Guten Tag, Reader, It was still dark. Still cool. The rising sun threw only the slightest glimmer onto the very tops of the canyon walls. Soon, it would be bright. Warm. Hot probably. But not yet. Right then, all movement on the beach was guided by headlamps. The women were still wearing that extra layer as they broke down camp for the last time on this adventure. They moved with skill, strength, and grit. Unexperienced strangers just a week ago, they had bonded into a tight team of confident...
17 days agoĀ ā¢Ā 2 min read
Guten Tag, Reader, āI did not know clouds could do that,ā I thought, lying on my back, staring at the surprisingly warm May morning as it dramatically unfolded across the sky. Clouds in a higher layer, shaped like a Hogwarts staircase, moved one way, while their relatives in a lower layer, shaped like a bowl of apples, moved another. Had I stuck with studying physics, I might have been able to name and explain this phenomenon. Luckily, I didnāt, so I could fully experience it instead. These...
about 1 month agoĀ ā¢Ā 2 min read
Guten Tag, Reader, You know the sound of a bird banging against a window. Maybe youāve even had to help out (or bury) a bird who mistook glass for air. Mostly a benign magicāinvisible wallsāyet dangerous for the uninitiated. When my friends and I heard the sound yesterday, we were outside while the bird was inside the house. Such a human concept, inside/outside. I am currently at a friendās farmhouse in Northeastern Germany, the Wendland. She lives alone in a 170-year-old farmhouse. The old...
about 2 months agoĀ ā¢Ā 3 min read
Guten Tag, Reader, One of us walks like a cartoon thiefāknee high, toe first, then heel. Of course, he might also practice a Qi Gong movement. Called The Heron, perhaps? Another walks with a sway while swinging a flappy spruce branch. āI watched my nephew do this last week,ā she will share later, āand he looked so connected with his body that I wanted to try.ā Me? I walk as slowly as my brain will allow. Stopping to pull a fresh leaf to my cheek, smell each wild onion in a patch, and caress...
about 2 months agoĀ ā¢Ā 2 min read
Guten Tag, Reader, āDie hat doch einen Vogel,ā they say in Germany, āShe has a bird,ā when someone talks or acts a little off. As if thatās a bad thing. The bird. Or the off-ness. Not in my book. The one that I am writing in my head. Where the birds live. And where they peep. Peep. Peep. Peep. April also has a bird. "April, April, does what it will," the Germans say. Sometimes, the Germans are specific about the kind of birdāa chickadee (āne Meise). And those have been chickad-ing and dee-ing...
2 months agoĀ ā¢Ā 2 min read
My mom accompanied me to Helena on one of my biggest adventures: becoming a US citizen in 2015. Guten Tag, Reader, I knew the words were going to come out of my motherās mouth eventually. Not in every conversation, but certainly in every conversation about any of my adventures: Going to the island of Corse on a motorcycle with my boyfriend when I was 17 Studying abroad for a year Traveling to any place outside of Western Europe Eating sushi Hiking the Grand Canyon rim-to-rim Rafting the...
3 months agoĀ ā¢Ā 3 min read
Rowing Miss Lucy, October 2021 Guten Tag, Reader, For centuries, women have gathered in wild placesānot just for chores that kept their families alive (water and firewood hauling, food gathering, medicine makingā¦) but for insight, renewal, and the kinds of conversations that change everything. Women played a crucial role in maintaining and protecting these spaces, often forming informal networks of support, knowledge-sharing, and resistance. From the women of the commons to modern-day river...
3 months agoĀ ā¢Ā 2 min read
Notice what's happening in your body. How does your nervous system react to a coneflower shadow on snow? Guten Tag, Reader, Bitten ;tldr: Regulating your nervous system is an essential mental health skill. For a nervous system reset, join me and fellow Nature Therapy Guide Angie on the Rogue River in September. Okay, remember how I wrote about asking what we need last time? I want to tell you that the universe will always reward you for doing so. Alas, thatās not this weekās story. Or is it?...
4 months agoĀ ā¢Ā 4 min read
I asked D for a dog-free walk, got what I needed, and didn't even know how much I needed it until I heard the birds singing from the snowy trees. Guten Tag, Reader, How often do you get what you want? How often do you ask for what you want? How often do you NOT ask for what you want? Donāt just read on. Actually, think about it. Then, do it again and replace the want with need. How often do you ask for what you need? How often do you not? And here is another question: How often do you know...
4 months agoĀ ā¢Ā 2 min read