A very dear friend of mine suggested I do an exercise of writing down all of my life aspirations in a beautiful handmade notebook. So, I did. The list mainly includes various travel experiences and learning new skills. At one point, I was surprised to find my hand writing "Have an orgasm every day for a year."

Now, another friend pointed out to me recently that I may have a "late bloomer" bent on this subject, but bear with me. I stopped smoking cigarettes on May 31st. To reward myself, I decided to buy a new toy that's just for me. It's beautiful and it's exactly the one I wanted. These things can be expensive, and let me just say, it's worth it. YOU'RE WORTH IT.

Basically, I got this fancy new toy and inadvertently began my year long journey. Like, Forrest Gump, I just kept on goin'. And now, I'm two months in, and I felt like blogging about it. Weird, I know.

It has turned out to be so much more than I expected.

For the first two weeks, my body was just so happy for the attention I was giving, it all came so easily (excuse the intentional pun). Then, I'd find myself in logistically delicate situations where it was more difficult to accomplish. *cue all the people in my personal life counting back through the days* Eventually, I'd miss a day here or there, and be gentle with myself about it - which I believe is just a healthy way to work within a year-long challenge of any kind.

But now, I'm two months in, and its getting tough. I don't use any external visual - just as a general rule for my own challenge. So, I'm really just meeting myself - in this foreign land of pleasure where I've never truly ventured before. Sometimes, all I do is weep. Sometimes, it takes an hour. Sometimes, I'm so frazzled that I think of a million other things I could be doing while I'm doing this. And every time I finish, I'm more grounded and stable in my body. I'm honestly the least stressed I've ever been.

I've also been listening to a podcast called "Hoodrat to Headwrap: a decolonized podcast" presented by Ericka Hart and Ebony Donnley (which I highly recommend!). And Ericka Hart is a sexuality educator (with a Master's in sex ed) who says that their top "self love" activity is masturbation. I think we could all get in touch with ourselves a little more and break the stigma around talking about female/nonbinary masturbation. Let talk about it! It's good for us! Let's get vulnerable! Let's get real.

I just moved back to Minnesota after spending the last year in California learning Emotional Release Therapy. It's strange returning to a place that I've called "home" from deep within my being for so long, but having left for a brief time.

So far, there have been a few encounters with people I am acquainted with, and they do a sort of double-take and eventually say "I didn't recognize you!" But it takes them a minute to process. I feel like I've been gone for years, not just one. And I feel like a (nearly) completely new version of myself. And on the flip-side of that coin, A YEAR is not that long in the grand scheme of this Universe. It's amazing to me the "both/and-ness" of being gone for a long and brief time.

Some of my closest people here in Minneapolis have also changed dramatically over the last year. And we get to have this new meeting of our souls as we are IN THIS MOMENT. I love watching people shift and change into more authentic versions of themselves. To witness people in that process requires, to a certain extent, leaving and returning. Because, if I watch a plant grow day to day, I may not even think about it's incremental growth until I notice that it's got a whole new stem, or bud, or flower. So, when I return after a year away, the growth I am able to notice (in myself & others) is much more defined.

I come back to Minneapolis carrying with me new gifts to share: a new ability to receive and receive, a new practice with boundaries, and a new way of walking in the world. Maybe this is what people "don't recognize" about me.

California offered me many things which I received with joy. It was a difficult, magical, and playful year. Through my training and practice I was able to plumb the depths of my Self - to find that wellspring of light within my being - and express these remembered parts. I got to keep meeting myself anew over and over again, which I carry on to the present moment.

We all get to keep meeting ourselves over and over again. That's the beauty of the human experience! (At least, that's my humble opinion.) We get to experience what it's like to be alive. And as the NorCal folks would say, "that's hella cool."

This new energy of trust in my journey - trust in the Universe - is carrying me forward like a river. I am the river. I am the ocean waves upon the shore. These are things I bring back to Minnesota with me.

So, here I am. Merry meet, Twin Cities! Let's reconnect. I'd love to share space with you.

To kick off my return to Minneapolis, I'm offering a limited amount of bodywork packages (3 sessions for $150). I am also willing to trade goods/other energy work for one session. Currently, I'm working out of The Medicine Tree Acupuncture Studio, but I'm also willing to bring my massage table to you.

Email me to schedule: healingartsbycm@gmail.com

See you soon!

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