My Tribe

Footprints in the sand.

Five months ago I set out on a journey with ten strangers. These strangers, nine classmates and one amazing teacher, have become my tribe. We have spent every other weekend together. Sometimes laughing, sometimes crying, ALWAYS learning. This weekend, our journey comes to an end and we will go our separate ways. 

Elysia, our fearless leader, has such a way about her. From her, we learned how to be reflexologists, but oh did we learn so much more! She interjected our lessons with stories of her experiences, her clients, her hospice patients, her dog Rock, her mom. With each story you can hear in her voice the passion she has for her work and for her life, the love and empathy she has for others. More often than not, her stories brought me to tears. She taught us KINDNESS (my classmates will chuckle at that), love and patience. Elysia introduced us to some extraordinary people. We went on a field trip and met two amazing reflexologists from Denmark. She brought in a successful business woman who spoke to us about mission statements, marketing, elevator speeches and knowing our dharma. We learned so much more than we bargained for.

To think, I almost didn’t take this journey. A few weeks before the class began, I had started a new job which was a bit overwhelming for me. I wasn’t sure I could handle being away every other weekend for five months, learning something new. This was a huge commitment. Not only did I have to put in the hours every other weekend, but there was studying and practical hours to fit into my weeks in between. I called Elysia with my concerns. She encouraged me to stick to my plan, convinced me that I would not regret it. What I would have missed out on had I not made that phone call to her! Thank you so much, Elysia.

As our final weekend draws closer, I find myself feeling such a mix of emotions. I’m beyond thrilled to be done, to have my time back. But at the same time I am also feeling sad and a bit anxious to be leaving them all. These people have become like family. Recently, I reached out to them all and asked them to describe our time together with a word or phrase. This is what I received…Extraordinary. Priceless. Immeasurable. Rich and rewarding. Life changing. Inspirational. Unforgettable, humbling and eye opening in so many ways. 

Ray, Pat S, Cheryl, Elizabeth, Heather, Michaela, Pat B, Veronica, Val and of course, Elysia, thank you from the bottom of my heart for being who you are. Individually, we all brought something different to this experience. Together we formed our tribe. I will miss our weekends, our gratitude Sundays, the love and support we have given each other.  You are all forever in my heart. Footprints in the Sand.