I grew up on a working farm in the Willamette Valley of Oregon. Although it is now known as wine country, in the 1960's, my family and our neighbors were subsistence farmers; all of the food I ate came from the land we worked. At the time, I had no idea how lucky I was. Many thanks to my parents for removing me from the city at a young age and taking me to this place that connected me to the land. I am who I am today partly because of that change.
I spent my youth climbing one thing or another, and hiking long, long days. In 1990, I hiked the state of Oregon on the Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail. In the woods, I practiced mindfulness, though I did not call it that at the time.
Shortly after that long walk, I discovered mindfulness formally, and my life took a profoundly different turn. I left technical writing and turned instead to social work, where I remain to this day. They say I serve people with disabilities... Funny, to me it seems that I am the one with the disability.
Around this same time, I discovered fire walking. There were many trips across the coals, late nights and life time connections.
In 1996, I met an amazing woman at a fire walk, and instantly bonded to her. This bond led to many more, and to a life lived in community with several families in Columbia County. We raised children there.
In 2008 I moved to Eugene, Oregon, a small, quirky city that fits me perfectly. There are woods here, like the ones my parents showed me fifty years ago. There is also a creative muse in this town, created mostly by the loving, energetic people I am privileged to know here. I practice my craft here, hike in the woods, and gradually, slowly, I also return to my mindfulness practice. The loss and return are the path.
Welcome! I wish for you many changes in life, so many that you forget "who you are." That is how you discover that you are not who you think you are...
