Cheechum S.

Born in High River, Alberta, I was popped into a potato crate crib on the front seat of a VW van, as my family left Alberta and heeded the call to northern BC. I was homeschooled by parents who both held education degrees but were reticent about institutional careers. Their spirit of adventure and employment journeys led the family through wide-ranging experiences. On a first Nations reservation in northern Saskatchewan, my father worked as an anthropologist, gathering oral history from the elders, while my mum learned local traditional handwork, such as tanning hides, sewing, and beading. The next chapter saw my parent's tree planting in the beautiful lakes districts of BC, and summer-long mineral exploration contracts, flown in by helicopter to camp in gorgeous alpine meadows, beside glaciers, and pristine ice cold lakes. In the off seasons, we built our quaint and soulful home with logs hauled by Pal the Palomino horse. The rhythm of the days and seasons guided my growth. I had ample time to deeply connect to nature, music, art, and literature. Engagement in thoughtful dialogue, vigorous physical labor, and deep rest served as the foundation who I am today. I started working at a young age in the mineral exploration industry, and have been everything from a horse trainer, groovy diner chef, house painter, and tequila slinger. I worked for 12 years as an artist's model and then got a degree in Waldorf early childhood education, which I worked in for 6 years before leaving the City to return to my parent’s land to give my own family a taste of how I grew up. I have two great kids and a husband with a fine mustache. I love tea and shortbread served in fine china, and have a sheepish fondness for old music, and British period drama's. I love making things with my hands, am extremely interested in anything natural health, birth, and childrearing. Oh, and I can sharpen a mean chainsaw. Im a great listener, with a compassionate heart, and prefer to inspire others to be their best selves rather than collude. If you have a heavy heart, ill hear you out, validate your feelings, and offer tools to free yourself with. If I can't help, I'll refer you to someone who might! If you are light-hearted, ill celebrate with you! I'll hear your stories and tell you mine. I'll sing to you, or with you! Show me what's in your fridge and we'll come up with something yummy when you're uninspired! I'll take you on a little tour of my off-grid life if that interests you. Maybe you can walk me down a beautiful cobbled street and into a quaint pub while we chat about traveling, or share our favorite passages from a book we have in common. I look forward to casting a golden thread out there and seeing who picks up the other end.