Category Archives: Hiking & Healing

Life Changes & Missing Home

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November 5, 2018

Sitting in the leaves & considering how simple life was when I was a child

Hi Everyone!  I thought I posted 2 other blogs between September and now, but it looks like they got stuck in my computer (I did have the voice-typed files saved) and I never finished the process.  No worries, today I will post one from early October I wrote, then will post the next few blogs over the next week so we can be all caught up!  So I apologize-I did not fall off a mountain somewhere and get blown away!

(Early October, 2018)   Today was a challenging day for me emotionally. I am running into challenges and old belief systems as I try to  figure out what I want to do for my next steps in life. Today my ego is telling me it’s impossible, that I should not bother, and that all government paperwork is stupid (which isn’t entirely untrue….) Today I miss my family, friends, clients, and the ease of being in my own country. Today I am close to tears walking down the street and I’m using my tools just to manage my emotions so I don’t have a breakdown instead of moving forward. But it’s OK.

One of my lessons this lifetime is to learn how to actually feel emotion really deeply.

Swans in one Dublin park

And when I do it’s always overwhelming. But in a really lovely cleansing way. Today what made things better were the random reach outs of strangers. I caught myself crying in public, and a woman came up to me and put her hand on my arm and simply asked if I was OK. I told her I was OK, but just sad.  She asked if I needed any help, and when I said “no,” she gently told me “take your time.” And then she moved on. It was a great moment of connection and remembering there are good caring people all around me.

Later, I was walking down the streets feeling emotional, and a gentleman walking down the street grabbed my attention and gave me a very compassionate and smiley and uplifting look. It completely changed my energy, and I felt a surge of happiness and peace. A few people have looked at me with compassion, which I also appreciated. I’m sure quite a few people have averted their eyes or avoided me more than they normally would have. But I didn’t notice those people.

My learning for today goes back to the idea of being vulnerable.  There is power behind being vulnerable and feeling and expressing one’s emotions   It also reminds me that when I see people struggling I can reach out and offer a kind word, a smile, or a gentle look, all of which can speak volumes and really change somebody‘s perspective in the moment. It can help them feel connected and part of humanity.  

Sunset in Phoenix Park

My challenge for you is to bring that forward it to your life. How can you show compassion and empathy to someone who is having a challenging day or who is struggling?  How can you show compassion to yourself when you feel like what you’ve done (or are doing) is wrong or not good enough, and those messages are trying to penetrate your being? How can you take care of yourself and take care of others in a way that doesn’t put you out?  If you haven’t seen it, this Brene Brown talk is one of my favorites. It’s a good reminder that as people it is healthy to feel a powerful mix of emotions, and that it’s a good opportunity and often needed for growth.  Included here are the pictures of many of the parks I walked through today as I was trying to be present with myself.  

With love,

Dawn

Wild deer in Phoenix Park, Dublin

Labor Day Love

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Happy Labor Day. It has been a while since I have posted anything, because I accidentally deleted all my photos from my phone. I didn’t want google photos to keep backing up my photos because I have a backup elsewhere. I told it to stop syncing, then deleted all my pics from the cloud in google. And…off my phone they went. Technology does not love me sometimes. But I didn’t want to post anything picture-less, and my photo storage wouldn’t give me the option to re-download to my phone. **Insert long dramatic yet slightly frustrated sigh here.** I now have my laptop back, so here we go!
I am on the bus, heading back to one of the most beautiful places I have encountered in Scotland so far….the Isle of Skye. I was lucky enough to have one of my co-volunteers in the hostel I was at in Fort William allow me to ride with her on her trip there. It rained almost the whole time, but I got these pictures.

Fairie Glen, Isle of Skye

Quiraing, Isle of Skye

I want to hike this island in a way that I cannot describe. There is so much subtle and untouched beauty here (as well as a lot of fully destroyed things by tourists.  Rant ahead:  Toilet paper DOES NOT DISSOLVE when you throw it on the ground.Think about how long it sits in a toilet without dissolving! Either cart it out like you would any other garbage or burn it in your campfire. My friend has photos of a beautiful area; behind every tree and bush you can see TP in the bushes. Gross. It is my new pet peeve and the strongest source of irritation for me on this trip when I camp or hike and there is TP stuck into the landscape.)
Phew.I feel better now. 🙂  After my 3+ hour bus-ride home, I hopped onto the volunteer exchange website and looked for positions available.I am lucky to be volunteering in Skye Backpackers Hostel in Kyleakin from today until September 17th! 5 hours a day, 5 days a week gives me 7 days of lodging and the opportunity to do hiking and sit in the beauty (and take more photos!) Tasks include cleaning the hostel, doing reception, doing laundry, and whatever else is required of me.

View out the hostel window my first day here

In 1882 the first Labor Day Holiday was celebrated in New York City. It was meant to honor the “working man” and to honor the “social and economic achievements of American workers…(a) tribute to the contributions workers have made to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of our country.” Source:The U.S. Department of Labor.
I am still learning a lot about the work ethic of different cultures, (see my newsletter Cultural Similarities & Differences) and just met a woman who lives in Israel. She talked about doctors she nannied for who worked 12-hour days, 7 days a week because of the shortage of doctors, then talked about how hard she personally was expected to work in all of her jobs. The value of her area was to work hard, sleep, then work again. No real time to play or enjoy life.
When I visited San Francisco, they were having a problem because housing was so expensive, minimum wage workers could not afford to live, thus there is a huge shortage of service staff in the area. I also know farmers in Minnesota whose workers are trying to get citizenship and/or appropriate visas, but they keep getting deported, thus leaving the farm struggling to survive.NO answer for any of this is easy, but it makes me think a lot about my own values of how I work and how I want to show up in the world…for my clients and for myself.
I had a multi-hour conversation with a social worker from Michigan the other day, and he discussed how most people who are “on the system” want to get off of it and be independent, and how strongly they want to contribute to society. I feel grateful to be contributing in any way I can while I am here, while also taking care of myself. People as I travel also want to help. They want to make sure I have places to stay, see the best sites in the area, experience local culture, get opportunities for photos, and will often go out of their way to do so!

Managers and volunteers at the Chase the Wild Goose Hostel, Fort William

To summarize this random thought process- often working helps people place a value on their worth in society.They get to decide how they experience that, but I want to say Thank You to everyone for doing what they can, how they can.We all have a role to play, no matter how insignificant it can seem.I hope you can find some kind of fulfillment in your work-whether it is for pay, for play, volunteering, or tucked in the past.  Enjoy your Labor Day.

With Love,
Dawn

Getting on the Harry Potter Themed Steam train

Pushing my body, expanding my mind….Thoughts that come up on a 96 mile hike

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In my last blog, I shared about some of the people that inspired me that I met on my hike. The majority of the rest of the hike was spent in contemplative thought about my own life and how to achieve my purpose and passion. If my mind started looping, I would talk out loud to myself in order to stay on track. Except of course for the 3 miles that the itsy-bitsy spider was stuck in my head.
I sang it over and over again to the rhythm I was walking. It would not go away. Maybe my body wanted me to do the hand motions that went with it, but I was trying walking sticks with this hike to see if I liked them. (I do when my pack is too heavy and I’m going up steep stairs or up steep hills, but on flat or easy spots they’re just kind of annoying for me.) Then I started thinking about how I wish I knew it in Swedish so at least I could practice my Swedish. See….the ego is so good at keeping us safe instead of exploring deeper meaning and purpose!
What I really want to share with you today is about limiting beliefs. As I pondered how I can help people on both an individual and community level while make a bigger positive impact in the world,  my ego, limiting beliefs, and societal imprints all kept trying to get in my way. I decided these are variations of the same theme. Little things that the mind tells us to justify/explain/prove WHY things are or are not happening. Why relationships aren’t working, why finances are tough, why “x” cannot happen or why “y” keeps happening.
“We learn our belief systems as very little children, and then we move through life creating experiences to match our beliefs. Look back in your own life and notice how often you have gone through the same experience.”
-Louise L. Hay
When I was taking my EFT (emotional freedom techniques/tapping) courses, one of the techniques we learned was how to tap on affirmations in order to uncover the mind chatter/subconscious belief/limiting belief that prevent us from embodying the affirmation. It’s a really fun exercise, and if you are doing affirmations and it doesn’t seem to be helping, let’s do a session together and I can teach you the technique!
Back to my point though. I re-uncovered a limiting belief that I have to work hard to make money. In other words, if I’m not physically pushing myself, it has no value. How interesting that when I had my practices in United States, I attracted all of my lovely clients that love deep tissue work. As soon as I moved to Sweden, I averaged two calls a week for people looking for lighter touch therapies such as craniosacral. My goal was always to have about a 50-50 practice of deep and light, yet somehow I thought it wasn’t possible. In fact, the belief was so strong, I found myself doing deep work sometimes on people that didn’t even want deep work.
I share this because I’m encouraging you to find where in yourself is there a limiting belief that is preventing you from achieving your goal, fulfilling your passion, finding happiness, or healing from the past.  When I worked with my EFT practitioner last week, She helped me uncover a memory from fifth grade, when a friend told me that I had to make a choice between her and other friends in order to be accepted. That had turned into a limiting belief that was impacting how I showed up in the world for others, and how I was holding my own boundaries.
If you want help uncovering your beliefs, I encourage you to go for a multi-day hike or walk by yourself. If that’s not possible, let’s set up an appointment. I would love to help in anyway I can. You can always set up an appointment from the homepage of my website. Enjoy this next series of pictures.
Sending so much Love, Dawn





Expanding my Mind: Fun meandering through Scotland

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I just finished hiking the West Highland Way in northern Scotland. I’m going to split my trip experience into two blogs so I can share more of what I learned, the fun I had along the way, as well as more pictures.
 
My intention for this hike was to do as much of the 96 mile trail as I could before going to work at a hostel in Fort Williams, Scotland. I thought that in the 6 days I had available, I would get through six of the eight sections of the trail. No problem. However, since I was wild camping, which means that I was camping wherever the heck I felt like it, I was able to go a little bit farther every day if I had the energy, which I often did, so I finished it all. I met up with fun people on the trail and got to talk about life, the world, and everything. This blog is about the people that inspired me.
 
One couple that I met on day two of my hike was 836 miles into their 1180 mile hike that they had planned over three months. They were hiking trails from England to the north of Scotland, and their fun goal was to not hike on any paved roads. They had planned out their full adventure ahead of time, and with only a (fairly) small backpack on each of their backs, they managed to do an average of only 4 miles on a paved road for every hundred they traveled.  
 
This means that they often go out of their way and do trails that are not well-marked. They sometimes have to use GPS or hike through bogs. They were happy and joyful and exuberant to be together, and to see and explore so much on their time off. They shared their fire, their tea, and some port with me as we talked. They were mostly wild camping as well, but every 10 to 12 days would splurge for a hostel or a bed-and-breakfast. They told me great stories about people in England letting them camp in their backyards or in their gardens, as wild camping is not as acceptable there as it is in Scotland. I loved their playful adventurous spirit, and the trust that they had that everything would work out. And when it didn’t, they would find a way to make the best of it and have fun anyway. It’s what I strive to do, and it was so lovely to see a couple who was making this their journey for so many months together.
 
Another man that inspired me is one I ran into on my last day of my hike. I did 21 miles the day before, and was pushing through 15 miles with a 22-year-old from Amsterdam who was studying yoga and trying to figure out what to do with his life while finishing an economics and computer degree. But the man in question was living in Chicago, originally from India, and he was on day nine of his hike. What makes him so special? He was 76 years old, and full of smiles and joy. He was by himself, and was just going at the pace that he was comfortable with. It inspired me, because my goal in life is to keep moving for as long as I can. I’ve met 80-year-olds who downhill ski still.  It is easy to say that someone is too old to do an activity, or that is too dangerous. But if we keep our bodies moving, eat with some reasonable degree of healthiness, and keep our mental attitude young, we can do anything. Especially if we find a physical or mental activity that we are passionate about. Movement is life, and when we keep our minds curious and open, our bodies moving-at any pace, and keep healing and growing, I really believe we can embody more peace and happiness.
 
The 22-year-old from Amsterdam that I mentioned was hiking by himself. We talked about philosophy, and how to embrace peace within ourselves and in relationships. We talked about serious and sad subjects such as the Holocaust, and the type of separation and dissociation that needed to happen for that event to occur. We talked about the separation happening in current cultures, and the power of the words that are used in the news and the impact they have on our view of others. We talked about Gandhi, philosophies of  peace, and how different generations viewed and currently view relationships of all kinds. He inspired me to think about peace and violence in a different way. Many religions/spiritual teachings encourage nonviolence. But how do we practice non-violence towards ourselves? In other words… be compassionate and forgiving for your own actions and your own supposed shortcomings. Most of us are harder on ourselves than we are on others, including yours truly. My goal now is to remember to be as forgiving to myself as I am to others, and to remember that I’m always doing the best I can. I even read that in a book called The Four Agreements many years ago! But for me it’s an easy one to forget, even with the healing work I do with my practitioners.
 
I hope this blog inspires you to have fun, be kinder to yourself, be more loving and compassionate to others, and to move through life with ease and grace, no matter your age, no matter your circumstances, and no matter your struggles. Everything can be overcome because you are strong and powerful human. And if you need a reminder of that, just read that sentence again or ask your best friend how awesome you are. 🙂 Following are some pictures that I’m sorry I can’t label right now because I’m using my phone as my only computer.
 
With LOVE and peace, Dawn

 

Hiking with newfound friends

Communication Challenges on the Road

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These last few weeks have really challenged me on how I communicate clearly to other people while also understanding what they’re saying. Not only have I had to learn a lot about how to pronounce words in Swedish, but how to understand the words being said when they are spoken casually and quickly. Luckily, I have found a couple of friends who really encourage me to pronounce the language correctly, down to every last syllable. It’s been amazingly helpful, and something I hope I retain easily while I’m traveling in Scotland. But even when we use the same words in the same language communication is not always clear. For example, I was talking to someone in Stockholm about something being a mile away. And they asked me if I meant an American miles, or a Swedish mile! I didn’t even know Swedes used miles, as the metric system is what is used throughout Europe. It turns out that one Swedish mile is 10 km. Even speaking about something as basic as distance, we had to be attentive to what we were actually talking about.
 
I’m in Scotland. I was warned by some of my friends that the Scottish language would be challenging to understand, even though they speak English. I was pretty proud of myself when I was hanging out with my new friends Jan and Terry and could understand 95% of what they said. But then waiting for a train one day, an elderly gentleman came up and started talking to me. I didn’t understand a single word he was saying. His friend had to translate for me. The interesting thing is, they could both understand me very easily. What wasn’t my ear catching? It made me very curious. Yes, they do use different words and phrases such as “you ken?” meaning “you know?”
 
I won’t even start different word usage like pants and underwear, as it seemed different then how my British friends use them as well. I will have to actually clarify and write it down later. (Pants = underwear and underwear = knickers… or something?) 
 
But my point is, when I listen to my friends, when I work with my clients and their stressors, and think of many of my own challenges in life–so many issues start with a problem in communication. Tones and words are misinterpreted, intentions are misunderstood, or we use an inappropriate medium to send a message. We all know this of course. It’s the subject of therapy books, television shows, work trainings, and so on.
 
Why is it still such a challenge?  I think much of the energy we carry around communication is based upon how we were communicated with as a child. Were you allowed to communicate clearly? Did you feel heard?
 
How did the adults in your life communicate with each other, and what did you subconsciously learn from that? I know that some of my own healing work has been about clearing and understanding issues around what I heard when I was a child and how I interpreted it in my own self. What ‘they’ said versus what I actually heard.   Doing that has helped me be able to listen to my friends, my clients, and my parents in a much more clear way. I take things much less personally, listen to what people are trying to say versus the words that they may be using, as well as having more patience around communication.
 
If you are having communication challenges in your life, I invite you to sign up for an Emotional Freedom Techniques session with me. To see how this blog shows up, I am just going to email in this and some pictures and see what the web does with it. I figure it fits the communication theme. 🙂
 
Vi ses,
Dawn

 





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The Rain in Sverige (aka Sweden) After the Drought

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A view of the grasses and trees in the area

It rained here near Stockholm last night.  I know, Minnesotans right now are soaked, but here we are in a heat wave and a drought.  It hasn’t rained since May in most areas in Sweden, and if there has been any, it was too little to nourish plants.  They are reporting 61 independent wildfires in Sweden right now, with 4 of them being too big to be extinguished.  There has been a fire ban on for at least a month, which means when I camp I have to bring things that do not need to be cooked, as even my little gas camp stove is illegal.  My friend, Evelina, who lives here, commented that it is so dry, pieces of glass can create a magnifying effect and start fires.

Farmers are suffering, and there is talk of government help, but the people I talk to don’t seem to know exactly what that means.  The main concern is the crops for the animals, and having enough food for them to survive the long winter.  There were no true spring greens from anyone’s garden this year, and it is hard to find fresh produce in the stores.

Leaves look like this on many trees-or worse

It has been hot here, with highs this last week being a consistent 30-31° C (86-87.8° F). I know that doesn’t seem hot for many Minnesotans, but remember it is normally around 24° C (75° F.)  Sweden does not really have air conditioning because it doesn’t stay hot long, and nights

usually get cooler.  The house where I stay for example, doesn’t even own a fan.  That is common.  Busses and subways are hot and humid and bring on instant sweat.  I have been finding beaches all over to visit just to bring my body temperature down for a few precious hours.  It is interesting to me, as I didn’t have air conditioning in my house in Red Wing, and rarely turned it on in my house in Stillwater (more for humidity than heat.)  But the lack of fans and air circulation really creates a difference in the experience of the heat.  And Swedes are talking about the weather because of the drought!  I haven’t experienced that until this week.  

You can see the mosses and grasses even close to the lake are very dry

Yet there are many bodies of water here.  Stockholm is part of an archipelago, and there are many clean, beautiful lakes to be found here.  It is an interesting juxtaposition-to have so much water yet see the

plants be so dry.  But I find when I am hiking that the land is also very rocky in many spots, kind of like you would see near the north shore.  Lots of moss and shallow-rooted trees breaking through the rocks.

Yesterday, I went to one of the islands called Lånholmen.  Although it’s an island, it is part of the archipelago, and is very easily accessible as if you are just crossing a river.  There is a great harbor here that contains mostly wooden boats (pictures below.)

Even though it is very hot for Swedes, they are all still actively outside, as summer is precious, and many are still on holiday.  Most people get 6 weeks of holiday here per year, and they treasure it.  Many people take their holiday in the summer, when they can enjoy the beauty of the country and relax after the midsommar parties.

Outdoor dance hall at Skansen

Last night, I went to an outdoor social dance and my friend Evelina taught me how to bugg, which is a popular Swedish traditional dance that is similar to a swing, but the steps are in a straight line instead of at an angle, and is also a bit more contained for those who are not professional dancers.  Even though I love swing and salsa, this had a different feel to it, and was a bit challenging for me to follow the leads properly with many of the spins.  But I tried, and people were very friendly and helpful as they taught me what I was doing wrong. 🙂

Public transport ferry in Stockholm

But it was hot, even with the outdoor atmosphere, so the ferry ride back across to Stockholm to take my train home was lovely and refreshing.

I hope this finds you all well and happy.  Enjoy the summer weather, and if you are enjoying what I have to write, please comment!  It’s so fun to get feedback from all the people back home.  Now, I’m off to another beach, this time near Farstra Strand, then perhaps another round of dancing tonight.

With love,

Dawn

wooden boat harbor In Långholmen, a small island

Sweden vs Home: Preparing for the Next Journey

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This Swedish traveler just finished about an 18 mile hike on the ice age trail, which runs from Taylors Falls, MN/St. Croix Falls WI to Michigan. The purpose of this hike was to test out all of my gear that I’m bringing to Sweden with me for camping, make sure I’m okay carrying 30+ pounds on my back over rough terrain for a long distance, and to try to settle my mind.

A small waterfall on the hike in MN

I picked up the trail at Highway 8 and 35 in Wisconsin, hiked 8 miles into a camp near Lions Park, and spent the night there. It turns out all my gear works wonderfully, and I have enough strength and stamina to handle excursions such as this.  On the way back I took a detour on the Trail of Myths. This was a 2 mile up-and-down hike through some lovely old values with ferns, rivers, and lots and lots of up-and-down hill stretches.

Just another stream along Sweden’s hiking trail

One reason I wanted to post about this as well as posting pictures is the similarity of landscape between here and Sweden. As I’ve mentioned to many of you, there’s a reason why Swedish ancestors from Gotland settled here.   I included couple pictures of my previous hike in Sweden, as well as my current hike here in St. Croix Falls. It’s lovely to feel so connected to both places at once and realize that the similarities if I get homesick, all I have to do is run out into the woods and pretend I am back in Minnesota.

Unless it’s snowing. Then I can just look at the snow and pretend I’m in Minnesota.   I’m on the countdown and have 8 days until I fly out. It’s been hard to leave my massage clients and close my offices. I’ve started saying my final goodbyes to many of my friends and am facing the final goodbye to my family and those closest to me soon. However, I am confident this transition will go smooth. I’m excited to share with you everything that I’ve learned and am learning about as I explore culture differences in aspects including health, healing, and relationships. It’s become very clear to me that one of my specialties is to help people emotionally reengage in their personal, professional, and societal relationships. 

Guess-Sweden or Minnesota?

I’ve started studying how we view touch as an American culture and am curious to remind myself and to get a deeper understanding of how touch is viewed in other countries. I know Swedish culture has similar touch ideas but are also more relaxed about their bodies and body image.  There is not so much shame associated with physicality.

Healthy touch is  important for physical, mental, and emotional growth.  I am clear that I will have to do my own healing work around what happens when I am suddenly no longer able to receive the same level of touch that I am accustomed to (hugs from family, friends, massages, and so on). I know it’s a challenge for many people when they break up with significant others, have a death in the family, move away to college, and so on, but this will be my first real experience in many years dealing with a sudden shift in close relationships.  

Until I am there, I can only guess at what I will experience, how the meaning and feel of home will shift for me, and how much I’m going to have to use my EFT (tapping) tool to help process. I’m also curious how someone who loves communication so much will fare speaking Swedish.  It

Me & my gear after 16 miles

makes me happy to share my experiences with you as I travel, and look forward to the continued journey together. 

With Love,
Dawn

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Researching Sweden + A Big Move

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April 28, 2018

Hiking the High Coast, 2017

I’ve been doing a lot of research about my upcoming year to Sweden. There is so much to research, including licensing, visas, and travel restrictions.  There are many options-do I get a job, work for room & board and explore, or go to school?  How can I learn what it is I want to learn in life, have fun and explore, stay within my budget, and still support myself all at the same time?

Some days Sweden + travel seems exciting and new and full of potential. Other days it feels scary, impossible, and as if I should just forget about it and stay here in the United States, where I can still travel and learn, although with a culture I am mostly familiar with. Yet I’ve realized that the feelings that I’m feeling are not exclusive to my travel plans. We all have moments of questioning our lives. Are we on the right track? Have we done what we want in life, or are we regretting choices?  What would have happened if….? Sometimes we feel stuck, hopeless, frustrated, angry, and a myriad of other things often all at the same time.

I’m a bit adverse to blogging, but it feels like this is something that’s going to be important to not only keep track of my own experience of life for my own learning process, but to share with others and to remind people that it is possible to heal. I feel like it will be a great platform to share how other cultures interact with each other through touch, emotion, and healing. I also hope everyone that reads these will either gain insight on themselves, learn something fun to try, or explore a concept from another area of the world. So here we go. I have given my notice for my apartment, I have given a minor notice to both my Workspaces, and most of my clients know I will be leaving town for a year. I only hope my experiences encourage others to be present with themselves and to grow in their own way as well.

With love,

Dawn

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