Hey friends,
As I get ready for a class I’ll be giving tonight I started to reflect on how I became interested in essential oils. To be honest, years ago I was reluctant, a non-believer, and hesitant when it came to oils. That said, I’m overly joyed and grateful that that I was introduced to them and forever thankful that oils are in my life. Here is my story why…
A few years ago our family had, perhaps, it’s most challenging year. It was littered with moving trucks, hotel rooms, long drives, and plane rides; the year truly stressed our family. During that year we moved from Kansas to Florida for John to receive flight training, then from Florida to Illinois (thanks Mom and Dad!) for a temporary landing spot while John deployed overseas, and then from Illinois to a temporary VRBO house while we waited for a longer permanent option to present itself.
By the time our final house in Hawaii opened, we were exhausted.
By the time our final house in Hawaii opened, we were exhausted.
Each step along the way presented a different challenge. Broken furniture on the pack-out, lost luggage, delays in attempting to ship cars to Hawaii, etc., etc,. Although John and I handled those challenges in what we thought were appropriate ways, our stress, our anxiety, and our lack of stability clearly impacted our family, and more specifically our daughter Olivia (a 3 year old at the time).
I wasn’t expecting this because she was so little and our girls were extremely adventurous. It seemed, unfortunately, that at every step along the way her anxiety became much worse and her speech regressed; it was heartbreaking to observe and not know how to help.
I, of course, researched tons of different methods to calm and help Olivia. I looked into therapy but it proved difficult because our insurance would only approve doctors near our home base…and we were in limbo. Additionally, the therapists I did find that we could afford without insurance wouldn’t see Olivia because she was too young and her speech was regressing too quickly.
At that point, I was hopeless and scared. I really didn’t know what to do and was lost; fortunately for me, my friend Molly suggested oils. Truthfully, with all the stress at that point in my life, I probably wasn’t the nicest person. I was tightly-woulnd and frustrated – I don’t think there is anything harder than not being able to help your kid when they’re hurting. So, it’s a good thing Molly is one of my best friends and she has thick skin because I kind of laughed at the idea of oils.
A week later we were at Molly’s house and I was at my breaking point. We were sitting in her basement and while two of my girls were having the time of their lives playing with the toys from Molly’s kids, Olivia wouldn’t depart my lap. She was literally squeezing my body to the point of her own utter exhaustion. Molly calmly offered, “I have oils, what’s it going to hurt?” In an effort to appease Molly (I really didn’t want to be rude), we gave them a try.
To say that I was not a believer is an understatement. Molly got out a reference guide and picked an oil and I may have called her the crazy snake oil lady under my breath as she rubbed the oil on Olivia. In mere minutes however, my world changed and my outlook and belief in oils completely reversed. Olivia quietly got up out of my lap and simply joined the other children in play. She just stood up and walked over as if that move was no big deal!
It may have been that she was eyeing a toy, and it became available- I don’t know. What I do know is that, this was the first time that I was not squeezed in a death lock by Olivia since this whole move fiasco started. I sat there and cried from exhaustion as I realized we were turning a corner and she would be ok.
Now, I’m not here to tell you that essential oils are a quick fix. In fact, Olivia didn’t need to be “fixed” as much as she needed to be “supported.” So, in those terms, essential oils didn’t “fix” any of our problems but they did, indeed, “support” us and Olivia in an incredibly difficult transition period. For that, I will always be eternally grateful.
After that day my decision to buy a starter kit was an easy one. I simply wanted to help Olivia to get through this period.
As time went on though, I soon realized how many other benefits oils offered and how easy it was to make a switch from a toxic to clean home. It wasn’t an expensive journey because instead of gutting my whole house and purchasing new things, I just took one tiny step at a time. Years later, through small changes and slow education, I truly feel that our family is living cleaner and healthier.
So, that’s my story- that’s how I got involved in essential oils. I think it’s safe to say that they’re not just Olivia’s oils anymore, our whole family is supported by them and I love sharing about them. If you’re reading this and thinking of some area in your life that you need support with, let me know. I have a slew of classes where I can show you how essential oils can help.
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