OUR TOWN
Finding Me.
Finding balance in today’s fast-paced world is more difficult than ever but has also never been more important. BY Christina Speers For over twenty years I have worked in a corporate environment as a trustee-elect for a public school board. I am also the mother of two crazy but beautiful children who keep me hopping and in the midst of it all my husband and I are renovating a century home in beautiful Paris, Ontario. I am often running kids in multiple directions and many would see me as very confident and outgoing, but if I am to be truthful with you, if I am to live my best life as an authentic me, I would have to tell you that I have always been affected by mild depression. This is due to various reasons - a poetic mind that tends to drift into over self-analysis, the grind of the endless pursuit of balancing work-life and motherhood, and just suffering from acute loss over the years on a very personal level. Let’s face it: life can be challenging. Luckily as a child, sitting on a toboggan pulled by my father, I discovered a place I could go when I needed to recharge. Not with a sense of urgency, but with a sense of peace and respect: the woods. Here, I can find rivers, creeks, trees, plants and insects to marvel at. 82 LIVE SMALL TOWN livesmalltownmag.ca
When I am with them, walking stick in hand, I am instantly taken outside of myself, and I can let go. I can breathe deeply, and walk on in silence. I listen for the call of a blue jay and raise my binoculars up to the horizon to search it out. I stand silent for a moment to catch a glimpse of a northern flicker landing to search for insects on the ground, or am surprised by finding a northern water snake dart across the path. The world opens up and I am a child again, and no matter how many times I may have seen a black capped chickadee before, when it crosses my path I am seeing it again as if for the first time, and I am renewed. I have recently decided to open a new business in 2019 called Roots & Wings, to share this with others. It is a bird watching and nature walks venture in Brant County. There are so many of us who are searching for a sense of grounding calm and the answer is so simple in the end. Get outside. With Roots & Wings, I take small groups on a guided walk at various locations in the region, provide them with binoculars and we begin. I begin by thanking the land, then I provide a moment of silence when you can ask yourself what we would like to get out of the walk. We share aloud if we feel comfortable, as it builds trust among strangers, and a sense of connection to the land. This, I have learned, is critical to my own personal happiness. During the walk we play some interactive games that teach you to observe nature and I also include a “walk box” full of items from local business like honey, candles, coffee, meditation rocks, books, soap and more. Please feel free to visit my website for more details. I am a mom, a wife, a worker, a trustee, a renovator, a bird nerd, a nature nut and thanks to nature, I am also a depression survivor and I wouldn’t have it any other way. Get outside. You won’t regret it. Contact Christina Speers and Roots & Wings at 519-532-8276, beautifuldayforawalk@gmail.com or visit her website at rootswingsnaturewalk.wixsite.com/rootswings