Getting Lost in the Woods & Returning to Self

Vlog

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Life Review by Decades in Year of Fire Horse

1-20:

Lived in five states.
Studied piano age 7-18, won state piano competition 14, scholarship in music conservatory for piano performance, age 17.
Studied college level biology age 15-17, high school scholarship to go into science, 2-year internship in immunology research lab 17-19.
Scoliosis back brace, co-lead city support group, met many folks with disability, 12-16.
Left piano keyboard for wilderness, transferred schools and did college outdoors treks in Utah, Washington, and Oregon.

20-30:

Finished English Lit degree, minor in music while working 25-30 hrs/week work study sorting and delivering mail.
Traveled to work in Japan for several months.
Volunteer tutored weekly ESL sessions with immigrants and refugees, 5 years.
Worked years of temp jobs, administrative office jobs, tech editing.
Completed two-year creative writing certificate through reduced cost courses from university employer.
Employed to handknit sweaters for then fledging Cascade yarn company.
Made first attempt at grad school, to teach Special Education, while working two jobs.
Dropped school and applied for a medical transcription job in a hospital. Ad required 2 years’ experience. I had 2 WEEKS. Passed medical language tests and typing 100+ wpm with flying colors, so was trained in acute care setting.

30-40:

Marriage
Travel to Europe and met my grandmother’s brother and godfather, and visited concentration camp liberated by my great-uncle.
Death of stepdaughter
Birth of daughter
Divorce
Transcribed medical reports for clinics and hospitals nationwide 40-60 hrs/week, some night shifts.
Daughter’s life-threatening illness and two years’ treatment.

40-50:

Moved to gifted home with lowered rent and tons of yardwork in exchange to raise child during school years and medical follow-up.
Worked 60+ hrs/week from home transcribing for hospitals, changing from employee status to self-employment until someone shared a way I could work for media production. Transcribed for media production ever since, self-employed.
Working from home allowed me to be present for every one of my child’s school, sports activities.
Wanted to bring natural world to unnatural environment of hospitals after my child’s experience, so I created a vision site that landed me in a year of ecopsychology courses. http://www.healingoutdoors.org
Completed two half marathons and two full marathons to raise funds for cancer research nonprofits.

50-60:

High school and college graduation of child.
Global COVID pandemic.
Volunteered at many local community projects, food bank gardens, farms.
My own cancer diagnosis and treatment.
Moved rental homes three times, twice circumstances beyond my control.
Second attempt at grad school while working full-time, this time toward a Public Health degree. Completed first year but dropped with political, societal, funding changes, facing low probability of employment success as a 60-year-old competing for jobs with my 30-something cohort. Current school loans are 2X my annual income. BUT first time a teacher let me knit while taking online multiple choice tests (my arch nemesis), proving I could test better while occupying the anxiety part of my brain. (Win!)
250 job applications with no success.
Episodes of severe depression.
My dad’s cancer diagnosis and treatment, passing.
Sold 26-year-old car and got loan for used car that’s a decade younger that I love. (Win!)

Pay school loans and all debt, self-employment taxes, thanks to inheritance.
Do as many weekend Rewilding things as I can to feel alive and rebuild strength. Become certified as a guide with Association of Nature and Forest Therapy guides.
Volunteer for trail maintenance at community center.
Sign up for winter 2027 blueberry farm pruning seasonal work, as already trained 2026 and loved it! (Car breakdown and no available carpool/public transport only reason couldn’t continue this winter).
Repair free piano missing an octave given to me in order to reconnect to musical expression again and potentially play with other musicians for fun.
Either move to a one-bedroom apartment/house without housemate or use second bedroom after current housemate moves on to build a weekend Knit Studio business to host knitting technique classes with self and experts.
Go on first ever several-day Knit Retreat somewhere in the U.S. with curriculum and camaraderie. Would love a hiking-knitting combo. This list appears to be a global motherlode. https://www.knittersreview.com/upcoming_events/
Research ways to afford small piece of land for potential tiny home or yurt.
Explore further trauma healing modalities.
Flesh out one scene at a time for memoir.
Keep searching for PT work.