august 2021

Trinity hot springs, Idaho
​photo credit: Carolyn Messier

In 2019 I wanted to quit my job as a counselor and do something else. I was uninspired and depleted. I remember having coffee with a colleague and sharing my frustration and desire for a change over a latte one Saturday afternoon in downtown Boise.

Then the very next day I went skiing and fell and broke my leg.

My life changed that day on the mountain. As I recover from the injury and continue to process the experience, I realize that I learned how to be still. Very still. Well, because I had to. There's no way to move very fast in a boot. As I became more still, I found myself surrendering to the healing process. The more I relinquished control over the healing, I noticed a deep reservoir of compassion opening up in my body that I didn't know existed. I recovered a love for holding space with others and felt a natural desire to continue my career as a counselor. Perhaps I didn't need to change what I was doing, but how I was doing it. Through my long journey of healing I learned how to hold space for both myself and others. This is medicine.