Stop. Sleep. Drink.

I’ve been studying with a gifted herbalist over for the past 4 Thursday nights — A crash course in taking care of yourself and others during a pandemic.

I did this over zoom with a dozen beautiful strangers, people who typed the names of the herbal teas they were sipping in the chat bar.

While Dan was working on his sermons and the kids were watching Garfield cartoons, it wasn’t just turning to plants as medicine within a capitalist culture that felt radical, but actually carving out 8 hours for myself to pursue this.

For our final class, last night, we shared our flowchart plan of action if we - or those we’re caring for - experience symptoms of illness, and also how to manage our inevitable stress. (I might have even dressed my chart up in the plastic sleeve that held my son’s alphabet chart)

Share it with your kids and family members and friends, our teacher instructed us.

I went over it with the kids after dinner. The first step, more important than anything else, I told them, is that when you’re feeling any of these symptoms Do not continue on as normal. Stop. Sleep. Drink.

We all know this, and we especially know it now.

And what a consolation if our society shifts to honor this most basic truth, and we allow people to rest their bodies instead of being productive, without suffering the loss of their livelihoods.

Some of the plants we discussed I knew and some were new to me.

Last night we shared the plant we were most grateful for over these past four weeks.

I said Lavender.

A plant we learned was proven in studies to have similar effects as Benzodiazepines for stress and anxiety.

Let me pause here. I will be the first to admit that there are few things more annoying than someone telling you to sniff lavender when you actually need Klonopin. To everything there is a season.

I’ve entered the season of Lavender.

I’ve been steaming with it, and inhaling it before bed, and using droppers full of it in warm foot baths.

Sukkot begins this evening.

I’m wishing you all some respite in this wilderness, in your temporary dwellings, and a connection to our natural surroundings and the radical act of amazement.

Prayer + Action: A portion of our class gift economy payments went here: Black Healing October