Recent events in the world surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic and the tragic murders of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor and many others have brought into focus where we can do better, and be better. If you read my recent newsletter, you’ll know I am actively working on an action plan to better shape my mission at Open Air Places in a more diverse and inclusive way and I look forward to publishing that soon.

I admit, it’s been a challenge to stay active on this platform with all of the uncertainty in the world, and my own worries that I’ll do or say the wrong thing promoting travel or retreats (my two main gigs) when obviously those two things are responsibly on hold right now. I feel deeply that words matter, messaging matters and I always want to be an authentic voice sharing positivity and inspiration in everything that I do here.

Today, I feel called to share a few examples of what I am doing to stay centered right now in the hope that it may help others to do the same. Maybe it will help you discover your own ways of finding connection and healing that we need so much right now. Maybe it will inspire you to plant new seeds.

One of the silver linings I can see happening right now is that recent events are showing us how important it is to take care of our health, how to appreciate the life we have and how to take action with things that matter.

I have started making more space in my life for Slow Living and intentional choices that prioritize time in nature and an emphasis on spending time with what really matters because I find myself asking that a lot “Is this all there is?” “Is this what life is all about?”

At the beginning of 2020, I had a whole season of travel lined up for Open Air Places. When those plans got postponed, I decided to direct my attention to the good things I have available closer to home, namely my 10 acre piece of land just outside of Bayfield, WI. This place has been my main focus for the past few months and it feels so right.

This is the rustic spot where I watched as late winter slowly turned to spring and finally summer. This is the canvas where I’ve been finding deep solace in nature, spending quality time with my children and making art.

Time really slows down when you don’t have cell service, or access to WiFi without the help of a hotspot device and the AT&T network.

I know how lucky I am to have the option to leave the city and I am grateful for what it means to be a steward of land.

Here I am cultivating an off-the-grid sanctuary, perched on top of a hill in the woods, with views of the Apostle Islands and Lake Superior sparkling in the distance.

Here I find myself mentally making gratitude lists because it is so easy to do surrounded by budding life - new ferns curling upwards, bird song every morning and fresh breezes sans mask.

Maybe it’s because every day here is an opportunity to practice acts of service. Clearing and hauling brush and undergrowth from my woods so I can make small clearings for the light to come in and sunrises to stream golden and pure through my land.

These morning moments fill me with hope.

Cupping handfuls of rich dirt, planting and nurturing seeds in my garden which is a great comfort when everything feels so uncertain in the world. The simple joy of creating living green rows of lettuce, kale, peas, carrots and herbs has never felt so good.

Sitting on a Lake Superior beach with my daughter and watching her laugh while the sun highlights her hair.

Hearing my favorite whippoorwill sing his curiously haunting evensong every night around 9-9:30 pm is like finding a new way to tell time, without a clock. Making a log where I note when and where he sings has been such a joy, just like Henry David Thoreau wrote.

“The note of the whippoorwill borne over the fields is the voice with which the woods and moonlight woo me.”

— Henry David Thoreau, American Writer (1817–62)

Hauling water in for my use from a nearby artesian well and meditating on the zen proverb, “Chop wood, carry water” which reminds me that the process is what really matters.

Stacking a woodpile with my own two hands with wood purchased from a local business (Thank you Donny and Maynard!)

Making images for SHOTS Magazine in their latest call for entries “In The Wild” that reflect my interpretation and observations about current events happening right now.

Installing my own oversized ceramic tile, and wood flooring in my off the grid cottage, and designing a custom copper surround is an investment in myself because I’m learning new things, and also creating a new unique place to stay for others to enjoy when the time is right.

Joining a CSA to support local agriculture and my family’s nutritional health.

These are the things I am doing right now that take me into feeling a connection to myself and to my life that is wholesome and good. Where the rhythms of nature can be trusted and depended upon. Where my own two hands can create something of beauty that lasts.