Dreaming Big (DB) #1: Sierra Club Leader Training: Cumberland Island National Seashore

 

Part of my "needing more" is to immerse myself in nature and give back in ways that are meaningful to me. One idea I stumbled upon (well, I was referred) was to be a Sierra Club trip leader, as this hits multiple desires: first, more nature and second, give back by volunteering to be a trip leader. Check, check.

So, I set off after completing Phase 1 of the training (boring online modules) to practice in the field and learn the logistics of leading a trip. Funnily enough, a majority of us were educators (most retired), so a lot of it was second nature: how to manage people, differing perspectives, etc. There were a few new skills I learned (how to work MSR stoves, hang a tarp on a ridgeline), but the majority will be learned in Phase 3: assisting on a trip. This is the part I'm most excited about, as I will get to help out on some amazing Sierra trips and eventually begin to lead my own.

That said, there isn't much to report about all this trip since I felt most of the time I was back in Florida (but it was in Georgia--we could see Florida, which was only 7 miles away). However, I do have a list, which usually occurs when I am around inspirational people. Here it is:

• Look into taking TN Naturalist and Master Gardeners classes 
• Get back to composting
• Join my local chapter of Sierra Club
• B Corp, which is apparently a highly-selective conservation stamp of approval on items one can by
• Plant clover and Lenton roses
• Visit Reflection Riding and Signal Mountain Nursery to gain ideas for my own environmentally friendly yard
• For my spring wildflower meadow, visit the Tractor Supply store, get their bag of wild seed mix, mix it with some dirt, fling it on the ground, and cover with straw (do this in April)
• Songbirds museum in Chatt (think it has to do with music)
• North Hogsback to Shake Flats (no idea what this means, but I suppose a task for later)

I'll leave you with some pictures to enjoy!

Dreaming Big Series...Or More Like Dreaming True

 

Here I am, back in my happy place (sunshine and a book) and starting a new series: the Dreaming True Series, formally known in my mind as the Dreaming Big Series. What does all of this mean? Well, I'll tell you.

First, if you don't know already, I'm in the middle of a midlife...crisis, awakening, shift? With the big move, my age (rumbling toward 50...eek!), having to build a new community, and eventually having to start a new job, I just need a calibration of sorts. I don't want to throw anything I have away, as I LOVE most of my life, but I need more.

This "needing more" is a calibration of sorts, and it is what is bringing about this new series. I have a ton of trips this spring, so in an effort to savor and memorialize all these trips, I'm turning back to this blog to what I know best: writing it all down.

That said, here is what I need in this phase of my life: I need to be in nature in all of its forms; I need to find a community that prioritizes giving back; I need to give back more; I need to live more purposefully and intentionally; I need to be around people who are doing the same and who are, as Brené Brown says, in the arena and fighting for an authentic, purposeful life; I need more freedom to be me; I need to be at a job where social equality is a part of the fabric not something we just "do"; I need to surround myself with people who feed my soul and are on the same journey as myself--otherwise, I'm not interested; I need to pursue creative things and avoid things that sap my spirit; I need freedom--out in the world and within me.

So, what I've written about is what dreaming true means to me and what I hope to cover these next few months. Thanks, as always, for reading along and for sending me your positive energy in every way it comes forward.