My neighbor Deb called with some exciting news last week. She’s about to be certified in teaching Japanese forest bathing. Deb and I share the same 3500-acre nature preserve “backyard,” and she wanted to know if she could end her first walk on our actual property. Of course!
Deb and I have a lot in common, the least of which is a strong belief in Slow Forward. Our husbands are good friends. We love healthy food. We're passionate about where we live. We’re both female small business owners of a certain age who’ve had other successful careers. My business is microscopic and makes enough to keep me in shoes and pay for our vacations. Deb, on the other hand, is a black female entrepreneur. She runs a plant-based food business called Walnut Life that has the potential to explode any day now, especially since she was able to install a commercial kitchen in her home last summer. She does a good business selling her products to vegan restaurants and selling to consumers at New Black Wall Street, our mall for local vendors and small black businesses here in town.
Deb and I have a lot in common, the least of which is a strong belief in Slow Forward. Our husbands are good friends. We love healthy food. We're passionate about where we live. We’re both female small business owners of a certain age who’ve had other successful careers. My business is microscopic and makes enough to keep me in shoes and pay for our vacations. Deb, on the other hand, is a black female entrepreneur. She runs a plant-based food business called Walnut Life that has the potential to explode any day now, especially since she was able to install a commercial kitchen in her home last summer. She does a good business selling her products to vegan restaurants and selling to consumers at New Black Wall Street, our mall for local vendors and small black businesses here in town.
Celebrating the installation of the new commercial kitchen.
Photo credit, Sheldon Fleming
During the pandemic, we both seriously slowed down. There was a lot of time for porch sitting, for talking about our dreams and business philosophies, for walking in the woods. One of the things I love about Deb is that walking in the woods with her means we stop to look at everything. I generally drive people crazy because I don’t make a lot of progress on a “hike” very quickly. There’s always something to see. It’s so nice to not have to negotiate that and just be. We both love hunting for mushrooms and edible plants, and hanging out with the animals with whom we share our forest homes.
We haven’t seen as much of each other since 2022 as we’re both back at work now, especially Deb with her growing business. I’m delighted that Forest Bathing will be her new side gig. Deb innately understands that slowing down is what keeps you healthy. She takes one day off a week to spend out in the woods, a huge commitment for someone trying to build a business. There isn’t anyone who would be better at promoting Forest Bathing here at Arabia Mountain. Forest Bathing is a physical manifestation of Slow Forward in the natural world. I’m still longingly looking out my window at the steep hill down to the dry creek, one of my favorite spots in spring. Give me another few weeks and I’ll be out there, too, hopefully in time for her first class.
We haven’t seen as much of each other since 2022 as we’re both back at work now, especially Deb with her growing business. I’m delighted that Forest Bathing will be her new side gig. Deb innately understands that slowing down is what keeps you healthy. She takes one day off a week to spend out in the woods, a huge commitment for someone trying to build a business. There isn’t anyone who would be better at promoting Forest Bathing here at Arabia Mountain. Forest Bathing is a physical manifestation of Slow Forward in the natural world. I’m still longingly looking out my window at the steep hill down to the dry creek, one of my favorite spots in spring. Give me another few weeks and I’ll be out there, too, hopefully in time for her first class.
Looking up from the dry creek with ferns and jack in the pulpit in spring.
Photo credit, Robbin Marcus
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