Summer with Toadstool Walks

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This summer has been a stormy one. The swollen rivers and fast moving waters have been offering devastating invitations to pivot. I found myself camping alongside a small creek just north of Montpellier, Vermont right before the flooding began. I was one of a 5 organizers of an intentional affinity camp for adults of a particular identity and persuasion that I intersect with. Despite the pouring rain, our time together was so deeply nourishing and some folx travelled quite far to be there. As the rains continued, and the forecast became alarming, we made the incredibly hard decision to end camp a day early to insure safe travel. We efficiently evacuated everyone off the mountain and cleaned up and broke down camp without losing our heads. I made my way south stopping in Montpelier for an ice cream cone and walking around checking out the cute little shops just as the cracks of bigger storms rolled in. By the time I got home, I was seeing images of Montpelier with feet of waters flowing over the same streets and sidewalks where I had just been. The very stores I had just visited were now destroyed. So. Much. Pivoting. A week later, the farm that we are CSA members with (Stone Soup Farm in Hadley, Massachusetts) was so badly flooded that they lost about $100,00 worth of food. In true Community Supported Agriculture fashion, the CSA members have since crowdsourced a huge amount of funds and neighboring farms that were less affected have donated loads of fruits and vegetables, keeping the shares flowing, redefining abundance and leveling up community support. Again, more pivoting. Late June brought my first case of covid. I was fortunate to have a mild case but the disappointment and inconvenience of cancelled programming was a challenge. Ultimately I felt fortunate that covid had not caught me at a more even more inconvenient time and I leaned into the experience of quarantine, being open to what was being offered by doing my tender best to flow with the pivots as graciously as I could, with moments of desperation and impatience along the way as I was helpless around the various other life storms that were raging at the same time. On a less stormy note, I had the privilege of guiding a forest therapy walk for the patrons of Word Fellowship Center in the White Mountains of New Hampshire that has been serving as a respite for activists and marginalized people from all over the world seeking community and solidarity for over 80 years. The mosquitoes and other programming invited more pivoting, guiding us into deeper connection and inspiring philosophies.  There is something just so poignant about spending extended time in a natural setting in a community with just enough structure to facilitate us into a more intentional way of being together while also allowing for lots of space for reflection. I have some programs coming up that I am really excited about as they are invitations to do just this. To be together and explore and learn and just be. Please join me for some slowing down, community connection and inspiriting. Join me this summer! Become a Forest Therapy Guide! Train with me via The Association of Nature and Forest Therapy. This six month Forest Therapy Guide Training is a truly incredible journey and whether you go on to guide walks for the public or for friends and family or even just deepen into your own personal and collective nature connection, there are so many gifts that come from this course. Join me next autumn! Bullfrog Cohort begins September 14th, 2023 on Thursday evenings 6:30-8:30pm Eastern Standard Time   Bobcat Cohort begins October 4th, 2023 on Wednesday mornings from 10:30am-1pm Eastern Standard Time Learn more about training to become a Certified Forest Therapy Guide Learn More at ToadstoolWalks.com Copyright © *2021* *Toadstool Walks*, All rights reserved. My mailing address is: *tamwilley@gmail.com* Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list.

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