One of my greatest sources of strength - that which provides me with the capacity to continue showing up in my work as a clinician, mentor, and colleague - is my morally-guided, internal sense of professionalism. But like every well-intentioned self-reflective herbalist, I have a duty to continually reevaluate my rationale and beliefs surrounding my core values - and ‘professionalism’ is most certainly one of these core values.
There is no other sight in these feral woodlands of Southeast Ohio that makes me feel the way that Blue-eyed Marys do. It is the warming of unconditional acceptance…like being held in the arms of Mother Nature herself as she kisses me on my forehead and reminds me that I am worthy of her love.
I can’t really pinpoint the moment when my relationship with plants changed...when I stopped actively listening to them and in turn stopped learning. What I do know is that I have been frustrated and burned out on my herbal journey for quite some time, which if you make a living as a teaching herbalist, is not a comfortable realization.
