After Jean’s husband died, she started integrating U – UTILIZE NATURE in a unique way- on an SUP (Stand Up Paddleboard)! Here Jean shares a small snapshot of her healing journey with the A2Z community…
Jean and her family
“When my husband died I was in shock and completely unprepared for what was to follow. We had 3 children and I thought that I needed to be strong for them, which meant not allowing myself to really grieve. I don’t really remember the first 6 months after he died but later I knew I needed to find something that would allow me a space to clear my head and let my heart feel the loss so I could begin to heal. I have always loved being in and on the water and one day I saw some people Stand Up Paddleboarding (SUPing) in the ocean and then on the bay. I knew that was my answer! Yes, it is good core exercise, but for me it is so much more than that. It is being in nature. It is my place to allow myself to put my stress, troubles, anxieties, pain and sadness on the paddleboard. Sometimes, it’s windy and the water is choppy and rough- just like my “new normal”. And yet if I just persevere, the wind calms, the water becomes smooth and I can just “listen”. I leave the water with a sense of peace and a stronger heart.
Jean on her paddleboard, using nature as a healing tool 🙂
Jean (on the far right) with her new paddleboarding friends
