I believe we fully flourish when we reach a point of meaning and connection with ourselves. From the death of my mother when I was 6, and the experience of suffering that ensued, making meaning was a critical lifeline. Carl Jung wrote, “Meaning makes a great many things more endurable – perhaps everything.” For me, reconstructing meaning not only gave order to things: it birthed a personal identity.

I live in the avocado foothills of Carpinteria with my husband of 20+ years. Our three children are in various phases of launching into adulthood. Now, we’re learning to raise alpacas and chickens, which speaks to a few of the small steps we’re taking towards homesteading and enjoying a more traditional, sustainable, and simpler way of life.