The rest of the day we had short but in-depth seminars taught by wellness specialists. I was wide-eyed and curious during the re-awaken to nature wilderness survival skills class, even though I had attended several mountain camps during my adolescence where I learned primitive skills. The enthusiastic expert leader, Cliff, taught us how to choose strong branches that we later carved to create fire-by-friction. He told us not to hurry our wood carving or focus too hard on the end result, but rather enjoy the moment and being in the outdoors. It made me reflect on all of the seemingly mundane activities (i.e. doing laundry) through which I could celebrate life by treating the process like ceremony.
The most interesting seminar in my opinion was led by Kimberly Morabito, a raw food chef and holistic health educator who informed us about the dangers of overly acidic foods. The breakfast she made us included a green smoothie made of vegetables and fruit, homemade granola, buckwheat oatmeal with almond milk (my favorite!), dehydrated nuts, and hot tea. She told us, “If you ate this type of breakfast everyday, you wouldn’t need to take any supplements.” No more need to gag on big, gross pills? Sounded great to me, but I couldn’t imagine converting to this type of food every day.
Maybe I could start re-awakening with baby steps … two or three times a week I could practice mindful meditation, appreciate being in the moment, and eat a few fresh raw foods (if my stomach would permit me).
