Little Things Apothecary

I am first and foremost a caregiver. I can't help myself. I know how it feels to suffer "mystery" pains, feel sick, but not have the flu, and be so frustrated when test after test and doctor after doctor can't do anything for you, but give you pills that make you worse. I'm so happy I ended up on a journey that not only healed myself, but has also helped me heal numerous others as well.

 

I've received my Bachelor's in Science with a focus on nutrition and then went on to start my Masters degree in Nutrition. However, it felt too clinical and artificial, and like a big chunk of knowledge was missing from the education. I also wanted to be able to reach more people from all walks of life. I switched schools and tried and pursued my Masters in public health. That was even worse as the big concern is to push vaccines and synthetic medicine. While I don't feel my education was completely wasted, it pales in comparison to my studies outside the universities. I've always had a close relationship with nature whether it was as a child in Montana or Nevada, or in later years in Washington, Arizona, and finally here in Central Oregon. While I loved the Master Gardener's course I took in Washington, one of the best learning experiences of my life was the herbal apprenticeship I had taken. I had an excellent instructor whose methods cannot be matched. I know, I've looked. Sense the time of my apprenticeship I have built on and expanded my knowledge through loads of books, informal interviews, and of course from nature itself. Finally, my education makes sense and it's settled around me like a comfortable blanket. 

 

My jobs in the health field have been more about what I don't want to teach or do, more than learning from them. I've been a fitness coach, a health and wellness coach, and a wellness ambassador for a drug store. That last one was the total opposite of who I am and what I'm about. It actually effected me spiritually and physically, and totally broke me down. It was a turning point for me as I realized I cannot separate who I am from what I do. Since then I have immersed myself more than ever into the folk healer, writer, gardener, hiker, mother, wife, dreamer, home maker, and wanderer you see before you today.

 

So, why did I decide to offer up apprenticeships to my folk healing ways? Well, it's not been an easy time getting here. While my family has been very supportive, it's been nature itself that has pushed me into this. Through an interesting turn of events, my kids and I ended up camping the entire summer in the mountains of the Cascade Range. I felt a new level of closeness with nature as I did yoga by the river in the morning sunlight, hiked in several old growth forests, stood at the top of waterfalls, stood in the small waterfalls laughing in pure joy, telling stories with my girls around the campfire, and listening to all the sounds nature brings into harmony (well, maybe not the bluejays, hehe).

 

The feeling that I knew I had to start teaching others along what I've learned in my “folk healing” journey grew stronger and stronger as the summer wore on. I know how important it is to know the essential skills in our changing times. They are skills I've taught my husband, my three children, my siblings, my friends, and well, anyone that talks to me for more than five minutes. Just kidding about that last part, well maybe. I am passionate about old ways of healing because it works. We don't need to suffer and be at the mercy of insurances, impatient doctors offices, side effects, and greedy pharmaceutical companies. We can take charge of our own health and we should.