My name is Steven, and whether I’ve known you my whole life, have met you through social media, or you’re new here, I want to introduce myself!
Lets start with the basics, shall we? I’m a Virgo. I was born and raised in Oklahoma. I am a lifelong book NERD. I am an Eagle Scout. I am an adventurer and nature enthusiast. That… pretty much covers the basics. I could go on and on about who I am and who I have been…
However, it’s a new year, and I’m in a new stage in my life, and as such I wanted to share my hopes for what is to come.
You see, 2022 was a major transformative year for me. I turned 30. I was finally able travel outside of the U.S. and made my way to Scotland (life-changing). I left a job, that had for years drained me mentally, emotionally and physically… (I can’t put all of the blame of being drained solely on a job, a lot has happened, especially in the last 3 years) but I can say that after 7 years of ups and downs in a corporate setting immediately after graduating from college, I felt like I was losing who I wanted to be. I became unrecognizable to myself. It was time to make a change, to throw it all out and start over.
So that’s what I did. I left my career behind and fell in love with learning again. I fell in love with plants. I fell in love with myself. I’m finally starting to recognize who I am again!
I’ve spent most of my time since leaving my job (as well as while I was still working there) learning about herbalism and plant medicine. And with that comes learning about sustainability, mindfulness, nutrition, folklore, mythology, and really just embracing a general shift in how one views the world. It’s allowed me to refocus and to some degree, to heal.
Mind you, I still work every day to kindle my inner flame, including this new venture (writing). However for the first time in a while, I’m feeling like I’m on a path of true discovery and I am proud of that.
My goal is to continue to pursue herbalism and one day to be skilled enough to be a clinical herbalist (even though herbalism is a lifelong endeavor). In the meantime, I hope you’ll follow along with me as I progress with my own studies in herbal medicine. I want to share and learn with you, as there is much to learn. I want to connect with other herbalists and plant enthusiasts. I want to share my creations. I want to highlight the work that so many others are already doing. I want to be a resource and a guide. But mostly, I want to wander with an endless sense of wonder in this natural green world.
I can feel that something big is brewing, and I so hope you’ll choose to join me on this adventure.
One of the main things I hope to accomplish in 2023 is to build a community. I want to converse and share and connect to others who have a deep love with the natural world. While you’re here in this community… you’ll never walk alone (Liverpool fans anywhere?)
Let’s get this going, shall we?
Sláinte!
So proud of you dude. Cannot wait to follow this journey.