I never saw it coming: The moment that changed everything.

When I woke up on that crisp Minnesota morning in the fall of 2014, it was a day like any other: ordinary, unremarkable. I grabbed my coffee, took a shower, brushed my teeth. I barely noticed my feet beneath me – or the vibrant leaves from our ancient maple tree in a continual free fall, offering an unspoken message on how to let go.

I’m incredibly honored to have an article published in the latest edition of The Career Astrologer magazine, which is the quarterly journal of the Organization for Professional Astrology!

Sometimes small steps lead to big ones.

For many people, life has been challenging – the pandemic, the climate crisis, war, and much more. As we each climb a personal mountain, the question for many is: How can peace be found amidst the chaos? Do beauty and discovery arrive in the slow process of the ascent… or are they achieved by suddenly reaching the summit?

I touch the cool doorknob and turn the handle. The door opens and I pause on the outside stoop for a moment, then slowly step down the stairs – one, two, three. I look up and feel the sun warm my face. The soft spring breeze whispers, and the birds sound happy. I slowly, carefully place one foot in front of the other, down the little walkway. Arriving at the sidewalk, I turn and continue on. I pick up the pace, a little faster now. There is a pleasant, smooth sound to my thick-soled Hoka sneakers, squishy rubber against the hard pavement. Pat-pat-pat, steady I go, hearing each footfall.

In 2014, a mountain knocked on my door, and took up residence in my life.

A crush injury, they called it. And what a fitting term - I have been crushed, quite literally. (Quite metaphorically, too, if we’re being honest.)

I recall back on that autumn day, I looked to the future with enthusiastic anticipation: Two days prior, I had resigned from the nonprofit that I’d cofounded in order to pursue other dreams. But that mountain had other ideas for me, and although I didn’t realize it at the time, a long road to recovery would follow.