New Beginnings

Dear Friends,

I struggled with writing this newsletter, as I’ve been studying for my energy medicine practitioner exams (two more to go!!), have been busy with a picture book rewrite for a series I’m developing, and doing podcast interviews.

Much of it (most of it??) has been far outside my comfort zone and I’ve had little brain-space for much else, including writing a newsletter. But this morning, the last day of January, as I wrote in my journal, I wrote some thoughts and wanted to share them with you.

“How funny life is. How long it feels, and how short. I feel the world shifting. I think we all do.

Even as the world moves towards the energy of spring, the winter winds blow fiercest. It is that way now. As chaos throws everything that we’ve known into the wind, a new, irresistible life force is pushing its way through, just as spring always follows the winter."

In the past month I almost lost two people who are dear to me—one through a near miss in a serious car accident, and one through a deadly infection. They are both fine now. This morning, I just heard from a friend that her father is going into palliative care. The ground keeps shifting under our feet, in the never-ending ebb and flow of life.

Friends, one of the things I’m grateful for is a chance to do energy medicine healing work with the sweet donkeys at Primrose Donkey Sanctuary. I’m sharing a video of Joey, one of the residents, as he “grooms” me. I’d just been working on some energy imbalances and had just felt everything “click” back into place when he started. Donkeys often stand tip to tail and groom each other’s backs as a way to bond. Joey was bonding with me, and it’s the sweetest thing ever.

Joey "thanking" me. Click to watch.

I would not trade this life, this precious moment. The lessons I’ve learned. Change is slow but it happens. When I look back, I can see how far I’ve come.

And I’m grateful.”

With gratitude,

Andrea

P.S. For next month’s newsletter, I will have a list of my top 10 ways to find calm within the current global chaos. Stay tuned! Until then, join me on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube for more about finding joy, mental wellness, and creativity.