Solstice Forest bath, Sushi + Cupcakes, and healing energy

Things have been really hard, and when things are really hard, I turn to the trees. I used to live near Powell Butte, so I walked there all the time, and it’s remained one of my favorite places to reconnect with myself. It’s a 20-30 minute drive to get there, so I don’t go as often as I’d like, but whenever I’m feeling sad or lost or unlovable, it’s the place I most want to be. I needed it today. It didn’t calm me as much as I hoped it would, but it was nice to be in this familiar forest with my favorite trees. The forest here smells like I’m home. It helps me to see beauty and reason in the chaos. It helps me to see that I belong.

Looking west at sunset.

My daughters and I started a tradition 15 years ago of holiday sushi and cupcakes. We usually do it on Solstice or Christmas Eve. When my ex-husband and I first separated, I ask the girls that year to each pick something they wanted to eat on Christmas Eve, because I didn’t want to make the holiday dinner I’d have normally made. The older one picked sushi, and the younger one picked cupcakes. That year, we actually made our own sushi and cupcakes, and it was so much fun. We’ve kept the tradition alive, but we usually buy the sushi and cupcakes these days, and it’s a nice break from all the holiday planning and cooking.

The sushi is from Takahashi, which happens to be pretty close to Powell Butte if you ever find yourself over that way on a Wednesday through Sunday.

The Solstice means the dark days will grow lighter and longer in the coming weeks and months, and I need that so much. Casting all the spells, absorbing all the healing energy.