Empress June Publication
Cowboy camping on a ledge outside of Belden CA.
I have always written for myself. Being home has gifted time to revisit the pages of Madison. They start in elementary school with circles instead of dots above the i’s. History seen in the eyes of a child, documenting events like I am the scribe for all of humanity to read my accounts as fact in a history museum when I am far gone. Puberty took over where words evolved to be at times a bit uncomfortable, so very vulnerable. High school and college words intertwined the facts of my life with how I felt, navigating uncertainty through words of others. Quotes I’d seen, books I’d read.
It was through the words of Tink, that I felt truly myself. To shed all of my preconceived notions and judgements of Madison. I so viscerally felt my energy and clarity, the true self I continue to cultivate and water every day.
Spending time with my 90 year old grandma recording her stories and reading her words she can no longer read herself brought yet another perspective. Journals filled with quotes from us grandkids, misadventures of their dogs, a book about her love story with my grandpa and the eventual grieving process when he passed 10 years ago all handwritten. “Everyone has a story and everyone’s story is worth sharing” she would say every time we sat down together.
This year I promised to write for myself but out in the world in hopes to touch at least one other person. This past Monday my words were published for the first time in my adult life. If you have the means, Empress is a monthly digital retreat cultivated through the mind of the badass Emily Schromm and her amazing team. It houses workouts, nutrition, recipes, healing, meditations, chakras, and my words of trail. What an honor it is to be a part of this community.
