Finding the Balance in Northern Ontario!

Eco-psychology: an attempt to reconnect us with our natural sense of self and place in the world.

When we separate ourselves from nature we separate from ourselves. We are infinite: this is the great web of life and everything is connected, there is no end and no beginning. The circle of life-and all that lion king jazz! Ultimately, what we do to our surroundings we do to ourselves.

Many friends and family have been asking me what I have been up to since arriving back from my whirlwind tour of Latin America. I left my blog fans hanging when I landed in NYC, USA in June. Well, have no fear, the blog is back, baby! You can be comforted by the fact that I will be blogging weekly or bi-monthly now.

I moved to Toronto on New Years Day and for two months I gave the urban world my full attention, trying to feel where I belonged in the concrete jungle and how the natural world fit into my skyscraper backdrop. There were many days of struggle, frustration and anxiety as I felt trapped within Toronto’s man-made setting. I felt so far from the green, lively landscape of my paradise farm in California and the mountains and vast beauty of South America, seemed like a lost dream. Misplaced and troubled, in this fast-paced, zombie roaming metropolis, I decided I needed help. Operation I Love Toronto was put into effect immediately!

First things first; find green-loving, environmentally focused individuals who can show me how and where to find nature in the midst of this synthetic center. And find I did! I joined L.E.A.F, the local enhancement and advocacy group for urban forestry and The Stop Community Center, an association that focuses on growing, teaching and sharing healthy, affordable food. These groups and the fantastically motivated individuals, who fuel these organizations, brought the colour green back to my palette!

It was also fabulous to be a part of Nicci’s life again! I lived with Nicci, Jason and their two pugs, Tuni and Penny, for a month. We haven’t lived together for over 7 years so it was nice to be close to my big sister again, have some heart to hearts, hugs and share some fond memories.

And then there was couchsurfing, I always come back to CS! There is a fabulous group of couchsurfers in Toronto who write, plan and meet all over town to share their passion for travel, creativity and their fun-loving city, with each other on a daily basis. I went to seminars about the future of food, documentaries about the tar sands, concerts (bluegrass, percussion, classical and folk), I learnt about an instrument I never knew existed (the carillon), sampled ice wine and multiple kinds of maple syrup with a couchsurfer I hosted, and I wandered around the incredibly raw and colourful part of town where graffiti and art studios abound. I was also able to practice yoga and meditation at supportive, loving studios where I found a great community of yogis that celebrate mindfulness- urban style! I also spent one glorious night talking with two couchsurfers about everything from the power of our thoughts, to the wonderful world of popcorn to how to interpret and direct our dreams- until 6:30 am! The astonishing world of couchsurfing soothes my soul!

Needless to say I was a bit melancholy to leave Toronto at the end of February after finding my niche and discovering all the life and colour that lives and shines in the metropolitan world. However, I am very excited about this new journey with Cross Canada Run as I make my way over northern Ontario to Regina over the next 7 weeks.

Wayne and I are currently running outside of Dryden, Ontario and the campaign for mental health awareness will take us to Kenora by Sunday. He is currently running an average of 30 kms a day and I have been able to successfully set up some uplifting speaking engagements along out route. He has spoken to high schools students, mental health care providers, nursing students, and hospital staff. Local radio stations and newspapers have picked up the story and we have found a wonderful network within the mental health industry that has helped us make local contacts.

We are driving and living out of Wayne’s RV but have yet to sleep a cold night bundled up in our -20 degree C sleeping bags. Thank goodness! So many people have given us a place to stay in northern Ontario. Couchsurfing comes through in major city centers and rural generosity has provided us with support and a warm place to sleep in the middle of many no-wheres.

We stopped in the Soo on the way up for some family rekindling. Then, a wonderful couchsurfing couple, Vicki and Dean, hosted us in Thunder Bay and the local CS network joined us for a potluck dinner one evening.

A kind couple that owns a gas station in Upsala, Ontario (2 hours northwest of Thunder Bay) let us park our RV, for two nights, in their barn/garage where the temperature was a toasty 15 degrees. A motel owner in Ignace, Ontario gave us a $20/night deal at his motel where rooms usually go for $50. We stayed with another fantastic couple, Danica and Brian, on the Wabigoon Lake First Nation reserve for two glorious days where I was able to satisfy my love for puppies! And sweet-natured Cathy and Carl Bleich hosted us in Dryden, folks we met at a hospital speaking event. Tonight we are staying with Donna Chief on the reserve where she has set up a sweat lodge ceremony for us! And tomorrow evening the Rotary Club of Kenora is putting us up at their local Best Western. I am so grateful to these people for opening their hearts and homes to us!

Most people we meet, inside and outside these organized events end up sharing their personal or family stories about mental health illness. People really want to talk about these conditions and Wayne has been able to create a project that gets people talking. I can’t even tell you how many individuals have opened up to me within 5 minutes, share their story, shed some tears of frustration or hope and feel a sense of relief to hear that they are not alone. This job is so personally elevating!

I am really having fun running the roads, myself, as I join Wayne 4 or 5 times a week to run 8-10kms with him along his route. I have decided to hit the half marathon circuit when I get back to Toronto in the spring. I used to be a half marathon runner a few years back before I started traveling in developing countries. It’s nice to see and feel my body and mind coming back into its running self.

And this brings me back to eco-psychology and the wonders of our natural world. For true mental health we must challenge the norm and see the inter-relatedness of all people and life forms. I feed off of this land, the air, wind, sun and water carry me closer to my true self.
It becomes easier to find the balance out here, surrounded by ancient trees, with the earth under my feet, I am grounded. I will always take my energy from positive people and from the beauty in nature and I am delighted to find that natural world, the urban realm, the spiritual world and my self and one and the same!

“In the city, without context, (history) information becomes meaningless, without perspective events cannot be evaluated, without connections in time and space, we are lonely and lost.”

– from Sacred Balance by David Suzuki

"We are not human beings having a spiritual experience. We are spiritual beings having a human experience."

Check out our Cross Canada Run video on You Tube here. And my recent photos are uploaded on my facebook profile. I hope you are having a fan-tabulous weekend wherever you may be!

FOLLOW THE COMPASS OF JOY!!!