So Much to be Thankful For… For the First Time in What Feels Like a Lifetime.

We spend our childhoods being told that we can be anything we want to be, we just have to BELIEVE we can be it. We are told to chase our dreams because dreams really can come true, we just have to BELIEVE in them and in ourselves enough to bring them to life.

Yet sometimes, somewhere or another along the wildly confusing at times, path of life we loose track of that tiny voice inside of us telling us we can do anything, we can be anything.

It could be from illness, tragedy, depression, or maybe it just gets lost in the revolving door of the popularity contests we all seem to face for entirely too long long into adulthood. Before we finally step into the most authentic versions of ourselves and something finally, sparks that fire inside of you again.

Sometimes, the lucky ones, don't loose track of that last little bit of childhood magic as they transition through life and to those of you that never lost that little piece of you, I am so, amazingly proud of you!! It is no easy task to face a lifetime of some version of chaos, and still hold firmly to that flame burning inside!

For the rest of us, we hold onto the hope of getting that magic back, in some way or another, maybe a sign of sorts, or some life altering moment that reminds us that this little life stops for no one, even when you feel as though your life is standing still while everything outside of you is passing by with a blur.

I spent all of my 20s and a good portion of my early 30s extremely sick. I stopped believing in dreams and I stopped looking forward to the mystery of the life that awaited me because at times, it truly felt like the life I was meant to live was behind me. The dreams I hadn't even let myself dream up yet weren't worth dreaming because I stopped believing my life would be anything more than the illness that had control over so many aspects of my life at that time.

But I guess there was always some kind of light left to the magic inside of me, because I never stopped fighting until I found solutions and meditations that worked for me, that allow me to slowly slip back into someone that, although not exactly the "me" I remember, but that is most definitely the most authentic version of ME! Everyone faces battles that no one will ever truly understand, but this year.. All I am feeling today is love and gratitude for all of the people that never gave up on my light, even when I saw nothing but darkness. The people that held me up when I finally reached a breaking point that allowed me to finally find the strength to stand up and ask for the help that I needed and the backbone to demand that my doctors at the very least HEARD me. It wasn't simple, it's a part of my life that will always be with me, and it's something that I am still healing from and will continue to do so until all that's left are faint scars of something that happened, that ultimately shaped the person that I am today. A version of me that is braver, more empathetic, gentler, softer, stronger, and much louder at living and loving than I ever imagined. The girl that would sit to the side and quietly observe is gone. The woman that fights for what she believes in and truly just wants to do her part to help anyone who has ever felt the kind of emptiness, sadness, or frustration that I have, that in many ways we all have. This leafy dream of mine, of ours, is a bright reflection of exactly that. A way for us to be here, to share something important to all communities, the ability to feed another human being.

Life is never exactly what we expect it to be but sometimes it can be exactly what you need it to be to set us free from all of those things that once held you back or made you feel stuck In whatever hell you have crawled out of, or are trying to crawl out of to get to the other side and back to that little spark of magic we all have inside.

---

---

In so many ways my challenges have molded me into who I am, but if not for the people, my people, I can't say if I ever would have made it this far. Nick has been a huge part of that for me. I can't say he was the first person that saw through the cool exterior and saw the little bit of my that were buried somewhere in there, but he was the one who (likely unknowingly) caught me while I was falling. He quickly became one of my best friends and although when we first met neither of us were in the best of places.. together we got to one of the healthiest, happiest places either of us have ever been and that my friends, is what led us to Leafy Dreams and the drive to provide all of you with a little bit of that love, by providing the best quality, healthiest, and quit frankly, prettiest produce to the people around us. I don't think either one of us ever imagined we would be where we are today, I can assure you that even 5 years ago I never imagined that my life would look something like this..

Yet here we are, completely in love with the work we are doing and over the moon with excitement for every step that comes next. I have depended on high quality, nutrient packed greens and veggies for the last 15 years to maintain, and recover my health from my illness. I understand the importance of nutritious, chemical and pesticide free produce on a very personal level, so when Nick fell in love with our little office garden just as hard as I did, Leafy Dreams became a perfectly natural step.. a step we are so grateful to be a part of today, and we aren't even just a part of that dream, we are that dream. He and I are the only two people working to bring all of this beauty to our community and we would have never made it this far without the support of all of you!

This holiday season, I say we all just hold onto that gratitude that we have for our people, and our ability to chase our dreams! Tell your people they matter, tell them thank you, tell them that you LOVE them; and do it whenever you have the opportunity to! Make it uncomfortably weird, make it beautiful. Make it leafy 😉

Thank you to Nick for being my best friend and partner in all things (other than crime 😂)! Thank you to our families for their unwavering support and being some of the best cheerleaders and sound boards that anyone could ever ask for, thank you to our amazing friends for always listing and cheering us on from the sidelines, and THANK YOU, all of you, for following along on this journey with us, sharing our stories with your family and friends and helping us bring Leafy Dreams into our community, one leafy dream at a time!

Peace love and leafy dreams ☮️❤️🥬

Until next time Friends,

Stay Leafy 🧑🏻‍🌾👩🏼‍🌾