In addition to everything else, I am also one of the co-founders of STRŌB Apothecary, a five-person collective that is committed to making sure that wellness in the form of herbal remedies and crystal-infused goodies are available to all in need of peak harmonization. This is a new venture that we started last summer at the peak of pandemic lockdown. It was an ambitious goal and one I am happy to say, is slowly and surely moving in the right direction.

One of my roles is as a manifestor and a visionary. When we were thinking about the changing season, it occurred to me that this would be a good time to put forth what we have termed a self-preservation challenge. For those that know me, self-preservation is the term I use instead of self-care. Language is important and for me to serve in the way I do, my preservation is of the utmost importance. Lately, I have been slacking in this department, so I am using this challenge to rekindle myself with myself.

The sudden death of my sister-friend Simone Bresi-Ando on top of a global pandemic, civil unrest, a shit president that left half a million Americans dead, and the life of a professor has left me feeling bloated and ashy–on the inside. I am using this week to change that. Beginning Sunday, March 21st, I am choosing one act of self-preservation to hold me down for one week. I had all sorts of grandiose ideas and one of them was to go to bed at 8PM every night. Pipe dream at best, a setup at worst. I’m a night owl. Even as I type this it is 1:33 AM, and you know what? That’s okay because a big component of this challenge is meeting yourself where you are at. So, for this first challenge, I have decided that my act of self-preservation will be to stretch for at least 20 minutes and complete a meditation exercise of any length.

We will see how this goes, because I will be keeping a written and video journal of my daily exploits in self-preservation, so stay tuned and if you want to participate, I would love to have you join us. Head over to STROBApothecary.com and get the details. Tag us in your updates and let’s cheer each other along!

Alright, y’all. Let’s do this.