Second Adulthood

When I was in college, back in the 70's, I found such a different
world.  There was a group of us "older" students living off-campus
that were into natural foods, green living, and I dove head first into
that group.  I read everything I could.  Fortunately, my friend and
mentor at the time, Jeanne K, had an entire bookshelf on these
subjects.  She made her own herbal sun teas, herbal creams,
and even herbal medicines.  She taught yoga.  As far as I was
concerned, she practically walked on water, so emulating her
was a positive thing.  I grew a garden, canned food, and ordered
natural foods and fruits and nuts through our infant coop
that we had started while students.

On a sidenote, that coop, The Rampant Onion Coop, lasted
30 years until it gave up its name and merged with the Asheville
French Broad Coop.  My job in the coop was to type up
the newsletter, some of which I did write and edit.  Typing was
a pain; my mind is always ahead of its ability to find the correct
letters. Lots of back-spacing--then and now.

My kitchen had bottles of canned home-made spaghett sauce,
jars of dried figs, dates, and apricots, raw cashews, almonds,
and peanuts.  There were avocados, carrots, onions, garlic
and who knows what else--cheese, all different kinds--in
fridge.  I ate healthy, became very skinny, and loved that
part of my life.

When I started working, I gradually drifted away from that
life I knew and loved.  But even in that part of the journey
I was reminded that if I wanted, I could heal--I had the
knowledge, but using it was another thing.  There was a
reason.  I was a nurse.  I worked in a very black and white
world.  The world I lived in and knew was full of color,
promise, and hope.  Collision day came.  I had a patient
with intractable back pain.  It was 2 hours before his
next pain injection.  "let me try something.  It won't hurt.
I won't even touch you.  It's an interaction between
energy fields.  If it works, great.  But you can't tell anyone;
it will get me in trouble. OK?"  Well, he agreed--because
he knew whatever it was wouldn't work.  So I did it--
clearing his energy field and totally focusing on clearing his
pain.  Took maybe 5 minutes.  His pain went away.  He was
astounded and proceeded to tell everyone--and I got into
trouble, just as I had feared.  I was called on the carpet--
this guy wouldn't stop talking about it.  I had "Healed"
him.  Why didn't I do that with all sick people?  He wouldn't
shut up.  So my superiors were major ticked off at me.

I was ticked at them also.  I walked out.  Yes, first nursing
job, and I walked.  Then, even stranger, I took a job on a
construction site doing clean-up--and made more money
doing that than caged inside of hospital walls.  I loved it.
But at the end of the day, I could hardly move--from using so many
muscles I didn't ordinarily use.  The guy I was dating and
his room mate were laughing at me, offering to cook for me
that night.  And I became angry--at myself.  I had the knowledge
and ability to stop the pain and instead I was wallowing in
it.  I told them I was cooking--in about 45 mins.  I proceeded
to go through my yoga exercises,  then lit a candle and took
a very hot bath by candlelight.  By the end of my meditation bath,
I had no pain at all.  I dressed and then went and cooked
supper for us all.

Then, fast forward to present.  The chickens, oddly enough, have
me more conscious of the food I eat.  I am always trying to find
nutritious food for them, and then said, "Why am I not eating that?"

So the second adulthood begins.

All for now--

Kate

PS--I gave the chickens some leftover squash with onions and some
tomato pieces.  The squash was gone before I left the room.  Blondie
ate the most of it.