NATURE HEALS: NAVIGATING MY PERSONAL GROWTH THROUGH THE POWER OF PLANTS
[/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.19.0″ _module_preset=”default” text_font=”||||||||” global_colors_info=”{}”][/et_pb_text][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.19.0″ _module_preset=”default” width=”46%” custom_margin=”115px||||false|false” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.18.0″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][et_pb_row column_structure=”1_2,1_2″ _builder_version=”4.19.0″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”1_2″ _builder_version=”4.19.0″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_gallery gallery_ids=”888,887,890,892,889,886,891,893″ posts_number=”8″ show_title_and_caption=”off” zoom_icon_color=”RGBA(255,255,255,0)” hover_overlay_color=”RGBA(255,255,255,0)” _builder_version=”4.19.0″ _module_preset=”default” width=”97%” max_width=”97%” custom_margin=”-80px||||false|false” border_color_left_image=”RGBA(255,255,255,0)” border_style_left_image=”none” global_colors_info=”{}”][/et_pb_gallery][/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_2″ _builder_version=”4.19.0″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.19.0″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]How lucky am I to have grown parallel to these plants.
Not only did my experience growing cannabis teach me about the gentle life cycle of the plant, but gave me a newfound perspective on our cycle and personal journey as humans.
I always believed that in order to fully understand any questions or curiosities in life, the best way to learn is to get involved and get your hands dirty – and I did exactly that.
To me, there is no opportunity quite like being able to work hands-on in a way that means more than just the labor or effort required.
So, I shook up my simple yet repetitive life back in Florida and hopped on a plane to California this past April, eager to learn the “roots” of the plant and the community and area it came from.
There is something so equally fascinating and terrifying about putting yourself out of your comfort zone for the sake of your own curiosity and wonder.
But while I arrived in Mendocino County with the confidence that I had a well-rounded understanding of cannabis, it didn’t take long before realizing I was surprisingly mistaken.
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After completing a full season of growing outdoors, I can confidently say this: For anyone and everyone in the industry with a passion for cannabis, that connection remains disjointed until you’ve tried your hand at growing your own plant. You remain disconnected until you’ve gotten your hands dirty and established a deeper relationship with the plant’s life cycle.
The last six months I spent cultivating this season’s sungrown cannabis for Swami Select taught me more than I think any of the last three years freelancing in the cannabis industry ever could. It’s more than any cannabis textbook or YouTube tutorial could ever teach me.
Living on a breathtaking ranch 2,000 feet atop a mountain in Mendocino County, I can confidently say that the entire cannabis cultivation process was achieved with care and consideration in mind for the land we were sharing – each and every nutrient and amendment that contributed to the natural growth of these plants was made directly from the Earth.
From small seedlings to plants with colas that towered a foot above me, getting to watch these girls grow from start to finish is one of the most rewarding experience I’ve lived so far.
When the plants started flowering, you can feel a shift of excited energy in the air. Each morning, I’d walk to the garden and dial in my nose to determine what scents from the plants I could pick up on. As their plant cycles matured, I began to notice many unique characteristics and traits that distinguished the different strains we were cultivating.
Over time, the sweet and pungent aroma of the plants could be detected a few feet from the garden.
The Orange Turbo plants were short and stout with dark and deep purple hues and massive colas that smelled exactly like an orange creamsicle.
All of the Royal Highness plants were leaner and taller than myself and expressed a colorful combination of light and dark green with a hint of purple.
While I was learning how to grow regenerative, sungrown cannabis, I also re-evaluated what hard work meant for me. I was juggling both some freelance hours and full days on the farm, serving compost tea by day and writing about the Endocannabinoid System or different terpene profiles for copywriting clients by night.
I learned that cannabis is agricutlure, and agriculture is a sporadically insane amount of labor that requires an equal portion of love and passion into what you’re doing each and every day.
And truthfully, I realized all of that ends up showing in the plants and final result.
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Looking back on how I watched these seedlings mature into beautiful and healthy plants, I can’t help but think on how I grew during this time as well.
Living “off the grid” and up on a mountain, independent and isolated, really gave me no choice but to confront all of the thoughts and feelings (big and small) I had swiftly distracted myself of many times in the past.
I gained a deeper sense of the what hard work means to me, and how pouring dedication and love into whatever you’re doing all directly shows up in the final result.
Each day definitely wasn’t always an easy one, but it was pivotal in shaping the confidence I have as a person today after completing this phase of my life. The intensity and inspiration I had for the work I was outputting is truly what kept me driven and motivated each day.
I’m looking forward to the next time I can get in a garden, help grow these plants, and get my hands dirty.
Even more, I’m looking forward to taking all of the sustainable practices, farming methods, high life revelations, and personal growth I gained from this specific journey and apply it to future projects and passions ahead.
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