Time feels like it has stopped since I moved up north this summer. The farm job kept me busy for the rest of the summer. From mid July until shortly after Labor Day, it was extremely hot in the Embudo Valley. Every day, the temperature was in the mid 90’s -100’s. It was miserable with the humidity from the nearby river. My boss told me that it was unusually hot this summer and for the heatwave to last the rest of summer. For that reason and also from just being exhausted every day from the heat, I spent the majority of my time indoors after work and enjoying my downtime in my beautiful studio apartment. I have been catching up on a variety of creative pursuits, like cooking, playing piano, drawing, and learning coding, amongst other hobbies. My main activity was visiting the local farmers markets in Dixon and Velarde every week. Once the heatwave subsided, I started venturing outside more. My favorite time of the year in New Mexico is the in-between summer and autumn, around the time of my birthday. 

Unfortunately by the time I started venturing out of the Velarde vortex more, I dislocated my shoulder. Last December I fell on my shoulder. At the beginning of this year in March, I got into a car accident. Shortly after the car accident, my shoulder dislocated. I got it checked and was told by the experts that I was young and could try physical therapy to see if my shoulder improved before surgery. I decided to try it.  When I got the job at the farm, I was placed on light duty. Working at a greenhouse is not as labor-intensive as an outdoor farm. My Doctor thought I would be alright working if I was on light duty. My boss was able to accommodate. Once I received the results of my MRI however, my orthopedic surgeon recommended surgery as an option if my shoulder dislocated again. Five months went by without my shoulder dislocating and then on September 16, just by accidentally lifting my shoulder too high up, it dislocated. This was by far more painful than the last and my shoulder was out of the socket for a lot longer. I was able to set it myself but it was painful. Then a few days later on September 20th, I turned 33 years old. I spent my birthday with my family and with my friend Shelley. We went on a day adventure to eat at Sugar Nymphs in Peñasco, went out to Pilar and also checked out the Ra Sand Caves near Ojo. I am excited to be in my 30’s. It finally feels like I am putting the lessons I’ve learned from my 20’s into place and settling down.  It has been a month since it dislocated and I, unfortunately, had to stop working at the farm because my doctor ordered no use of my right arm. It’s bittersweet because I love working with plants and being outside. Working at the farm and living out in nature really helped me a ground from a hectic year of losing my job, moving, and all the uncertainty with the pandemic. It helped calm my nervous system. I felt the calling to be close to nature and I am happy for the experience to work with plants and learn something I have always been interested in. I was able to heal a bit from my complicated grief from losing a close loved one, my grandmother,  a hard few years prior. I’m not sure what the future will hold but I know that Gaia will ground me and help guide me to the path that is my purpose. For now, I am just enjoying living so close to and healing with the earth.