Eggs Inspire Local Community Buying

Every week I am able to get local eggs from farmers. It has been over a year since I have bought eggs in a store. Supporting local farmers, buying healthy local eggs. The chickens that gave us these eggs in the picture were fed non-GMO grains mixed with their free range life of picking and eating natural. Free beautiful chickens from beautiful farms. Look to where you can make a difference and shop more local from food to crafts!!! It empowers community.

Now I am off to scramble some eggs...
Debbie, Candlemaker in the Hills

Finding Practice through a Cassette Player

This year has been a mix of incredible positive experiences with some of the most difficult emotional times of my life. Through this darkness it seemed my hikes in nature lifted my spirits most. There is no doubt in my mind that the trees, waterfalls and mountains here have saved me and continue to do so over and over again. With each crunch of the leaves under my step, with each gaze up at the tall branches, with each tear shed, my joys have risen and washed over the pain.
The experience of loss, in any aspect of life, is an intense undergoing. It also seems to stay around in our hearts forever, but I realize that healing does begin to overpower the feelings. This is when some sort of practice in everyday life is of a great advantage.

I have been hearing the word practice from close friends and also teachers I listen to from afar. It is time to take a word seriously when it is close at your heels. Practice. What is a good practice for me to begin? All I got in response to this answer was a longing to use my old cassette player collecting dust on the shelf.

Yes, it is a strange way to begin a practice. So, why was I longing to use a cassette player? It is old and out of date and most would laugh at this. I mean we live in ipod world!
When I was younger I practiced meditation a lot. In my youth my excitement was overwhelming to wake every morning and greet the sun and then go to bed talking with the mystery of the night. I remember sitting outside in the winter with my heavy poncho, between two giant oak trees and practicing smudging and prayer. I had a great love for life and the experiences that came along with it. These were the days before all the big trials took over my thoughts. This happens to most of us, does it not?

So my focus was this old cassette player, as for whatever reason, brought me back to remembering my longing to connect again. Then enters serendipity as I walk into my favorite sacred store while visiting Florida. They were giving away free meditation cassette tapes!! Can you believe it? I mean, no one wants them anymore…but they were gold to me. I took a bunch with gleeful grabbing and brought them home to the mountains.

So now I have my cassette box set up in my room, along with some of my favorite rocks and candles surrounding the ancient player. The other night I began the journey of practice, listening to meditation tapes at night and in the morning. This small step I followed, so miniscule in the scheme of life, is changing me daily. It led to listening online to positive, inspirational programming. It led me to paying more attention to taste, sounds, smells, feelings. It is leading me outdoors more to spend time on this sacred land and listen to the wisdom of the trees and surroundings. The simple action of following the cassette player has led to all of these other smaller practices that bring much peace.

I know it is all strange. To find solace in an inanimate object, but it brings me great joy to follow. I hope and pray practice keeps me focused and brings me on new journeys in life. I am ready for this. Thank you good ol’ cassette player. You are empowering.

And So It Is…