NATURE

When I first learned about “Nature Deficit Disorder” (coined by Richard Louv in his groundbreaking book, Last Child in the Woods), I immediately knew I suffered from it. More recently, in her 2017 book, The Nature Fix, author Florence Williams’ naming of modern society’s “epidemic dislocation from the outdoors” confirmed the huge scope of the problem, worldwide.

I’ve spent most of my life living, studying, and working in large urban areas including Chicago, Washington DC, Boston, and Tokyo. Until recently, I lived a life totally “dislocated from the outdoors.” Gradually, from my initial foray into growing herbs and flowers on the back porch to experiments with indoor, apartment-worm composting, to joining a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) farm, I’ve aligned myself with the nature’s gifts.

Now, in New Mexico, I feel the healing power of nature every day. The mountains are only a 15-minute drive from home. I feel my shoulders drop within minutes of starting a hike. My nervous system immediately calms with the views of the vistas. When confronted with the vast beauty of the Southwest U.S. landscape, I understand the meaning of the word sacred.

Now, I cultivate flowers, succulents, and vegetables in my greenhouse and garden beds. I’m currently working toward my certification as a Master Gardener. At this point in my life, nature and the outdoors no longer represent an escape. Instead, they nourish my soul every day.

In addition, as an Independent Consultant for the vegan health and wellness company, Arbonne International, I’m thrilled to help others incorporate botanically-based, natural, healthy products and habits into their busy lives. I educate them on the little-known secrets and sins of the mainstream personal care and cosmetic industry. I raise awareness of potentially harmful products that are readily available at big box stores. I coach people in a 30-Days to Healthy Living clean-eating program that has transformed lives by changing eating patterns.

Arbonne’s personal care, skincare, makeup, and nutritional products are all made with the highest quality vegan, kosher-certified, gluten-free ingredients. They’re safe for consumers (pH correct, hypoallergenic, dermatologist tested) and the environment (packaged in recyclable containers); and beneficial (proven results, Swiss and US Patents pending). You can have peace of mind when using these products because Arbonne voluntarily abides by the strict European standards (where 1,300+ chemical ingredients are banned, compared to a handful in the U.S.). Arbonne products help us cultivate and maintain health, wellness, and beauty, inside and out.

Whether it’s the nature surrounding us, the nature we consume in the form of foods, or the nature our bodies soak in through the personal care products we use, the more conscious and mindful we are, the more connected we feel, and the deeper we can dive WAYiN.