Hello!

I just visited the Cleveland Botanical Garden with two of my students in the Community Herbal Intensive. We are hanging out with this subtle version of Medusa. I don’t know about you, but when I think of Medusa I see the stop-motion version from the 1981 version of Clash of the Titans. Need a reminder? Check it out here:

What was really fun about the day was that I got to award the first graduate of the Community Medic Training. Congratulations to Paige Altemare! Yes, I admit that the scenery for this exchange is quite mundane, but after wandering through the botanical garden, the cool of the parking garage was a relief.

Graduates of this program will be getting a street medic patch and a certificate. The training is rigorous as far as trying to encapsulate the basic foundations of first aid, including updated information as more research is done to warrant changes such as not using ice, and taking community needs into consideration.

For me community means the people present at the time of need. This might mean neighbors, people I’m stranded with, or people at a large gathering. Most of the time, first aid is something that happens at home and some people are pretty good at it without even knowing it. But sometimes we find ourselves in situations where we are helping people we don’t know who have different values and cultural norms… this is why the Community Medic training is designed to help people think through the different things that could happen and how to stay in tune with the people in front of you who need your help.

The thing people love the most about this kind of training, whether it’s basic first aid, herbal first aid, or disaster herbalism, is that everyone feels a little more empowered in their ability to respond when things don’t go as planned. And that’s how I realized that preparedness is self-care. When I prepare for the future, whether it’s for a trip, an event, or even the daily commute, when things go awry I have the things I need. And isn’t that the foundation of self-care?

To take it a step further, preparedness can also be community care. This is when I take a moment to consider where I’m going and what I’m doing so that I can anticipate the things that might go wrong. This is an inherent part of setting up a first aid station at an event. I have to think about what the needs are and prepare accordingly. Summer means preventing or treating sun burns, bug bites, and dehydration. Winter means preventing or treating frost bite and falling on ice.

One of the questions I work through in scenarios, is “if you were in a situation, what would you need?”

I’m pretty sure I spend significantly more time than the average person thinking about disaster scenarios, planning for large events, and traveling with groups. The people who train with me undoubtedly end up feeling more secure in their mental and physical capacity.

The next training is this Saturday, sign ups end on Wednesday to allow time to review the online materials ahead of time. If you can’t make it but want to get trained, check out the schedule below or send me a note to schedule a training in your area.

Take the long view on the time needed to feel better about the future… here Elsie is taking a long view, but I’m pretty sure she is still looking for that beaver that she saw a few years back.

---

Upcoming Workshops & Walks

For details or to sign up visit the Workshops & Walks page.
The location for walks is only given to people who reserve a spot by sending me a note.

---

July 25 – Community Medic Training, Lakewood, Ohio

July 26 – Plant Walk, near Cleveland, Ohio

August 1 – Herbal First Aid: Start Your Kit, Columbus, Ohio

August 2 – Plant Walk, near Columbus, Ohio

August 22 – Summer Foraging Workshop, NE Ohio

September 26 – Herbal First Aid: Start Your Kit, Lakewood, Ohio

October 2-3 – Emergent Herbalism and Community in Disaster Situations, Green Roots Convergence, Chagrin Falls, Ohio

October 4 – Plant Walk, near Chagrin Falls, Ohio

Community Distillation for Herbalism and First Aid, interested? Get in touch!

---

I’ll leave you with some photos from Ireland.

So long for now. Slainté.