops.

• Key exercises:

  • Squats

  • Lunges

  • Calf raises

  • Balance exercises

Cardiovascular Fitness

Endurance is crucial for long rides. The International Journal of Exercise Science suggests that improved cardiovascular fitness can help reduce rider fatigue and enhance mental alertness.

• Recommended activities:

  • Cycling (stationary or road)

  • Swimming

  • Brisk walking

  • High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT)

Flexibility and Mobility

Regular stretching helps prevent muscle stiffness and improves your range of motion - essential for comfortable riding and quick reactions when needed.

• Focus areas:

  • Hip flexors

  • Hamstrings

  • Lower back

  • Neck and shoulders

Pre-Season Training Schedule

Ideally, you’d start your fitness routine at least 6-8 weeks before the riding season begins, but honestly? Just do what you can. But if you’re planning an extra-long, highly technical or rigorous ride, here's a suggested weekly schedule to get you ready:

Day Focus Area Duration

Monday: Upper body strength + Core 45 minutes

Tuesday: Cardio 30 minutes

Wednesday: Lower body strength 45 minutes

Thursday: Flexibility + Mobility 30 minutes

Friday: Full body circuit 45 minutes

Saturday: Light cardio + Stretching 30 minutes

Sunday: Rest / Active Recovery

Additional Tips

• Stay hydrated throughout your training program

• Get adequate sleep for proper recovery

• Maintain a balanced diet rich in protein and complex carbohydrates

• Consider working with a fitness professional to ensure proper form

Remember:

Start gradually and listen to your body.

If you have any pre-existing conditions or injuries, consult with your healthcare provider before beginning any exercise program.

For more specifics about maintaining your body as a rider, check out Motorcycle Rider Maintenance, an 80-page eBook I wrote on the subject. Learn more here.

Or, check out some YouTube video demos of stretching and strengthening exercises here.

Ride safe and stay strong friends!

I also wanted to tell you about the free video I recently recorded of a teaching I do on the science of stress. In other words, why is stress so bad for you and what happens to the body during stress? You don’t have to be a member of this site to view the video and it’s completely free. You’ll find the link below.

It was developed to teach cardiac patients about their nervous systems and how fight or flight affects the body, but honestly I feel like anyone and everyone should learn this stuff, so please, if you know anyone you think would benefit from this teaching (and who doesn’t want to become one of my future cardiac rehab patients), please feel free to share the link!

This video will teach you how to understand your body better to help preserve your health and prevent disease.

I know I write about a bit of everything here on the blog, but one of the things I don’t talk enough about sometimes is my love of motorcycling and how it coincides with my passion for teaching people about their bodies, maintaining their health, and improving wellness.

Last summer I presented a workshop at BMW’s Ridin’ To Redmond National Rally. I also gave three free workshops on body-specific training for healthy riding and injury management. In addition, once I realized I had way more to share than I would have time to go over during the rally, I wrote a book to go along with it. Along with the book, which encapsulates both 37 years of nursing experience along with teaching yoga and riding motorcycles, I created a series of nine additional YouTube videos to help people go even deeper. Those can be found HERE.

Starting today, I am also excited to announce I’ll be breaking down a lot of this information in a bi-monthly column for the BMW Owner’s News that will discuss all different aspects of being a healthier rider, from avoiding common complaints to rider-specific strengthening and stretching.

If you’re new here, I am an author, speaker, teacher, registered nurse, motorcyclist, master gardener, and new chicken mama located in the Pacific Northwest of the US, but I also have lived and traveled extensively all over the world and ridden motorcycles in multiple countries.

Above: Riding a Royal Enfield 350 over a suspension bridge in rural Nepal, March 2019

The BMW MOA is a fantastic organization full of amazing people and I highly recommend their website, trainings, and events. If you’re a member, check out the first article in the Healthy Rider series titled: Avoiding Rider Breakdown: Understanding the Mechanics of Low Back Pain in Riders, on pages 68-69. If you’re not a BMW member but still interested in learning about how to become a healthier rider, you can learn more about Motorcycle Rider Maintenance here.

Thanks to Bill Weigand and the team at BMW for welcoming me into their ranks. I’m no longer on social media (you can read about “why” here) but if you want to follow along on my many different types of adventures, both at home, abroad and on the road, feel free to check back here on the blog or check out my free Substack.

Until next time, my friends! Keeping the leather up and the rubber down,

Lynda xoxo

I also wanted to tell you about the free video I recently recorded of a teaching I do on the science of stress. In other words, why is stress so bad for you and what happens to the body during stress? You don’t have to be a member of this site to view the video and it’s completely free. You’ll find the link below. 

It was developed to teach cardiac patients about their nervous systems and how fight or flight affects the body, but honestly I feel like anyone and everyone should learn this stuff, so please, if you know anyone you think would benefit from this teaching (and who doesn’t want to become one of my future cardiac rehab patients), please feel free to share the link!

This video will teach you how to understand your body better to help preserve your health and prevent disease.

In hindsight, we probably should have just had Matt DuBoise and his crew from Carolina Coops come out and build this thing for us. We have spent EVERY day for the past five weeks designing and building the Taj Mahal of custom chicken coops, and while I am absolutely in love with how I’ve been able to make it exactly the way I want it, it has been a THING, people. An all-consuming thing. It has also not been cheap. No pun intended.

And caring for the baby chickens, if I’m being honest has taken a lot more time and energy than I imagined as well. I believed all the people who said “You know, having chickens is really easy.” Maybe I’ll feel that way soon. I hope I will. Because up until today, when I was still putting the bedding inside the coop and setting up the panel heater and finishing the nesting boxes and glueing together the PVC feeding system and putting together the temporary watering system I was still thinking “Really? There’s still more to do?” OMG I just wanted to make it all stop.

I have been living, breathing and consuming chicken “content” for over two months now, starting with breed selection and color of eggs to trying to find someplace that wasn’t sold out of the darn things to standing in line for an hour and a half at the farm store - twice - to get our five chicks… it’s been an ordeal.

Having never been a chicken mom before, I wanted to do it right, so I did what I always do - I dove into research! Copious. Research.

Physical books, websites, YouTube, friends with chickens… More YouTube… In fact, I was THAT person on a flight from San Francisco to Santa Barbara and back, watching downloaded YouTube videos instead of taking advantage of the On Board Entertainment.

I have notebooks full of notes, and up until a few days ago, I had a greenhouse full of plants that were either grown or bought specifically FOR THE CHICKENS.

Chicken Math:

Ok, so at this point I should probably tell you their names: In alphabetical order starting with “F” we have Frankie, Gracie, Hazel, Izzy, and Jewel. Frankie is a Rhode Island Red, Gracie is a Gold Star, Hazel is a Sexlink, Izzy is an Easter Egger and Jewel is a Buff Orpington.

Five chickens. It was supposed to be “three, maybe four”. But that’s a story in and of itself. Our run could easily hold eight. The coop up to twelve. We’ll see how it goes with five. Chicken math and all…

Low Maintenance: Coop wise, I knew I wanted a deep litter system. In fact, a lot of the things I designed into this coop were to make it as easy as possible for someone else to keep an eye on things for us when we are gone. Hence the deep litter, which only needs cleaning once or twice a year and makes incredible compost in the meantime. I also wanted a couple of large PVC tube feeders that could be filled from the outside, and a 50 gallon rain barrel that feeds a water bar. This way no one has to go into the run to check the food and water status if they don’t want to actually interact with the chicks.

Roll-Away Nesting Boxes:

About the only thing we designed into our coop that Carolina Coops doesn’t currently offer is the roll away nesting box system for eggs, which has the nesting box at a slight incline so that the eggs roll down past a divider and the eggs stay cleaner (because they don’t get pooped on) and out of reach of potential peckers and “egg eaters”.

I know, right? Whew! I increased the height of the nesting box design to accomodate a ramp with a 12% incline like they use in commercial egg production facilities to make it easier for the eggs to roll down past a divider so that the chickens can’t get to them. This trial and error design was frustrating for my husband so I built a cardboard “model” and some wooden eggs to simulate the size, shape and ‘heft’ of a real egg and took it to my son who is a mechanical engineer to help sus out the details. Nothing like getting a little help from your friends!

The Plans:

Before you start thinking we are completely amazing, we didn’t design everything from scratch! We worked with two different sets of plans: One for a Board and Batten-Style coop we purchased on Etsy and another set we’d purchased previously for a run and combined them, but also made significant design changes to the roof, run and nesting boxes. My husband and I worked together on almost every aspect of design and building. It. Was. Exhausting. For me, anyway. He’s used to working that hard all the time. I’m not. In fact - I finally went for a massage today and was astounded at how badly my body needed that. My carpal tunnel is totally flared up in both wrists, my right knee is tweaked and I have an 8-inch bone bruise and wound on my shin from tripping over some rolled-up hardware cloth straight into the chicken ramp inside the run. But hey, them’s the breaks, right? At least this time I didn’t actually break any bones.

Here are the Coop and Run “Stats”:

The henhouse, or “coop” itself is 5 foot x 6 foot on an elevated base that is 24” high. Using the 4 square feet / hen calculation we would need 16 square feet in the hen house for 5 chickens and we have 30, so we’re doing good there. We also raised the walls by 2 feet so it’s tall enough to stand in if you’re a human and not a chicken, giving them even more room in there, should they want to throw a rager while we’re in Barcelona.

The main run is 5 feet by 10 feet (50 square feet) but because the coop is elevated they get to utilize the space under the coop as well which is an extra 30 square feet for a total of 80 square feet for 5 chickens. Using the typical 10 square feet of outside space / chicken, we’re well set up for any future chicken math that might occur.

Materials:

We used mostly 2x4s, plywood and t-111 siding for the coop construction while the run is primarily 2x3s. Metal roofing panels, hardware cloth only (because chicken wire might keep chickens in, but it won’t keep anything out!) and pressure-treated lumber where there is ground contact.

I am particularly proud of the 3 part Dutch Door I designed and built while my husband what out of town for a few days.

This way you can open just the top to toss in some food or treats and the miniature Velociraptors can’t escape. It’s also super handy for going inside the coop to be with them but not accidentally locking yourself in there! You can keep the top part open and then reach the latch when you need to make your exit.

Chicken Door with Mini-Ramp: My favorite part of this door is the chicken ramp at the bottom: It folds down and has a little mini ramp on it so the chickens can get into a chunnel, chicken tractor or free range (not ours, but theoretically).

Predators vs. Free Range: Why in the world wouldn’t you let your poor chickens go free range? Aside from the fact that I don’t plan to have a rooster, I will give you four simple words: We have a whippet. He quite literally salivates, licks his lips constantly, and looses his shit every time he gets anywhere near them. Honestly, even with the hawks, eagles and owls that constantly patrol this valley, and the four labradors who don’t have a fence (nor any manners) next door, I might have considered some supervised grazing from time to time. Until I saw how Maverick absolutely loses his mind where the chickens are concerned. Sight hounds, amiright? He honestly cannot help himself. He’s bred that way. I get it. But I realized with some amusement yesterday that all the work I put into predator-proofing this structure was to keep the chickens safe NOT from the coyotes, foxes, cougars, bears or birds of prey we share space with, but from their very own home-boy, Maverick. Finn (the cat) was pretty interested in them as well, when they were babies. But he’s an indoor cat (see previous list of major cat predators) so I’m not too worried now. I mean, Finn definitely watches all the birds, all the time, but the chicks will be bigger than him soon.

Let’s talk predator-proofing:

We went with 1/2” hardware cloth everywhere, as well as a predator apron made of green pvc-coated 16 guage welded wire fencing that’s about 2 feet wide. I overlapped the edges and used poultry staples and tacked it every 5” around the entire base of both structures and then landscape staples at the outer edges to tack it down into the grass. The kind we bought had smaller, tighter rectangles on one side and then larger squares as it went out farther.

The theory is, something might want to dig under the coop to get to the chickens, but they’d have to dig starting 2-3 feet out from the edge and dig a long tunnel to get to them, and most animals just aren’t that determined.

To add insult to injury I then lined almost the entire perimeter with cinder blocks, in which I planted all sorts of herbs, flowers and veggies. The cinder block planters provide two advantages:

1) They’re heavy and they’re right up against the hardware cloth so provide an additional deterrent for animal predators.

2) The plants I chose will help deter pests, as well as being able to be snacked on through the hardware cloth or used to make medicine for them. Many of the herbs and flowers will be dried to make blends for the nesting boxes to keep things fresh.

If you’re interested, here’s a list of what’s planted around my coop and run:

Herbs: Sage, Parsley, Dill, Peppermint, Lemon Balm, Wormwood, Lemon Thyme, Oregano

Flowers: Viola, Pincushion Flower, Nasturtium, Chamomile, Lavender,

Veggies: Kale, Endive, Spinach, Arugula,

Still to come: Red Malabar Vining Spinach and Passionflower Vine (Maypops) to grow against the coop on the south side and provide some edible shade, at least during the hot months of the year.

I also plan to eat many of the things we planted. They’re not just for the chickens!

Food and Water: As you can see below, the two 4” PVC feed tubes mounted to the outside of the coop that terminate underneath the run for their food to be protected from the weather, as well as the 1/2” PVC water bar mounted inside the run which currently is hooked to a bucket on the other side of the run but eventually will be attached to a rain barrel and gutter system which is still in the works.

I decided to use a 1/2” PVC pipe watering system with one cup-type waterer and 4 horizontal nipple waterers. As I assumed, the water cup gets nasty and needs cleaning out occasionally but I like having two different fresh water options for them. I had to build platforms near the waterer and the feeding tubes because they weren’t tall enough to reach them at first. As they grow I can take the platforms away, rather than having to move the tube systems.

Inside the Coop: Bedding Choices / Ventilation / Insulation

Inside the coop we installed a large three section ventilation window with a solar exhaust fan, as well as having ventilation up high near the roof. Every opening got covered over with hardware cloth, and then I did a little whitewashing of the lower sections of wood for mite control. The base has 4 coats of Spar Polyurethane to prevent moisture from rotting the floor of our deep litter system.

I put a temperature probe in there and realized that although the coop was providing a wind break, the temperature was exactly the same inside as out. I wanted to do some insulating but wasn’t sure how to do it on the cheap, so I decided to use up our leftover siding pieces to Jenga together coverings for the insides of the wall which I then stuffed with straw for a little extra insulation. When I ran out of siding I stapled some leftover pieces of hardware cloth to the walls to hold the straw in. I’ll admit, it looks crazy in there now with all this straw sticking out everywhere but hey - this is no Parade of Homes chicken coop! (Insert imaginary GIF of my husband shaking his head and biting his tongue when he saw what I did in there) For the bedding inside the coop we’re using industrial hemp mixed with the leftover straw for now. Will go with all hemp in subsequent cleanouts.

The "Actual” Inside View (Livable space)

I’ve covered over the nesting boxes for now until they’re old enough to lay eggs. Don’t want them getting used to sleeping / pooping in there! Nesting boxes are only for nesting…But speaking of that, here’s a little tour of our nesting box design:

I use a large cat carrier to transport them between the brooder in the garage and their new home, leaving them in there for a couple hours a day to get them used to it.

I’m going to stop here, lest this become a small book! If you have questions about the coop feel free to comment with them below. I’m new at this but will certainly do my best to answer the whys and wherefores. PS - Hazel says goodbye!

I planted them anyway, and we’ll see how they do!

I have what’s sometimes called a fast brain, which is both a blessing and a curse. The blessing part comes with the ability to process a lot of information really quickly and make split-second decisions, which is really helpful for nurse who spent much of their career in the ICU and ER. The curse is the inability to turn the function off at times. You know, like when I’m supposed to be relaxing or trying to go to sleep at night.

Strategies can help. But knowing yourself is probably job #1.

The concept of meditation gets a bad rep sometimes. I used to roll my eyes when someone would tell me they “meditate”. It conjured images of gurus on mountaintops and silent retreats with tight-wearing yogis wandering around barefoot munching on raw greens. So I decided to learn more about it. And when I did, it was a lot simpler than I thought. And more valuable.

The bottom line is: You don’t have to be (or even have) a guru to practice meditation.

Meditation is simply a way of training your mind, which in my case wants to flit around like a butterfly, attracted to every colorful flower or shiny object. Most of the people I teach these simple methods to start out by telling me: “I’ve tried meditation. I can’t do it. My mind won’t stay put.” But honestly? That’s kind of the point. People whose minds want to jump around constantly are exactly the people who benefit from focused relaxation and breathing exercises, including guided meditations.

It’s kind of like potty training. It’s about becoming more self-aware and controlling the urges your brain naturally has to get lost following tangents. Essentially to keep from metaphorically peeing all over yourself. Or worse…

People come to the idea of meditation for multiple reasons, but these days, with so many things vying for our nervous system’s attention and energy, the ability to stay in control is becoming more and more paramount. The journey to the center of our own selves is intensely personal, highly unique and, at least in my case, takes a twisting path to places that easily could have been a straight shot.

But let’s not forget: This is a skill, and as such, it requires practice.

Your brain naturally wants to follow tracks that are worn in. We call these ruts “neural pathways”. Listen, the brain is nothing if not efficient. In fact, your brain wants to bypass as much processing as it can, making tasks easier, more “mindless” and repetitive so that it can use those brain bytes for other things.

Here’s the thing to remember though: “Thoughts that fire together, wire together.”

Which means that the more often you choose a certain path for your brain to follow, the easier it becomes for your brain to go there. So if you’re sitting there trying to calm your mind, and you keep finding it wandering, every single time you bring it back and start over, counting your inhales and exhales or focusing on the feeling of the breath coming in and going out of your chest, you’re creating a new pathway.

The more you practice choosing that pathway, the easier it will become. Just like a muscle lifting a weight, the body responds to repetition. It builds muscle memory and makes each lift more efficient, building new muscle cells to help carry the load of the larger demand.

Moving meditations are a great way to tune in while discharging excess nervous energy.

There are a lot of different ways to practice meditation, which is excellent news for my jumpy brain! Maybe it’s good news for yours too. Oftentimes yoga is considered a “moving meditation”. You are working hard enough in your body that it requires singular focus, which settles and trains the mind. Your thoughts aren’t able to wander very far or for very long because you have to continue following along with the class, constantly changing positions and focusing on your form.

But so is going for a walk. Gardening. Ironing. Cooking. Coloring. Repainting a room. Woodworking. Virtually any activity can be mindful if you approach it that way. Quieting yourself. Moving with intention. Noticing the world around you. Being fully present.

Mindfulness is the ability to be present. To Be Here Now.

Most of us spend 90% of our day either thinking about the past or the future. Very little of our brain’s energy is focused in the here and now, and that’s what the practice is all about. Training our brain, and our nervous system, to just … Be. Here. Now.

You CAN teach an old dog new tricks!

Neuroplasticity is that ability to rewire your brain. To create new pathways and to strengthen those pathways into habits. This is how we change behavior at the level of the brain. This is how we break unhealthy addictions. By choosing. And then choosing again. And again. It’s not easy, but it is effective.

This video from Headspace isn’t new, but I still think about it almost daily as I work on rewiring my own habits of thought:

I share this video regularly as I teach Cardiac Rehabilitation patients how to calm their nervous system and practice relaxation and breath work. It’s simple, but powerful.

5-10 Minutes / Day is really all it takes

Practicing this idea of breathing slowly and refocusing your brain doesn’t take a huge commitment. Personally, I work on this in the evenings before bed, which is my most challenging brain-won’t-shut-the-f***-up time. Having someone talk you through a meditation or guided relaxation exercise is the most helpful for me. Like in yoga class, it’s really helpful to have someone else telling me where to focus my attention, and this need to listen to instruction cuts out the chatter in the rest of my brain.

There are lots of apps that can help. Headspace, Calm, and Insight Timer are some that I’ve tried in the past, and recommend to patients. Some are pay for use and some are free. And no, I’m not affiliated with any particular app or company. I am on this journey along with you, and can only encourage you that it is, in fact, a journey!

“The only currency you spend without knowing your balance is time.”

Attributed to Ann Singer, this quote is poignant. But perhaps even more important to remember is that whatever gets your attention also gets your time.

Attention is the real commodity in today’s market driven, consumerist society. But it’s also important to remember that “Where your attention goes, your energy flows”

Learning to control where your attention goes is the real meat of any mindfulness or meditation practice. When I allow my attention to be consumed by the media or the latest sensational terrifying story, I've given a piece of myself and my energy away to someone else. Someone who is faceless, nameless, and basically big ugly bully.

My energy belongs to me. Your energy belongs to you.

We get to say where our attention goes. And it starts simply. By turning off your phone, your tv, and the loops in your brain that want to tell you you can’t do it, because if my brain can do this, so can yours. It’s empowering, taking control back from doomscrolling the news cycle and social media. Create your own sacred time and space. Value your own thoughts. Nurture your nervous system.

Do it with me now:

Here’s a five-minute introduction to mindful breath work. All you have to do is choose to turn off your notifications and stop what you’re doing for 5 minutes. I’ll talk you through it.

See? 5 minutes goes so quickly!

Practice Makes Progress:

There’s no magic formula. You have to put in the time to discipline and train your mind. Try this five-minute exercise in the evenings when you’re laying in bed ready for sleep. When the recording finishes, continue to breath slowly in through the nose, with your exhales slightly longer than your inhales. When your mind begins to wander, bring it back to counting your breath.

It’s that simple. And that’s the beauty of it. No memberships. No competition. Just you and your breath.

I also wanted to tell you about the free video I recently recorded of a teaching I do on the science of stress. In other words, why is stress so bad for you and what happens to the body during stress? You don’t have to be a member of this site to view the video and it’s completely free. You’ll find the link below. 

It was developed to teach cardiac patients about their nervous systems and how fight or flight affects the body, but honestly I feel like anyone and everyone should learn this stuff, so please, if you know anyone you think would benefit from this teaching (and who doesn’t want to become one of my future cardiac rehab patients), please feel free to share the link!

This video will teach you how to understand your body better to help preserve your health and prevent disease.

Keep breathing and Stay Strong my friends,

Lynda

When I was little, my parents used to send me out with a bag of crusty ends and bread crumbs to feed the birds. Our family had four kids and a dog on a single income in the late 60s and early 70s. My grandparents had lived through the great depression, and nothing was wasted. My father was one of those people who used to say “If you can’t fix it with duct tape, it’s not worth saving!” He found a use, or a re-use, for almost everything.

Bread crumbs were no exception.

Incidentally those same bread bags were then saved and re-used to keep my feet dry inside my leaky winter boots, which as a child felt humiliating, but as an adult who went on to raise four children of my own, and who cares deeply about our planet’s never-decaying supply of plastic? It kind of makes sense.

“Plastic” was still a relatively new concept and my dad was nothing if not practical. He’d grown up poor in his earliest years, living in a small cabin in the woods, hunting and foraging for food. It seems that living that way would give you a much deeper sense of being one small part in a greater whole.

Yes we sometimes made croutons or our own bread crumbs from old crusty bread remains, there were still times when we shared them with the birds. Already small and “beak-sized”, I would tear them into tiny pieces and scatter them on the lawn, but I almost never waited to see who would come and retrieve them.

Now? I actually like feeding the birds.

The property where I live is not a cabin, but it is relatively rural, surrounded by trees of all kinds. I’ve never counted the number of trees on this small acreage but it is in the dozens. And there are birds of all kinds. So many, in fact that I downloaded Merlin ID, Cornell University’s Ornithology app, which analyzes bird song to identify the kinds of birds in your area. Aside from the typical Robin, we also have Stellar’s Jays, Crows, Spotted Towhee, Chickadees, Sparrows and Dark-Eyed Juncos.

There is a chair I like to sit in when I journal and write. I’ve had this particular chair for nearly 20 years now, and it’s currently situated in a room that has large windows on two sides.

Perfect for watching the birds. Especially if you’re a cat.

I get a kick out of the little noises he makes when he’s stalking the birds just outside of his reach, so when I feed them bread crumbs or sometimes handfuls of bird seed, I sprinkle some right outside the ledge where he sits. It’s much better than Cat TV.

But more than that, it feels good, taking care of the birds that live and eat from my yard, gardens and orchards. We are lucky to have had blackberries and blueberries already on the property, and in the years we’ve lived here we’ve added grapes, raspberries, strawberries, currants, elderberries and several fruit trees.

The birds aren’t the the only things we care for in our tiny ecosystem. There also tons of rabbits that live in the wild blackberry thickets that line one side of the property. Our dog has fun chasing them (although he rarely catches them) and although our large raised-bed garden is fenced to keep them out of the greens they would otherwise devour, we also toss excess produce down to them on occasion, so they don’t have to come too close to the house and risk being caught by an enthusiastic whippet.

In a gift economy and an ecosystem based on reciprocity, I recognize that when I feed the birds they in turn eat bugs (and are less inclined to snack on the vegetable and flower seeds I lay out in the garden. They help propagate new plants by dropping seeds into the meadows and nearby properties, continuing the growth of different plants and flowers.

I loved Mary Poppins, and I remember the woman who fed the birds but never knew the lyrics of the song Julie Andrews sang until I looked it up recently. It’s a beautiful testament to loving and caring for one another:

Feed The Birds - Julie Andrews 1964

Early each day to the steps of Saint Paul's
The little old bird woman comes
In her own special way to the people
She calls, "Come, buy my bags full of crumbs"

"Come feed the little birds, show them you care
And you'll be glad if you do
Their young ones are hungry, their nests are so bare
All it takes is tuppence from you"

"Feed the birds, tuppence a bag
Tuppence, tuppence, tuppence a bag
Feed the birds", that's what she cries
While overhead, her birds fill the skies

All around the cathedral, the saints and apostles
Look down as she sells her wares
Although you can't see it, you know they are smiling
Each time someone shows that he cares

Though her words are simple and few
"Listen, listen", she's calling to you
"Feed the birds, tuppence a bag
Tuppence, tuppence, tuppence a bag"

Though her words are simple and few
"Listen, listen", she's calling to you
"Feed the birds, tuppence a bag
Tuppence, tuppence, tuppence a bag”

My grandmother loved birds. She had Martin houses on her little slice of lakeside property in the Thousand Islands in Upstate New York. They looked like hotels and I used to look at them and think “why would you build a hotel for a bird?”

When I was a kid I thought it was weird to like birds. Now look at me… A grandmother who cherishes mornings sitting on my deck cradling a cup of hot tea, listening to bird song. It’s an important reminder of how interconnected we all are. How dependent we are on all of us staying healthy and feeding one another.

There are worse things, I suppose, than to be someone who cares, even for the birds.

And the circle goes round…

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]]>The Lost Art of Feeding the BirdsHome / GardenLynda MeyersWed, 26 Feb 2025 04:24:24 +0000https://lyndameyersco.com/blog/seedsnailspart265ef791adde9e752d8080ee4:65ef9494b43977205e784be2:67be8e691f0224133f518095

Time to check back in with our greenhouse seed snail project. It’s been two weeks and things are proceeding fairly well. We got good germination with both methods on the peas (traditional planting in cells / trays as well as planting seeds directly into seed snails).

Decided to try thinning my multi-sown tomatoes by creating a seed snail.

Spoiler alert: The first attempt at this roll was a total fail!

But? That’s the beauty of gardening. LOTS of trial and error creates valuable lessons, and since this whole method is new to me anyway, I’m definitely learning what works and what doesn’t!

This video, as well as part one, are both on my YouTube channel if you’d rather head over there and watch them back-to-back. You can check out one of my 100 days of me videos or maybe the one where I rode a motorcycle across a narrow suspension bridge in Nepal!

So happy that the weather is beginning to turn warm again! Can’t wait to get plants out of the greenhouse and into the garden!

You learn quite a few things when you make the decision to delete 17 years of social media. Turns out I had been on FB since 2008, only 4 years after its inception. During that time, I’ve started several pages and groups, as well as using it to run ads for my businesses and book publishing. When you have a business account and everything is linked up, it becomes quite the entangled mess. Even I didn’t know how deep the rabbit hole went until I dove down it.

Giving Others the Wheel: There’ve been a few occasions over the years when I’ve paid marketing professionals to manage my social media accounts. When you you give someone those passwords, there’s a huge trust thing that happens. In order to create and run ad campaigns, as well as evaluate the effectiveness of ads, a lot of settings get manipulated. I also ended up “joining” (or rather, my various virtual assistants signed me up for) dozens of groups over the years in order to expand my reach whether it was in a specific niche (like women and motorcycling for instance) or specifically for marketing purposes like groups that promote each other’s books.

Let’s just suffice it to say there was a lot of conscious uncoupling that needed to be facilitated.

I read a few posts and articles on the “right” way to delete FB, and there are a few different opinions. Most people I’m sure just follow these basic steps:

Log into your Facebook account

1. Go to your profile picture in the top right corner

2. Select Settings & privacy

3. Select Settings

4. Select Your Facebook information

5. Select Deactivation and deletion

6. Select Delete account

7. Select Continue to account deletion

8. Enter your password

9. Select Delete account again

10. Follow the instructions to confirm

Unfortunately, it’s not always that simple. If you own groups, you either have to pick someone else to admin them or you have to individually remove each member and then leave the group yourself. So I found myself messaging each person in my groups to let them know why they were being removed, where to find me, etc. Then deleting each group one-by-one.

As I was doing this, I started to take stock of each person in my groups, each “relationship” represented there. Between my various groups, pages and friends I had thousands of followers. No, I didn’t unfriend each person individually. But I did go to each of the dozens of groups I belonged to and decided to look at each one before unfollowing and then leaving each group. I realize this was, technically speaking, a wholly unnecessary step, but honestly? It got me thinking about my divorce.

Divorce vs. Uncoupling: In 2014, after 27 years of marriage, 4 children, and lots of counseling, my ex-husband and I decided to call it what it was: a coupling that needed uncoupling. Counseling had been good for us, but some things just can’t be ‘fixed’ in the traditional sense of the word. Counseling taught us to use humor to acknowledge just how well we knew each other. When one of us was really pushing the other’s buttons, the other would say “I divorce you, I divorce you, I divorce you” with a dismissive hand gesture that meant “I need some space or I’m going to say something I might regret”.

I realize that in Muslim traditions this is no joke, and we weren’t trying to appropriate that custom, we were, I guess trying to diffuse some of the tension by using this phrase to let the other person know just how close they were to just giving up and walking away.

In hindsight I don’t think it was all that funny of a joke, but I guess in the moment, it provided a cooling off period so that we could regroup and try to communicate again in another way. We realized that with children and grandchildren together, we would be in each other’s lives at some level for the rest of our lives, and we weren’t going to penalize the family we’d built together for our desire to separate. It took a couple of years to work through the divorce, but in the end, we were able to carefully and intentionally uncouple our marriage, communicating about everything and supporting one another’s needs as best we could.

We didn’t even use lawyers. We worked it out fairly and filed the paperwork ourselves, saving ourselves thousands of dollars and lots of ugliness along the way.

I know. That sounds crazy, right? No lawyers? No. It’s not. We went through all the financial stuff together. We knew what each of us made and decided who should take on what and how to split up the “stuff”. It was really amiable. And still is. To this day, I count him as one of my best friends. Just because we didn’t work as a traditional couple doesn’t mean we didn’t have a lot in common. That doesn’t mean it was painless. Far from it. We’ve known each other since high school and you can’t be married that long without some baggage, but it was still the right way to do it.

I digress… Back to Facebook… After leaving all the groups I’d joined and deleting all the groups I’d started, I decided to go through my photos. Turns out it’s difficult to batch delete photos because of tagging and cross-posting and boosted posts, etc, so I took the opportunity to look at each photo and remove tags, deleting photos individually.

Wait… You INDIVIDUALLY Removed 17 years of photos?? That must have taken a long time… Well? I was laid up with COVID at the time so I pretty much spent a few days during my convalescence left and right clicking… But it was more than that. The act of looking at each photo helped me appreciate the memories and relive this timeline of my life. Well, the public one anyway, because nowhere in there did I post about my divorce or the crippling depression I went through for a few weeks during a particularly difficult part of the process.

“But You’re Deleting Your Diary!” A friend said to me. A lot of people use their FB as a continuous timeline of memories, and the thought of deleting it all is ghastly and unthinkable to some people. I don’t see it that way.

1. First of all, those memories are mine. They don’t belong to FB or Instagram or my followers. They live in my heart and my mind.

2. The photos I posted aren’t gone. They still live in my phone and on my computer. Facebook isn’t my own personal cloud storage solution. Neither is Instagram.

I Am Not My Past: Something I didn’t expect though was to feel nostalgic about some of the posts I’d written. Although a lot of it was drivel, some of it was heartfelt and deeply meaningful. But in the end, those thoughts, however authentic at the time, no longer represent the me I am today. So I read them, appreciated them, and deleted them along with everything else.

My Brain Picked Out Patterns: They say if you want to know what’s important to someone you need look no further than their calendar and their checkbook. I think I would add Facebook to this shortlist. Looking through hundreds of photos I was able to notice patterns that taught me things about myself. For one thing, there were an astonishing number of pictures with either alcohol or food or coffee in them. And lots of travel shots that felt less like sharing and more like bragging somehow. From a bird’s eye view, it seemed like a pretty hedonistic feed.

The External Validation Addiction: At first I posted things I liked and quickly learned to post things I thought other people would like and respond to, because the dopamine connection that becomes an addiction with our brains is a real thing. Look it up. There’s a TON of science about it. Then for a while it all felt fake and “market-driven” and then it felt too curated. I watched the evolution from the perspective of someone who was trying to learn from the data being shown to them, much like AI is trained by inputting lots of data and recognizing and cataloguing patterns.

Who needs AI? I didn’t need a computer or an algorithm to tell me about the patterns of my likes and dislikes. I looked beyond the surface. And I watched it evolve. A few years ago I started interacting less in the main feed and more in my groups. I started pulling away from curation and toward authenticity. In fact, in 2023 I posted 100 videos called “100 Days of Me” in an attempt to share authentically who I really am. I was reaching for connection. For intentional relationship to cut through the noise. I started posting more about the depth of the experiences instead of the experiences themselves, feeling drawn toward building and regeneration rather than rat-race and deterioration. And that evolution, that realization of what’s truly important to me is what has brought me to where I am today.

Lady Gaga once said that social media is the toilet of the internet, and that’s exactly how it felt. It was pulling me down into its circling vortex of hatred, distrust and fake news. These days, mainstream social media feels more like social propaganda, so I also decided to dive into all the different dungeons of Facebook’s bowels and figure out what data they were collecting and keeping tabs on and it was shocking and disgusting, much like the sewers that the toilet flush brings the dirty water to. Keeping my facebook alive even after I’m dead? What does that even mean?

I went through and changed settings and deleted information like addresses and credit card info and purchase history and phone numbers. And then I finally got to the end of all that I felt I wanted to do. At 11:30 pm on the second full day of devoting time to this conscious uncoupling, I was finally ready.

Systematically and Consciously Disentangling Myself Felt Like Breaking Literal Chains: I had chained myself to the opinions, influence and marketing plans of all those other people for so long that I almost hesitated before pushing the final confirmations buttons to delete ALL the Meta platforms: Facebook, Messenger, Instagram and WhatsApp. I had done my due diligence and notified everyone who was important to me about what was happening and where to find me. All that was left was just to do it. And so I did.

According to FB you have 30 days to change your mind before it’s “permanent” so I set a reminder in my phone for the date they said that they would permanently delete all my stuff from their servers, in order to celebrate the true freedom, but I still felt an immediate release. I felt like I had uncoupled an actual ball and chain from my heart, my mind and my LIFE. Deleting all the apps from every device I own was the final step in this catharsis and it. felt. GREAT.

Something about knowing I no longer have to check in on how the rest of the world is feeling and reacting to life brang with it a colossal sigh of relief. I’m not burying my head in the sand. I still stay current with life, but I’m no longer getting my “news” from FB first… From a skewed media outlet, or a bunch of people who are running on overtaxed nervous systems in a fear cycle that keeps sensationalism at the top of the news cycle. I’ll curate my own news feed, thank you very much. From outlets that I trust. And voices that report with balance.

The day my divorce papers came and the decree was final felt a lot the same. “Ok, that chapter is over” I thought. “I’ve got a blank canvas in front of me. What will I create with it? Or will I just enjoy the blank space for a while?”

As my nervous system continues to unwind itself and relax into a much-needed mental/emotional savasana, I can once again start being proactive instead of reactive. Thoughtful. Intentional.

And most importantly: FREE.

This blog will always be free, but if you’d like to support my work or high-five me by “buying me a coffee” you can do so here.

In the beginning seed starting happens in tiny little cells that are often just 1” square, but before long, those babies need bigger homes, and that’s when I run into space issues. If I transplant 50 seed babies into 3” or 4” pots, I quickly run out of space, and keeping them watered becomes a nightmare until they are ready to go out into the garden.

This idea of either starting or transplanting into a kind of a sushi roll or “seed snail” as they’ve been coined, is a true space-saving wonder, but will it work? I don’t know, it’s my first time using this method.

Here’s what it looks like after the fact:

I can fit 25 plants in the space it normally takes to house 6-8 larger pots. The roots have a lot more room to grow and the idea is, you unroll it and add more soil if needed and re-roll if you’re not ready to plant them out yet.

I’m also trying this with some snap peas, and some other crops which traditionally don’t like their roots disturbed as an experiment.

They seem cozy in their new homes, but only time will tell! Gardening is, after all, a lot about trial and error. If you’re more of a visual person I made a YouTube video about the process as well. You can check it out below, or check out my YouTube channel.

For visual learners… a little background and some tips!

Happy Gardening!

I’m not kidding. It was instantaneous. Suddenly I wake up each day thinking “what interesting truth can I find to write about today?” I’m not always going to say things that you agree with, but I promise to try to speak my truth without insulting yours.

Engagement? I think not… On FB and Instagram everything is focused on how many followers you have and how many likes each post gets. They call it engagement, but is that really what it is? Is a click or a like or even a “buy my thing” or “give me your email address” truly the measure of engagement? It felt hollow. And it made me sad.

I started blogging back in 2006 - almost twenty years ago now. I had a regular following, and even joined a group blog for a while that featured different people posting on different days of the week. Then the world started to get busy. And tech-focused. And social-media obsessed. And everything started going a thousand miles an hour.

I just wanted to make it stop. I found myself craving more than 140 words. More than a Snapchat or a Reel or a Thread. I needed to get back to some sort of authentic truth-telling, and that requires a little more than a drive-by from a thousand strangers who don’t really know me, or even courtesy “likes” from those who do.

Micro-blogging makes me gag: If you truly have a seven-second attention span and don’t have time to read anything longer than 140 characters, I’m not sure we’re a good fit as “friends” anyway. That’s not the kind of engagement that feeds my soul. I’m not interested in the scroller-bys or the idea of being seen as an “influencer”. I don’t want sponsorship or ad revenue. I want to be an authentic human, not a commodity.

For a long time I let those same strangers define my self-worth. People I have never met and probably never will meet. People who don’t know me and don’t really even want to know me. So I’m starting over. With zero followers and no platform. Just me and my authentic voice, speaking out into the void. And it. feels. amazing! Even if it’s only my own voices that echos back to me, it feels honest and rings true and is not controlled by someone else’s ideas of what constitutes something worthy of inclusion. It feels…

A little like stepping off the hamster wheel. Not falling off it. Stepping off. Intentionally. Because no one needs to be that exhausted.

Honestly I’m surprised it took me as long as it did to leave. I have always, and I mean always complained about how much I hate superficial relationships. I would rather have coffee with one person and have a real, deep conversation with them than go to a party filled with small talk and selfies any day of the week and twice on Sunday. Why I ever thought social media would somehow fulfill that role for me I have no clue. In fact, the only satisfaction I ever got from FB was in a few small groups I founded where I tried desperately to break through that sticky top crust and find the meaty underbelly of real relationships.

There are good people everywhere. Don’t get me wrong, I cherish many of the friends I did manage to make in that space, but at the same time, I’m so incredibly relieved. One of the things that seems to get lost in the big overwhelming AI-generated social space is authenticity. So when it became actual work to separate fact from fiction and truth from sensationalism I thought “ok how is this benefitting me?”

It wasn’t. Not only that, it was hurting me. It was creating an unhealthy addiction to the tiny dopamine hits that were firing my nervous system into overdrive. The cost was my sense of identity. My health. My self!

Taking back control: I crave an honest exchange of ideas, and so I’ve moved my control back into my own court. On my own website, where no algorithm will censor my message or silence my voice.

You don’t have to agree with me, or be in the same boat with me. If you’re still loving social, that’s cool too. I’m not here to pass judgment on anyone for their choices. I just needed a place to stretch my legs and practice my scales.

I believe the way through is love, inclusion and dissolution, not necessarily revolution. Waking up out of our suffering, dissolving the rigidness of our ego, showing up, being present, and having compassion.

We’re all struggling to make sense of the world. I’m here for it though. I’m in it with you. It’s ok.

Grab my hand…

I saw this clip once where Kurt Vonnegut told his wife he was going out to buy an envelope. His wife said “why don’t you just go online and buy 100 envelopes and put them in the closet?” He pretended not to hear her and went out anyway to buy that envelope. And along the way he got to smile at a baby and see a fire truck go by and ask someone what kind of dog that was… for him, buying that envelope was an essential exercise in his own humanity and he cherished every minute of its mundaneness.

He called us all dancing animals and said we needed to move and experience life. Kurt died in 2007 at the age of 84. It’s a very different world now, but does the lesson transcend? It’s definitely an interesting take, given the current state of 2025’s humanity.

I think about this story when I am choosing to buy something online that I could very easily get at a local store, which, to be quite honest, happens a lot in my life. But I trip on this idea of time a lot. I mean, it’s heavy. There’s just so darn little of it in the whole big scheme of things, and I tend to get stingy with it. Maybe you do too.

I feel like I’m always looking for ways to save a little time or effort. Most of the time it’s for good reason - at least I think it’s for good reason. But it begs a different question, doesn’t it?

Sometimes we save time, but what do we give up?

I don’t have the answer. I just wanted to pose the question.

I don’t know about you, but I’m a bit over consumerism. Its addictiveness is based in “not enoughness”. We aren’t enough, don’t have enough, aren’t doing enough. It’s exhausting.

Enter the lovely and poetic botanist, ecologist and Native American writer Robin Wall Kimmerer with her fantastic little must-read “The Serviceberry” In it, she discusses the idea of reciprocity, of not commoditizing EVERY. SINGLE. THING in our lives.

The Struggle is Real Y’all: As tariffs loom and the economy tightens and prices rise on everyday items, this little book was such a breath of fresh air! Fear makes people want to gather and hoard. But what if there was a different way to create an abundance mindset? A way to share freely with one another and act in a way that fosters cooperation instead of competition?

I don’t want to spoil the content for those of you who haven’t read it yet, but if you haven’t read it, please - do yourself a favor and put it on the TOP of your TBR pile. I promise this quick read will soothe your anxiety and calm your fears and help create a tiny road map to move forward in the coming days. A new lens with which to see the world and your place in it. A way to experience nature and participate in the give-and-take of the world around us without stripping the world of its resources.

Sound like a tall order? It does, doesn’t it? In fact it seems some days like an unscalable wall surrounding an insurmountable task. But I promise you that if you get in your lane and look around you, there are small differences you can make every day that can and will propel the world toward better things, and build authentic relationships along the way.

A Gift Economy vs. A Market Economy: What if not everything had to be bought and sold? What if as a community we each shared our abundance, whether that was knowledge or skills or food or time or money? Then each of us could breathe a little deeper, rest a little easier. This is one of the things I hated about trying to learn about branding and marketing: The idea that every one of my skills and talents is a potential money-maker. The idea of commoditizing and then monetizing everything I know, while a practical way to run a business, starts to feel icky if you take it too far. It takes you to the point where you yourself are a commodity. More potential and less human. That doesn’t feel very good.

What does feel good is helping others. Both giving and receiving are balms to our battered souls. Sharing and giving out of our abundance feels way better than spending and acquiring and hoarding. So what are some small ways we can put these concepts to work?

Community Sharehouses: Rather than donating to Goodwill, look around for community Share programs that will find ways to get still useful items to persons or students experiencing homelessness or having trouble making ends meet.

Schools / University Free Stores: Items can be recycled / upcycled so that families don’t have to spend a fortune on these things when a lot of us have loads of things we no longer have need of. Graduating seniors? Donate your dorm room items. Families with extra income? Buy a few extra essential school supplies when you go to the sales and donate the extra to families that might be struggling.

Victory Gardens: As food becomes more expensive, consider different ways that you can grow some of your own food. I am a master gardener, and I am always amazed at the clever ways people find to squeeze food into small spaces or create edible landscapes. DIY garden channels abound on YouTube. And if you really don’t have any space to grow your own, find someone who does and see if you can’t trade services like sewing or babysitting or dog walking in exchange for a share of fresh produce.

Libraries / Little Free Boxes: Libraries now stock real paper books as well as giving access to e-books and audio books. The way to learn almost anything starts by reading about it, and our community libraries are inherently set up as a shared / gift economy. We borrow the books and promise to take care of them and return them so someone else can benefit from them next! There are also Little Free boxes popping up all over the place. Books, mugs, toys, puzzles… all kinds of things are being exchanged in a “give one / take one” kind of set-up.

Free Farm Stand: Got extra produces from your garden / property? Build a simple set of shelves or a small farm stand from recycled pallets or other lumber and put out a sign! Cars can stop and pick up a fresh zucchini or a basket of berries on the way home. Or donate your excess produce to your local food bank once a week.

Volunteer / Get Involved: If you’re thinking “How am I going to find others who want to do this?” you have to start by going to where they’re already at. People with these same types of shared values tend to flock to opportunities to share their skills and passions within their communities. Organizations like Habitat for Humanity, Master Gardeners, and community clean-ups are fantastic places to meet people who might also be willing to participate in reciprocal giving.

These are just a few ideas off the top of my head. I’m sure there are dozens more right around where you live. I know it’s tempting to pull in and hoard and hide when we get afraid, but then who’s winning? I’ll tell you who’s winning: fear. That’s putting ourself in survival mode where we hunker down and hoard, hoping that eventually the danger will pass us by. But really, that’s no way to live. Besides, one of the best antidotes to fear is action. Find a way to do things differently. And when you start to give freely, the floodgates begin to creak open.

Or just start by reading Robin’s book. Let its message soothe your soul and give you hope for a different future. We can get through this, but not as individuals. Together, we can accomplish so much more than what we can separately.

I am reaching my hands out into the world. Even if no one else does, I see you. I feel you. I’m right there with you. Looking for a way to change my experience of this world. One step at a time.

PS - Robin Wall Kimmerer’s previous book: Braiding Sweetgrass is on my short list of favorite books of all time. Highly recommend that one as well!

If you’ve been following me on social media, you may have noticed me posting less and less frequently over time. I have to be honest. It’s been both difficult and confusing navigating the changes in our world over the past several years, starting with COVID and now with so much going on globally it’s been feeling really overwhelming. I want to add to the conversation but not with noise, if you know what I mean. 

Consuming so much inflammatory information from what feels like all sides, I have been less and less inclined to allow my energy to get hijacked by sensationalism and consumerism. After all, as I have been teaching for many years:

Where your attention goes, your energy flows. My time and my attention are mine and I have them in limited supply. So I’m taking back my power to choose what I do with them and where I “spend” them. 

My time, my choices: I suddenly realized, I really do have a choice. A choice to expose or not expose my nervous system to the brain-numbing, circling drain that feels like the internet these days. 

Taking Back My Power: All this to say, I am voting with my feet. And my time and my attention and my advertising dollars. I feel like every other post on some platforms are ads to get me to click or buy or sign up or follow someone just to get the information I want. I’m done letting advertisers and marketers and influencers use me for their personal gain.

Buh-Bye Meta! I’m deleting my social media accounts like Facebook and Instagram, realizing I’ve invested way too much of my concept of self-worth and validation in watching other peoples’ lives and not living my own! It’s not healthy for me and it overworks and overwhelms my nervous system. 

What about other platforms? While I still technically have a You Tube Channel (not that I do much with it) as well as a Linked In page (ditto) I am choosing not to make an account on Blue Sky or other alternative platforms at this time as well, so as far as me communicating with you all, my newsletter is going to become my only way to say hello. That, and right here, on my newest blog space.

A recent personal joy inventory reminded me of how much I used to love blogging. Fun fact: I started blogging in 2006 and it brought me so much life and joy, but then social media and short-form/microblogging started to take over the world and my little corner of it felt obsolete, so I let that stop me. I quit blogging, believing that no one cared to listen to what I wanted to say. I let others define me and curate my experience of life. What a waste. 

The Algorithm Sinkhole: One of the things that social media did to people and businesses like mine was it made it all about algorithms (which I can’t control) which are all about marketing (which I can’t control) to a target audience (which is determined by a computer program, not organic interest). That made it difficult for someone like me who is multi-passionate. I could never fit into just one niche. 

Blogging and ADHD: I used to love that my blog could be about anything. And I’m realizing my neurodivergent brain needs to be able to switch tasks and not get pidgeon-holed, so I’m choosing a format that allows me to write about anything and everything. This also gives YOU the freedom to either read or not read what I write. So, if you’re looking for someone who writes about only one topic in your particular field of interest, there are lots of experts out there who can fulfill that need for you. Here you’ll probably get a little bit of everything: Gardening, Wellness, Nutrition, My Books, Recipes, Energy Work, Motorcycling, Yoga, Breath Work, Dog and Cat photos, my Travel Log… it could literally be anything. In a word: I’m done apologizing for being multidimensional.

Community Building: What I crave, and maybe you do too, is authentic community without the noise and that’s what I’m aiming to build. With this newsletter, and with my brand new blog that I will be hosting on my very own website, I get to control the content you see, and you have the power to not read something if it doesn’t interest you. I want to give more freely. To participate in a reduction of capitalism and a resurgence of a gift economy. But more on that in my next blog post ;)

Release the Kracken! I’m hoping this change will free my creativity and help me get back to writing in the way that has always lit me up. Free to be inspired. To share what I’m thinking about or dreaming about in the moment. Unencumbered by likes or dislikes or internet trolls or concerns about how this or that message does or doesn’t fit my “brand”. 

I am my brand. And I’m different. And I’m multi-passionate. And I’m a real human, not a bot. I have feelings. And thoughts. And things I’d love to discuss. And I hope you’ll stick around to be a part of it all. 

Those of you who know me can attest to the fact that I am a firm believer in the benefits of grounding. I use this practice in energy work sessions with my clients as well as when I'm teaching. Personally, I've been sleeping grounded for some time now and I either walk barefoot or wear grounding shoes whenever I can. It's such an easy thing to put into practice, but as always, I like to talk about the why behind the what.

Since so many people ask me about this, I thought I'd send out some information on it to help you understand the benefits of being in contact with the earth's energy. (And if you're science-y like me, stay tuned because you'll find a couple of studies linked at the bottom of this email!)

Electricity in the Earth and In the Body

The earth is electric, with an enormous electromagnetic field surrounding it. It gives off electrons that float on its surface, and the human body is designed to absorb that electricity, which works as a natural antioxidant, supporting our chemical and electrical health and neutralizing the damage done by free radicals. It also works in reverse, like a lightening rod, the earth helping to absorb and neutralize our bodies' excess energy.

Why is this important? Historically people were connected to the earth directly. But because we now wear shoes (predominantly rubber-soled, ultra-insulating shoes) our bodies can't easily release excess energy, nor can it absorb helpful energy. Our shoes are creating a barrier to the flow in both directions.

What is Grounding?

Grounding refers to direct skin contact with the surface of the Earth, such as walking barefoot on grass, sand, or soil. This practice has gained substantial attention for its potential health benefits, supported by a growing body of scientific research.

Grounding has been used by a growing number of elite athletes.Tour de France athletes have been using electrically grounded sleeping bags for years to boost their recovery times. Major league baseball players are also practicing grounding like these San Francisco Giants players.

Benefits of Grounding

1. Reduces Inflammation and Pain

Research has shown that grounding can help reduce inflammation and pain. A study published in the Journal of Inflammation Research found that grounding decreased blood markers of inflammation following physical activity, promoting faster recovery and reduced muscle soreness.

Since inflammation has been linked to almost every chronic disease including several of the top 10 killers like heart disease, stroke, diabetes and cancer, it pays to do whatever we can to decrease inflammation.

2. Improves Sleep

Grounding has been linked to better sleep quality. A study in the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine found that grounding participants while sleeping led to significant improvements in sleep, stress levels, and overall well-being.

3. Enhances Mood and Reduces Stress

Grounding may also have psychological benefits. A study in the Psychological Reports journal demonstrated that grounding reduces stress and improves mood by balancing cortisol levels, the body's primary stress hormone.

4. Boosts Immune Function

Grounding has been shown to enhance immune function. The European Biology and Bioelectromagnetics journal published a study indicating that grounding can improve the body’s immune response, potentially leading to fewer illnesses and better overall health.

Easy Ways to Get Grounded

- Walk Barefoot: Spend time walking barefoot on natural surfaces like grass, sand, or soil.

- Use Grounding Mats: Grounding mats provide an easy and effective way to practice grounding indoors, connecting you to the Earth's energy while you work, relax, or sleep. Since we spend ~ 1/3 of our busy lives in bed, it makes sense to spend that time grounded! Talk about an efficient way to boost your health!

For a convenient and effective way to incorporate grounding into your daily routine, consider using grounding mats. These mats are designed to simulate the natural grounding effects, allowing you to experience the benefits effortlessly. I believe so strongly in these products and talk about them so often that they are the only types of products I have ever become an affiliate for. If you're interested in shoes you can get 15% off here. If you're interested in sleeping grounded or using mats under your desk at work or during yoga, see below. But remember, none of these products are necessary! All you need is to spend more time barefoot!!

There's currently a 4th of July Sale on Grounding Mats so if you're interested check them out here.

Investing in your health and well-being has never been easier. Embrace the natural benefits of grounding and start feeling the difference today!

Additional Resources

There's a really interesting documentary that's FREE on You Tube called "The Earthing Movie". I highly recommend it if you want to learn more.

For more information on the science behind grounding, you can explore these peer-reviewed studies:

- Chevalier, G., et al. (2012). "Earthing: Health Implications of Reconnecting the Human Body to the Earth's Surface Electrons." Journal of Environmental and Public Health.

- Ghaly, M., & Teplitz, D. (2004). "The Biologic Effects of Grounding the Human Body During Sleep as Measured by Cortisol Levels and Subjective Reporting of Sleep, Pain, and Stress." Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine.

By staying informed and incorporating grounding into your lifestyle, you can take a simple yet profound step toward better health and well-being

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