These worked, and if they didn’t? They first did no harm. No burden to the kidneys or liver or stomach. The best part was when I realized I could shove all my little bottles into an old Clinique makeup bag and take them with me wherever we went –on a camping trip, a long flight, or just the middle of the night when everything seems to go wrong.
I read my books on essential oils from cover to cover. I saved up my birthday money and bought more oils. I got hooked on this new (ancient) way of caring for myself and found out there are lots of people that want to tackle everyday problems at home.
I started small and casual, with things like sunburn and athlete’s foot.
But the first time Bear was hot to the touch and so miserable, I realized I was dealing with something that made me feel powerful again.
Cooling Peppermint oil.
Calming Lavender oil.
Tea Tree for anything itchy.
You guys, that was over seven years ago.
My babies are big kids now.
Ain’t nobody breastfeeding around here.
And my oil stash doesn’t quite fit into a Clinique makeup bag anymore.
Between the time of that first whiff of lemon oil and now, I have traveled around the world from Virginia to Nepal as both a student and a teacher of the power of essential oils.
I’ve learned… health is more than what I thought it was.
To some it is merely about the size of your body. To some it means you never get sick.
To me it means you have the energy and capacity to show up for your life.
I’ve learned there are products on the market for every problem that have very little to do with healing. And products for cleaning that have very little to do with making your home safer. (The secret is in listening to the body, not the advertisements.)
I’ve learned some of the people with the worst chronic illnesses can teach you the most about health, and they appreciate the option of oils on a whole new level.
And lastly, I’ve learned the world of wellness can be a very homogenous space.
Healing is coded into the divine design of food, sleep, plants, laughter – basic preventions and pleasures not everyone has access to, especially the people pushed to the margins, and by whom many of our most holistic practices are historically owned. Babywearing, essential oils, yoga, traditional use of herbs, all began with Black, indigenous, people of color years and years ago. Wellness isn’t a new trendy thing on reserve for those with wealth or privilege, and if our wellness spaces reflect that, that isn’t natural. It’s very, very unnatural.
Just like in nature, life survives and thrives when diversity is present.
That’s the kind of wellness space I want to be in, and I hope you’ll help me create it!
Here's us: Dustan, Betsy, Bear (with his shirt effortlessly matching the front door) and Scout.