A Short Reflection on Self-Discoveries and Business Direction

I am an only child. I grew up spending a lot of time outdoors, whether that was at my home, my grandparents', Lake Erie, or Southern Ohio, I knew three things above all else: I loved animals, I loved water, and I loved the woods. I would go everywhere barefoot and not think twice about it. I would play basketball in the driveway, or roam around out in the woods barefoot. I never wore shoes. Yes, I have had chiggers multiple times. No, I do not recommend googling if you do not know what those are.

I also used to climb around the hills of southern Ohio with my dad every spring, looking for mushrooms. I loved when it would rain on us out there, because there is nothing more calming than hearing the rain coming down on the tree leaves and forest floor. I spent every summer since I was a child at Lake Erie either swimming, fishing, or being out on the water. I regularly spent hours outside in snow, rain, or sunshine, creating stories in my own head and going on adventures. I rode bikes, 4-wheelers, or roller blades in circles around the house. We lived on 8 acres of nothing but wooded property and I loved to climb trees. As a child, I would sometimes climb into the deer stand to sit in silence and listen to the sounds of nature. I spent a lot of time alone in nature and it was something I cherished.

Recently, I have really reconnected with my love for being out in nature. In a way, nature was kind of my first friend, when you think of it from the only child perspective; but I attribute a lot of this reconnection to the grounding techniques I have been practicing. This basically involves tuning into my five senses to be mindful of what I see, hear, touch, taste, and smell in the moment. I expanded on this a couple of weeks ago, but I do this for my daily anxiety, when I am processing grief - which is usually a surefire way to catapult me into a depression cycle, and when I feel myself dissociating. This calms my nervous system, and in a way - it keeps me... earthbound.

I originally came to the name "Earthbound with Myra," with the view of being bound to this earth for a limited time. Now, in addition to that, I view being earthbound as the wonderful opportunity to connect with the earth around you. If I sound like a hippie right now, it is because I am and always have been. If that is news to you, then it is likely because I have hidden pieces of myself or not had the opportunity to express myself appropriately. I am happy to share this side of me now.

I have said before and will say it again: I never had big dreams or ambitions for this blog or my Health and Wellness Coaching Certification (still do not). I never intended to quit my job and not return to work. All I wanted to do was quit my career, and find something that brought me joy. Simply joy. Because at the time I quit my career, I had no joy; and thanks to depression, was nowhere close to finding it under those circumstances. It became a kill or be killed situation for me. James and I were both processing shock and grief. My marriage was cracking. I was cracking. Something had to go before I completely fucking lost it, and after careful consideration, James and I knew it had to be my job.

I say this because I know that I am privileged to be in such a situation that I can actually pursue what I am pursuing now. There are times when I feel shocked - when I look back at where James and I started years ago - that we have been able to grow and build this life we have together. A life where it is possible that I could quit a career, pick up a part-time job for my mental health, and pursue some shit that actually brings me joy. I feel shocked even now, that I once thought my career is what gave me purpose. When I think about all the things I have found joy in now that I have reconnected with my roots - sitting at a desk, on the phone, answering emails, creating spreadsheets... none of that shit brings me joy. It does the fucking opposite. I feel shocked to find that I have been repressing parts of me for even 40 hours a week for the sake of inflating my resume, and affording to survive. That "survival" was not even bringing me joy because I was disconnected with where it actually came from. What the fuck is this vicious cycle?

My ranting aside, I decided several weeks ago that Earthbound with Myra (soon to be Earthbound Wellness, with any luck with the business registration), is about more than just changing something about your life (because you are here for a limited time and you should not fucking waste that). It is also about reconnecting with shit that straight up brings you joy to allow you to be present here on earth; and sometimes we have to discover, and rediscover what that is. For me, it is cooking. It is nature. It is the morning sunrise and the evening sunsets. It is rain and running water. It is birds, animals, and fish. It is about capturing those moments (and you'll see more of that on my Instagram) because interacting with all of it brings me joy. I hope that it encourages others to pursue what brings them joy as well.

What brings joy for you?

Self-discovery is so fucking exhausting. There comes a point in time where you just get sick of it. Sick of learning it, hearing about it, all the content on social media that comes to you is filled with it. The best part is all the content created by people are not even certified to be giving you that information (like me right now), even if it is accurate - it comes at you from all directions. Ignorance is almost bliss in this scenario. But once you do get through your own discovery, you feel self-awareness flowing through you. All that information can finally take a back seat. It has been a long and hard year, but I think I am finally there. I am doing something that brings me joy, for me. For no one else.

When I complete my certification, I hope to attract clients who are working to manage everyday stress, and create work-life balance for themselves. I hope to continue capturing photos of food, plants, animals, and the earth in general, because it makes me happy. I hope to continue writing, maybe even take my writing to a new level. I hope to share any recipes that I create in the kitchen. I hope to share techniques for breathing and mindfulness that have helped me, and may also help bring you back to earth when you are having a hell of a day. And then later this calendar year, I hope to complete my 200-hour yoga teacher training.

I do all of this in the hope that I will one day have my own home practice. A practice where I am able to combine my newly acquired coaching skills with my yoga teacher training and my personal joys in life, to host outdoor mindfulness, and deep stretch yoga classes. A practice where we simply breathe and reconnect with nature around us. A practice that provides a safe, and welcoming space for clients to start or end their day doing something for themselves.

Regardless of whether this is something I pursue full-time or something I pursue on the side, this is what brings me joy; and that has been my end goal from the beginning - finding joy. Understanding how much this truly resonates with my roots and who I am as a person makes it even more special to me - it somehow also manages to give the business name I chose a little more depth and context.

My number one reason for blogging is because it is therapeutic for me. It helps to get the thought processes down and out of my system - a brain dump, if you will (which is, in fact, a stress management tool for you to add to your toolbox). To the handful of you who read these posts, thank you. You really do not have to but you do it anyway. I appreciate your unexpected feedback and have come to look forward to it. So if you are here at the end of this post today, leave a comment or shoot me a text and let me know what you think of the direction I am heading.