I don’t remember having a specific “dream” growing up and there wasn’t any part me that felt particularly inclined towards following an “academic” path. Instead of sitting in a classroom, all I wanted to do was explore the great outdoors, activate my senses and spend time in nature. I always felt like a round peg in a square hole, the little hippy girl, growing up in a military family.

My fondest memories were the family camping trips and spending time outside, exploring nature with the dog. These are the times I felt most connected to a sense of purpose and belonging. I would struggle with that in my adult life, trying to put my love of nature into a career that supported me but finding myself sidetracked in jobs I thought I should be doing in order to pay the bills.

I lost my childhood connection to nature!

I spent 18 years in Emergency Services communication, 911 calls & dispatching to Police Officers;  being exposed much trauma & shift work, I developed a sleep disorder and adrenal fatigue (21st-century Stress Syndrome). We can all imagine what this kind of stress does to a person’s wellbeing, in my case, it was a diagnosis of breast cancer. To add to that, my Father was falling into Alzheimer’s and a sister with terminal cancer.

So where does the hippy girl go from here to heal?

To survive, I started spending more time with my horse, not riding, just being; it was his connection to nature that helped me reconnect, it helped me find that nature-loving child again. I found peace and I found my center away from chaos. I rediscovered just how healing being in nature can be.

This reawakening led me back into nature, I started hiking & snowshoeing again. I went into the backcountry and met flowers & bears. I studied herbalism, wildcrafting, and outdoor living skills. This all finally lead me to my dream, of building a fulfilling career based on the power of nature.

I remembered how to breathe again!

As someone who has lived through and found myself on the other side of extreme emotional and physical turmoil, I understand the depth of what that does for us in our lives.

Whether a daily walk in the park, weekend trips to the mountains, or holidays on the beach, we’ve all felt that sense of awe and peace when we’re outside… we take that time and remember how to breathe again, this is what nature teaches us!

At our deepest level of being, we are connected to nature and we are a vital part of her. I know for me, when I can get away from the hustle of “modern” life and just be still for a little while, I find my answers. It’s quite natural for humans to listen to and communicate with nature. Tuning into nature is one of the most beneficial and effective ways of reconnecting with our spirit and in turn, our wellbeing.

Lorraine Meisner, Circles of Nature