Balance

Well I think it’s time to blog.

And then I think to myself what is the point of blogging again? Then I remember that is sharing what I have been thinking about lately with those closest to me. O.k. So here goes a small glimpse of what goes on in Kim’s mind. Don’t get lost!

Favorite new song: Chris Brown “Forever”. Can’t explain why I just think it is such a great song! Maybe because I love dancing so much ;). I know it’s pathetic but when I find a song I really like I have a tendency to listen to it over and over again until I get really sick of it. It’s similar to how some people are with candy I think.

Work: I have many thoughts about my work. All I can say is that I have much to learn. I also can say that I have already learned much. The women I work with are truly amazing. There is so much to say that I can’t even begin to put into words. Their stories, their culture, everything. Sometimes I sit and wonder how on earth they let me into their world. I treat it as a huge honor. So what I am I learning from them? The strength and vitality that people have. These women and children have adopted extreme survival techniques. They will out smart the staff often. Even the children blow me away with their sheer wit and adaptability. In order to not be traumatized myself from a lot of their stories I have been adopting some serious self care techniques. And lucky for me I am being eased into this all by just being part time right now. I am also learning a lot about the aboriginal culture which I will talk about more later.

Inner world: I have been taking many of the aboriginal lessons and applying them to my life in a more diligent way. The medicine wheel is posted all over our shelter and it’s wisdom speaks to all aspects of our lives; and it speaks of balance (those that would like to know more about the medicine wheel I am will give you a link here). If I am going to go into an environment that requires a lot from me and is quite negative sometimes I must be able to counter balance that with a lot of positive things in my life. Which is why today I splurged and bought some essential oils, and an oil burner. I am all about making my environment safe and beautiful and part of that is smell for me. Right now I am burning lavender, a fragrance of balance.

I also got some dried sage (also called a sage wand) and smudged myself and my house. I find this so necessary (and one of my beautiful friends). The idea of cleansing all that is within and outside in order to help oneself survive and thrive. Sage is a cleansing, healing and protecting herb. The idea of smudging is a way of purifying oneself, healing oneself, and setting up protection so that other negative influences can’t come in. Of course this does not have to be done through smudging there are other forms (prayer, mediation etc..) for me smudging is very meaningful. The reason? I am kinesthetic, and it give me something I can touch and smell. It also gives me a connection with the earth and plants which I love and a connection with a spirituality that I find very meaningful. Also sage is known to be especially healing for women. Yes the Aboriginal people knew this long before we did. One of the things I noticed immediately when I entered my shelter for the second time was that there was sage across all of our doorposts. Sage doesn’t have to be lit to act out it’s properties.

Reading: Ken Wilber and Harry Potter. One a renowned think tank especially in regards to evolutionary spirituality, the other a brave boy with a scar on his head. Both somehow are able to speak to my life at this point. Again here are my attempts to balance, a rather rigorous read with a nice fantasy book.

That about sums it up.