What a beautiful, beautiful day I had!
First of all, it’s been gorgeous outside. I love the spring, which is appropriate for someone whose name means ‘spring’, isn’t it? 🙂
Secondly, I went on a guided herbal walk in the afternoon. Just me, no kids. It was the perfect weather for something like this – to do something that I love, outdoors, in the season that I love – ahhh. I literally feel my soul being nourished when I’m outside surrounded by natural beauty. I had a wonderful Passover but there was a lot of work leading up to it and throughout, and this herbal walk was the perfect balance to help me shift mental and energetic gears before getting back to our regular schedule. It was led by an experienced herbalist at an institute that offers graduate level studies in herbalism.
Not only did I enjoy the walk and the weather and learn some new and interesting things (eg that I should be using much larger measurements of herbs for medicinal purposes than I currently am), I also met a couple of women there who were had a similar perspective to me regarding health and wellness. Have you ever had an uncanny feeling that things are being orchestrated just for you? That was how I felt today. The timing in meeting them was really incredible, and I was taken aback that out of the three people I ‘happened’ to chat with, two provided me exactly what I needed right now.
I’ve been doing a lot of thinking for a while now about becoming certified in some way to offer nutritional/health/wellness services. Nutrition and wellness are topics that I love learning about, and have been using my spare time to continually build on my knowledge base for years. I was researching a particular graduate program last night that had a strong appeal because of its rigorous science based foundation, and this morning was feeling particularly frustrated and despairing, not seeing how it was possible for at all for me for the next few years. And I was sent these two people just hours later to encourage me!
The first person I spoke to mentioned that she’s beginning exactly the program I was considering in the fall! I’ve never met anyone who attended that university at all, let alone this exact program (it’s in another state, but they have distance learning options combined with the requirement to travel there at one point towards the end). She gave me a lot of helpful information about it and other alternatives.
The second woman is already offering the kind of services I’d be most interested in providing, and she gave me some very helpful feedback on certification. I love learning new things, but I’m resistant (to put it mildly) to the idea that I’d have to sit through years of classes where information is given over that I believe to be inaccurate and even harmful just to get a piece of paper stating that I know something (which is what would be involved if I pursued certification as a registered dietician). Her perspective was very valuable and encouraging to me, since it helped me reframe my expectations and beliefs surrounding this.
There was so much synchronicity involved in the short time I was speaking with these women that it was like a direct message from G-d. I really, really needed some outside perspective from people who ‘get’ where I’m coming from. I haven’t come to any conclusions but I’m feeling a lot less pressured to squeeze more hours into the day than I have, and more optimistic and relaxed about the possibilities! And I brought home some mugwort seeds to plant in my garden. 🙂
Avivah
What is the name of the program–I’m very curious?
Kol tuv. Hashem should give you clarity and strength!!!!
University of Bridgeport, though there are a number of other interesting options. Thanks for your good wishes!
avivah! i’ve been following your blog for a while now and i’m a big fan! this is so hashgacha pratis that you posted this now- i was just with my family for pesach and two of them asked me if i’m going to get my degree in nutrition. i feel the way you do about being taught wrong information. just before pesach i started helping other people with nutrition (not that i was looking for clients it just sort of happened). if i wanted to be certified i would rather go with the holistic certification (not anytime soon, it’s a future goal when my kids are older). the Lubavitcher Rebbe wrote a letter to someone in response to his inquiries about attending university. his response was that the young man can do what it is he’s meant to do, with or without a degree (modern society believes you cant do anything without a degree…) the knowledge and experience YOU have with food is so vast that i wouldn’t expect someone like you to have a degree (though i do understand why you want to further your science studies- valuable to understanding the details of how foods affect the body, anatomy, etc) anyway, thanks for your blogging about your inspiring walk we all need something like this especially after pesach!
I only have 2 kids but I spent the past 2 years learning full time + (to be a Yoetzet Halacha) while my husband was learning towards his MBA . We were planning not to do theses things the same years but as it turns, we both got our acceptance letters the same week! These were 2 very strenuous and intense years, but we all learned a lot from them: I had the time of my life learning something I really wanted to specialize in, my husband enjoyed his studies too and got a better job as a result, our kids saw the value we give to learning – and to mum learning Torah specifically….and we all really appreciate the fact that I am now at home! (I “work” as a volunteer by answering questions over the net). But most of all, we all learned that if you want to do it- do it because you can get through (almost) everything with support from the family (extended or not) and friends, and the feeling of achievement for all those involved is incredible. Good luck
hey! good for you and good luck!
could you give more information about this program?
Estee – I was thinking alot about the kind of people who would be the best fit for me, and they aren’t people who are tied to the mainstream way of thinking. If they were insistent on black and white technical type training, philosophically I wouldn’t be a good match, even if I had those technical qualifications. Your comments fit in well with those thoughts. 🙂
Nathalie – so nice to hear your experience and how it worked out for you! Thank you for the encouraging words as well.
tryingtobecheap – you can look at the university website for details. I don’t have any personal experience, just my own internet research to go on. To be clear, it’s not where I would go for alternative nutritional info, but more the technical biochemical type underpinnings.
At this point, I recognize that I was energetically moving away from my belief structure to have mentally weighted this particular option so strongly. I really believe that your body gives you messages and you have to listen to those signs. When I was feeling so much tension and pressure, that was a sign that what I was considering wasn’t in harmony with who I am and what I believe. I looked at what was propelling me so much in that direction and realized it was fear based, coming from the concern that without academic qualifications I wouldn’t be seen as be legitimate.