The new year brought me new adventures as i moved to where i now call home on the Sunshine Coast off of Vancouver. It was quite a journey for me, moving to a brand new place, but one of the most beautiful experiences of my life so far. Winter for me is a lot of going internal, letting go, and clearing space for the new to arrive. I definitely did do a lot of this in order to feel grounded in the choice to join a new community while trying to stay connected to already existing ones.
Photo by Dana S Wilson
Since my arrival, i have been welcomed with open arms which has allowed me to feel integrated into the community right away. I have truly felt a sense of home here that i have yet to find anywhere else so far. I feel especially blessed to have the most amazing land mate ever. We share meals multiple times a week, work on the land together and share an office space. She is one of my dearest friends and i could not ask for a more aligned person to share space with!
after one short month of integration i went back to Calgary for an epic level 3 weeks of taking courses, learning, teaching and meeting. It was interesting to see how fast my body adjusted to the weather on the coast as when i went east, by whole body was in shock! I also realized how challenging it was to be back in the city, but what made it amazing was being surrounded by family, cosmic community and to be doing what i love.
I took some fun technology training with Learning through the arts and then taught 3 full days of sessions with grade ones around seasonal change. It was tons of fun and i even got to have my good friend join me, which was a great support for the rowdy kidlets .
In between the days with the 60 little light beings, i taught the second session of my design course and a sold out introduction to Permaculture class! The design course was a pleasure as always and was super full and exciting with 5 different guest teachers (all of which were some of my dearest friends)
In preparation for my classes i continued work on my diploma and made 3 new prototypes for games on Soil, water and trees, and on that note, i have continued working on 3 books for the AREA and a diploma folio that showcases the work i have done over the past 2 years. These books should be released by my next check in!
I also got to meet with 3 lovely ladies to discuss more about Mark Lakeman coming to Calgary. We are excited to announce that he will be in the city from July 17- 20th doing multiple events. Stay tuned for more information coming soon!
Upon arriving home, I was offered a few new opportunities. I am now the Food Systems Network Coordinator for One Straw (www.onestraw.ca) , a super amazing local organization promoting food sovereignty and community resiliency across the coast , I was asked to become the coordinator for the new community garden in Seschelt and as of today, have also been invited to coordinate the gardens at 3 group homes for mentally diffabled (differently abled) people, though the details for this are still being worked out.
Another amazing opportunity that has come up is to teach a PDC with Delvin my mentor and dear friend. At this time, we still have to fill the course to run it, but if all goes well we will teach a full design certificate together! I am super excited for this opportunity to co facilitate with one of the most inspiring teachers i have yet to meet! I also feel we are able to offer a unique niche in teaching with a well balanced male and female team :)
To promote the course and deepen our teaching connection, we taught 2 free intro days on the sunshine coast and in Vancouver together this month. www.langara.bc.ca
On the teaching note, i have also taught a Permaculture and Placemaking class as part of the City Commons course which i have been lucky enough to help organize in Vancouver with a few of my dear friends (who are totally amazing to work with!). There are still spaces left to drop in on courses over the coming months. Visit www.vancouvercitycommons.ca for details. Some of my contributions have been to make a few posters to promote the full course and individual sessions. I have enjoyed the opportunity to practice graphic design and learn the skill a bit more.
Art wise, i have been continuing on with doing the energy portraits. These tie my Reiki practice with visionay art. I take clients on a journey to their highest selves and then tap into their field and then draw their chakras and write poetry to represent their passions and gifts. The portraits are meant to act as a reminder of who we really are and help us to stay connected to ourselves as we go through challenging times. Here a couple that i have recently worked on:
On our land (the Forest Atrium) we have been having meetings trying to see the way forward with plans. We are trying hard to change the existing bylaws so that there can be many multi tiny dwelling sites along the coast. We are also working the details for our communal space which will be an earth ship style structure with modifications based on our climate, and I have started brainstorming my home! I have been learning about trees and shrubs more as i have been pruning the blueberries and weeding the blackberries as well as helping clear trees so that we can have firewood, mulch and more light! It is a lot to learn! This entire few months of experience has brought so many wonderful lessons, including taking time to integrate.
A few weeks ago, i had a mini melt down and couldnt stop crying! I asked myself, “why are you crying? Your life is amazing, and you are been graced with so many gifts?” so i thought and i thought as i cried and cried, and then finally surrendered to the tears, realizing maybe i just needed to let something go. Then it came to me, “ you have almost completely changed your entire life in the span of 60 days! New home, new region, new community, new roles and new goals!” wow, i guess that is enough to slightly overwhelm one… but it also taught me that we are resilient and more than anything so blessed. Although it can be stressful, we are adaptable. We can make BIG change and we will be OKAY! In fact, we will often be rewarded with beautiful results!
Looking back, everything about the experience was perfect and it taught me the importance of taking time to slow down and observe. (this seems to be reoccurring lesson in my life, which to me highlights the importance!) I would like to make a goal to take a moment at least once a day to take a deep breathe, and just observe what is happening, feel into my heart and check in. If i can do this, things can only get better as i deepen my awareness of myself and my environment. I encourage you to do the same and see what magic comes from this!
As one last note, I have created my first ever video blog to compliment my written blog, if you would like to check it out, here is the link
Heart felt thanks for your ever support and inspiration on my continued journey,
kym chi
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