This feels really weird…
Hellllllllllllo there!
Holy snap, my last blog entry was at the end of 2020.
I’ve sent emails since then to my list (if you’re not on it, you’ve gotta get on it!), but my blog felt like its time had passed, like I didn’t know what I could blog about anymore, like no one really did blogs anymore.
Well, I actually have lots to say.
And I actually don’t always like saying those things on Instagram. Or rather, I just kind of forget to, haha. I also get really wrapped up in “doing things properly” over there, and so struggle to show up consistently. Or rather, I struggle with consistency in general, except for drinking my morning coffee!
So needless to say, I’m not here promising consistency. But it does feel good to just be long-winded in a space where I’m supposed to be long-winded 😆.
I just finished reading back over some of my old blog posts and some of them were sure a blast from the past. As I read, I noted some were pretty by-pass-y. In some I’m pretty damn smart, lol. But the biggest thing I felt was that I’ve come a LONG way over the past few years.
I, like many of you probably do, now measure time in pre-covid or since-covid. It’s kind of handy, because otherwise the years just seem to blur together! “Since-covid” our family has been through massive change. We’ve sold our farm, moved to a different home and land-base, and then dissolved our logging company as well. It’s been a hell of a ride and it isn’t over yet. I’m not sure I or we would have made it through intact if it weren’t for all the work on my brain and beliefs and spirit I’ve done over the last ten years. I also have a mentor who has helped carry my burdens and helped me stay on the straight and narrow. I feel so fortunate to have the tools and support at my disposal that I do.
I’ll be really honest here, because I think it’s important for people to hear, that I haven’t relied a lot on my friends or family for support. Some may feel I haven’t relied on their support enough, and some may say my reclusivity is a trauma response, but I honestly believe that friends and family can’t always be EVERYTHING we need them to be. That’s a huge responsibility to put on them, and one they’re not often equipped to handle. Don’t misunderstand me here- I AM NOT THROWING SHADE. But seriously, the average person isn’t trained to hold space for people as they move through big things (I would be remiss if I didn’t throw in here that, ahem, I am trained to do so). And so, during the last couple years I’ve relied heavily on my mentor to help me move through allllll the feelings and to be a safe space to say any and every thing I need to. Not everyone is up to that task.
Where does this leave me currently?? Edging out of the hole. It’s been a deep, dark hole, but I’m clawing my way out.
There hasn’t been a magic recipe, a system, one single practice or supplement (actually there has been a supplement, lol, but that’s a story for another day) that has saved me. I’ve just had to practice a lot of self-compassion, belief-shifting, nourishing myself, and letting go. Letting go of sooooo many things. I’ve had to allow time for grief and gratitude and taking the pressure off. I’ve allowed myself to just hide away as much as I’ve needed to. And I’ve needed to! But I’m inching back.
Since last fall I’ve been a part of my close friend’s non-profit, RiSE UP Community Advisory Foundation. We’ve done and are continuing to do some really cool shit, lol. It’s also given me the gift of gathering with some amazing people and watching people forge new connections. It’s been a true blessing to me in so many ways. Our website is www.riseupadvisory.com if you want to check it out and get on our email list to be kept in the loop for local-to-Nipawin events.
This past spring I took a leap I didn’t think I’d ever take and applied for Pre-Social Work at the University of Regina. I took my first Social Work 100 class remotely in May and June and knew within the first 10 minutes of my first class that I had made the right decision. I loved that class and came out with an 83 (yay me!). Currently, I’m enrolled in three classes- two remote and one in-person at the U of R campus at the U of S. I’m just at the stage of getting first assignment grades back, but I LOVE IT. My classes right now are electives: Indigenous Studies 100, Women’s and Gender Studies 100, and Sociology 100. I’m enjoying all of them and have three 200-level electives to take in the winter term before I (hopefully) am admitted into the actual Social Work program for fall of 2024. I do have a Bachelor of Commerce circa 2005, and a number of my classes transferred over, so even with only taking 3 classes a term, I should still finish my BSW in spring of 2026. I am soooooo happy to be back in school, and it has felt so refreshing to be in an in-person class! As of now, my goal upon completion of my degree is to have a private counselling practice, but there are so many other opportunities out there that excite me too! So we’ll see.
My coaching business is still an important part of me and my life, so it carries on, slowly but surely! My time is quite limited, so I have only been taking on two clients at a time, which gives me a lot of space to work on my studies and be involved in the other things I’m involved in that are important to me. I haven’t been a “do-it-all” person in a long time and I don’t anticipate that changing!
It’s felt really good to check in here in this way and to answer some questions I’ve had people asking. Email me anytime at contact@elsaborsa.com, or shoot me a message on Instagram or Facebook. I ADORE connecting with you.
Love,
Elsa