Right Where I Need To Be

I would never have imagined that I would need to come back to Colorado to regroup.  Despite the fact that I have some very dear friends in Colorado, I haven't missed being here.  A smattering of dread, barely recognizable, even began to seep to the surface as I prepared for my trip.  I wondered if my trip might stir up some memories I wasn't anxious to revisit.

But as soon as the plane touched down in Denver, I knew I was to receive a very powerful message during my stay, because it was raining and the skies had become increasingly ominous throughout our descent.  I called Jenny, my friend, driver, and hostess, as soon as I landed and she said, "Thank goodness your flight was on schedule - it's raining and hailing buckets in Franktown."  For those of you who aren't familiar, the weather in Colorado is unpredictable, but usually the Denver suburbs are dried to a crisp by June - I was expecting similiar fire conditions that I left in California!

We drove straight to Dark Star Farm, owned by my dear friend Deb, where I trained horses, gave riding lessons and developed some lifelong friendships for 6 years.  I needed a quick hello with my 29-year-old lesson horse, Reggie.  He was the anchor of my riding school for over 8 years, and while I miss him terribly, it would have been selfish to move him 1200 miles to California, taking him from the farm at which he's comfortable and has received specialized "senior" care for so many years.  Deb and Jenny agreed to look after him after I left Colorado.  Jenny also runs Acadia Equine Rehab out of Dark Star and she and Deb have determined that Reggie is one of the farm's anchor horses, too.  My eyes are watering and my heart is about to burst as I type, just thinking about how lucky I am to have been blessed with a horse who has touched so many people.  Reggie and I had a good snuggle in the rain for a few minutes, and we told him we'd be back the next day.

My first three days here really drove home the "flow like water" theme - it rained buckets.  I met Jenny's cat, suitably named Rayne, for the first time since she got him, and he's made himself my fill-in boyfriend while I'm here.  I listened to Lauryn Hill's "Water" over and over.  I was saturated to the core.  The scenery is surprisingly green and blue - much different than the brown grass and foggy skies typical of Santa Barbara's "June Gloom" I left nearly a week ago.

Jenny has been amazing - driving me all over, allowing me to see many old friends and introducing me to some remarkable new contacts.  In fact it was Jenny who put me in touch with the shaman I've been working with on my flow like water lesson.  I spoke with him again last week, and his new advice was geared toward the study of plants: "You can watch plants for hours and not see anything happening, but you come back the next day, and there's new growth.  It's proof that there's always something happening, even when you can't see it.  So remember that, and don't be discouraged when you have a bad day."

The very next day, I finally got to meet a good friend of Jenny's, Frances Fitzgerald Cleveland, an herbalist, aromatherapist, healer and the owner of Frogworks/Kaeru Studio in Littleton, Colorado.  After hearing so much about her healing abilities, I was anxious to pick her brain for some herbs and oils that might help me with my current physical and mental health.  I was not disappointed.  Frances is one of those people that just knocks you over with her aura the moment you meet her.  And she was so willing to help, she offered to do some research for me, just as long as I would help her plant flowers and get some yardwork finished while we talked.  Wait, did she just say plant flowers?  Working with plants?  Huh.

The energy of Frogworks and Kaeru Studio is tremendous - my visit was soothing and uplifting at the same time.  I'm going to go back tomorrow for some more herb and oil therapy, and I'm sure my body will welcome another dose of healing energy after resting today.

Plans have been made to spend more time at Dark Star, meet another shaman, and allow my body to rest.  I'll keep you posted as I continue my adventures, just where I need to be.