Smell (or look at) the roses

mi mama con pachamama

During my years of therapy, I ended up with a practitioner of "adventure therapy" which is traditional therapy coupled with experiential education.

We’d meet in a park to walk and talk. It worked-- walking outside helped regulate my emotions, enabling me to achieve a few emotional break-throughs. Even when she was mostly listening silently, the very act of discussing out loud the heavy topics that had been swimming in my subconscious felt liberating.

Soon enough, I found myself hiking more, even if alone in my thoughts.

This young moringa tree is now fully grown in our backyard: St. Pete, FL

Pro-tip: If you can’t go outside, you can still evoke a calming effect by simply viewing an image of nature. Better yet, I recommend tending to a houseplant to reap the benefits of nature's tranquility.

When my sister passed away, we planted a navel orange tree in her honor and cared for it tenderly. It somehow became a tradition at our home-- any time we planted something new, we mixed in the decedent's ashes into the soil and thus created life from death. Similarly, after my mother passed away, my father and I planted a moringa tree in her honor. The tree grew rapidly, towering so high that now I need a ladder to reach its abundant, highly nutritious leaves.

On days filled with particular sorrow, I sit on the back porch and watch our plants grow.

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