I’m Finding the Light ✨
Hey guys! Welcome to my blog.
For these posts, I’m going to be taking my previous month’s email newsletter and adapting it to a blog. That way, if you miss an email you can still get the goods, or if you want to look back on previous love notes without searching your email, now you can - you can find all my blog posts here.
If you want to get the emails when they come fresh off the press, sign up for my email list here. When you sign up for the email newsletter, you’ll also be entered in a monthly raffle to win fun prizes like a zoom call with me, a magic hummingbird from Guatemala, a copy of my book, a free tshirt, and more.
Happy reading!
What’s inspiring Erica these days?
I’m inspired by new beginnings!
I love the idea that we can go from darkness, ignorance, the state of not-knowing, not-understanding, and not-doing, and through some willingness and active participation, we can move towards something new.
We can move towards the light.
That means moving towards knowing what we didn't before and getting better at what we used to suck at. It means making progress and feeling good.
Whether that’s learning the ukelele, speaking a new language, starting or getting better at meditation, or any of the things we know we want to do but feel like we can do (yet).
All it takes is willingness, seeking, and action - also known as practice.
What it doesn’t take are excuses. If you look for excuses to not take the step towards the thing you want, you’ll always find them. And when they do come, if you choose to refuse to accept them, then you’ll get there eventually.
As my friend Luke always says: “When success is inevitable, failure is not an option.”
Here’s my recent podcast episode of me practicing my ukulele feeling like I’m totally sucking but not giving up 💩😃👍
What has Erica been up to lately?
In early May I visited my family in New Jersey for about a week (and no, we're not actually from NJ, my sister just moved here recently).
It was crazy to be back in the US and to feel the difference between that place and my life in Guatemala.
Guatemala is so raw and wild in so many ways, and being back in the States felt a bit tame.
Don’t get me wrong, I loved being able to take hot baths, eat Indian food, go ice skating with my niece, order whatever I want on Amazon (like a new ukelele) - and of course, I love seeing my family - but I can feel the subtle way my wildness feels a little choked here.
What a perfect time to be back as the dogwood tree is blossoming :)
If anything, when I visit the US I feel an acute appreciation for how much I love living in Hummingbird Valley in Guatelama. Every day here I wake up to a symphony of wild bird songs and the lush green mountains smiling at me overhead. Dogs run free, coconuts come fresh off the tree, people aren't so busy, and life is much simpler.
Things in Guatelama are more challenging in many ways - like the electricity doesn't always work, there are parasites in the water, you see hungry dogs and children everywhere, and the poverty levels are extreme. But in a way, it's kind of poetic. You constantly see all of these paradoxes of life right in your face, and they have so many lessons to teach - like to be grateful for your blessings because others have it much harder.
I love the living poetry of Guatemala, which feels alive and hard not to look at with awe and some variance of disbelief.
What’s the latest news on Erica's land?
“If I only had an hour to chop down a tree, I would spend the first 45 minutes sharpening my axe.” – Abraham Lincoln
In the spirit of sharpening my brain-ax before I get to the real work on the land - I just finished an AMAZING Natural Building course with my friend Ashley, with whom I’m working on the design of the land.
That course taught me - in the most basic sense - how to build a structure out of earthen materials like clay, straw, and sand. But in a much bigger sense, it EMPOWERED me to feel confident in my own ability to take care of myself and provide for my own needs.
In fact, before the course I thought building a house was a man’s work - something I needed to hire out to some expert over there.
But now I understand deeply in my bones that I can build my own home. Like with my own creativity and my own hands.
And that is a pretty amazing feeling! Talk about learning to take responsibility for myself 😃
Sure, I will need and hire help to get it done, but I feel empowered to play an active role in the design and construction of my home - which honestly, has been my dream since I was very young - I just didn’t believe it was possible!
Until now, that is. 😃
Now that the course is done and I have a new perspective, we’ve been diving deep into the design of the land and what structures will go where. The map of the land should be done in the new few weeks, and then I’ll be hiring a local team to start the earthworks. That’s the step where we start excavating the terrain to create flat surfaces called “terraces” which will be platforms where the structures and other features will go.
WHAT Erica recommends this month:
Speaking of this theme of getting better, I feel like I’ve been doing some really good things over the past months which is why I’m feeling so good today.
One of those things is taking this heavy metal detox product called Pure Body Extra from Touchstone Essentials.
It's a "zeolite" which is an all-natural mineral that’s formed through a chemical reaction where volcanic lava meets the ocean.
It creates a uniquely charged particle - molecularly structured like a little cage - which acts like a tiny magnet that moves through your body attracting and capturing heavy metals and toxins, and then you just pee ‘em out!
This is different from other kinds of detox because the molecule itself is doing the work, instead of your liver or other organs. That means that it’s very gentle on the system and doesn’t have any of those negative detox side effects.
This detox can help you lose weight, get your energy back, gain mental clarity, feel healthy again, and so much more. I really can’t emphasize more the good things this can do.
It’s safe (even for kids and pets), it doesn’t have any harmful side effects or any negative interactions with any medications.
The only reason you might not want to take it is if you’re on chemotherapy because it will literally remove the chemo from your body - so it’s actually great to take afterward.
Personally, I’ve been taking Pure Body and Pure Body Extra for about six months now and I feel like these products are my secret weapon on this path of wellness and wellbeing. I stopped taking them for about a month and I really noticed a big difference in my energy levels and mood and I couldn’t wait to get back on it again. Now that I have my supply back, I never want to go without it again.
▶️ Watch my recent interview with Savannah Alalia from Touchstone Essentials here ▶️
You can read more it here, and my friends can get $50 discount off a one-month sample. You have to sign up for the auto-ship to get the sample, and then you can cancel or just stay on. If you ask me, based on the way I’m feeling now, it’s totally worth it.
MY MESSAGE TO YOU
“It does not matter how slowly you go as long as you do not stop.” - Confucius
Keep going, even if you feel like you suck.
Even if it feels like you’re not where you want to be, keep going.
Focus on small improvements.
Don’t try or expect to do it all at once, because that’s not how nature works.
Notice when you’re making excuses that hold you back, and decide if you’re willing to keep doing that, or if you want something different.
Make your choice, then hold the course.
If you fall off the boat (or wagon or dinosaur or whatever it is you’re riding towards the highest version of yourself) know that it’s ok.
You are not required to be perfect on this journey. You just have to keep going.
And if you make a mistake and end up eating the pizza you know you probably shouldn’t have - it’s ok.
Enjoy the pizza, be kind to yourself, then get back on your dinosaur and keep going.
Don’t give up and don’t be thwarted by that voice of perfection that beats you if you don’t do it exactly right.
I give you permission to do it wrong. I give you permission to be bad, I give you permission to be less than perfect. And I encourage you to keep going towards whatever it is that you’re being called to.
Because what I know is that if you keep going and let yourself be bad, one day you’ll be great.
Throwback Photo of Erica
Behold! Angsty teenage Erica.
It’s funny, I can look at this photo now and see what a beautiful young woman I was. And yet at the time, I felt like I was not enough. This goes to show that it’s not what we look like on the outside that matters, but rather how we feel on the inside. There is no "getting there" on the outside - it's only the work we do on the inside that really counts.
ONE LAST THING…
If you want to support me with my land project - and to get more direct contact with me - then you can join my new subscriber group on Facebook for $10/mo. The "High Vibe Tribe" is a community of awesome, friendly, uplifting people (like you) who follow my videos and together we are sharing and striving to live our best life with the positive support of each other. We truly are a “high vibe” group.
We have a private Facebook group that is super positive and supportive, and every 2 weeks we do a zoom call meetup - which is a great chance to meet me (and each other), ask me any questions, and just generally get to know each other better.
I hope to see you on the next zoom call! 😃 ❤️ 🚀
Thank you for reading! I hope this blog helps you on your journey to the home within your heart.
Keep spreadin’ the love!
❤️
Erica
ps - You’re already great :)
