I grew up on the west coast of the United States of America. I was born and raised in the Bay Area. I lived in Cupertino, CA with my mom, dad and younger brother. I was lucky to have my 4 grandparents living close by in Los Altos, and I am thankful that they were all happy and healthy when I married my husband in 1990. I grew up in a close knit family, and I have many treasured memories. As a family, we would travel to Lake Tahoe every year where my grandparents had built a cabin. I have great memories of being a Girl Scout, and really enjoyed camping. I was lucky, because my parents stepped out of their individual comfort zones in an effort to expose my brother and me to as many experiences as possible.
As a child in elementary school, I struggled both academically and socially. I had a difficult time focusing on my studies, and was sent to the “learning center” for additional one-on-one help. I was always so self-conscious about that, as I felt different from everyone else. I was extremely shy, which made things difficult for me socially. Over time, I started to come out of my shell socially. I think the fact that I started playing softball in 4th grade helped me a lot. I played softball into my adult years, and enjoyed coaching my son’s t-ball team many years ago. Academically, I was able to catch up. I always had to study really hard to maintain my B average grades. Today, it is still the same for me. But I am comfortable with who I am, and the way I am wired. I know that I may need to read things a number of times before I absorb and understand them. After high school and college, I found my career fit in Human Resources, and after a number of years as an HR manager for companies such as Apple Computer and Philips Electronics, I have been a self-employed consultant for the past 15 years.
I am happily married to my husband, Dave. I have 2 children; Austin who is 21, and Hailey who is 17. We also have 2 wonderful dogs, 2 birds and a very fat and happy bunny. My family and my business keep me very busy, but when I have time, I love to garden and I love to paint. As I had mentioned to you in a past conversation, I am also a paranormal investigator.
So, I think that gives you a snapshot of who I am. If you have any questions for me, please let me know. As I had mentioned, I started my studies with Drawn to Shamanism. One thing in this chapter that really stood out for me was when you mentioned how distant people have become in our society today. It is so common to see people walking and texting, or talking on their phone in the store. To me, this feels very wrong, and very self-centered. This kind of behavior seems disrespectful to other people, and our natural world. Perhaps this is, in part, why I have been drawn to Shamanism. I tell people all the time, that I really wish I did not need a computer, or a cell phone. I would be perfectly happy with a rotary dial phone that has a cord….maybe smoke signals would be even better! I feel such a strong need for simplicity.
Another fact that I learned in Drawn to Shamanism, is that Shamans are people just like you and me. I always figured that Shamans were typically Native American Indians. I knew that anyone could study Shamanism; however, I did not understand that Shamans might live in my own suburban neighborhood.
