“I see more things as attractive now, my view of beauty and attractiveness has broadened. I see the intrinsic beauty in things now, not just the external.”
‘Into the forest walks Andrea. As she steps through the forest threshold, everything about her changes- her expression, her demeanor; every aspect of how she holds her body relaxes. She leaves behind the anxiety that haunts her, and becomes at one with herself and her forest friends around her. Outside the forest, she worries about her children, her husband, money, climate change, world strife, rising hatred… But when she enters the world of the trees, time frames change, things slow down; she gains perspective. Her strength gets renewed to face the world again once she leaves the forest.’
Andrea exists between two diverse worlds – one within the tranquility of the trees, the other with her family and the weight of the world’s events. Throughout life, Andrea’s life lessons speak to the ideas of patience and how to keep things in perspective. She is continually learning what is within her control and letting go of the things that are not in her control. Within her control: starting her own guided forest therapy business to aid people in connecting with themselves and nature. Andrea has a five-year plan.
Andrea first worked in the Delaware state environmental department. There, she wrote a law that created the pollution prevention program, developed community involvement initiatives and directed the state’s Climate Change, Energy, and Coastal Management programs. For four years, Andrea was the Delaware Governor’s policy advisor on environment, energy, agriculture, transportation, and land use (each of which she studied in college). After some bi-coastal living, Andrea moved to Portland to live with her husband full-time just as COVID hit the scene and the world came to a slowdown. Andrea was at a momentary loss of what to do, then her love for the environment led her to develop her guided forest therapy business; she is toying with the idea of going back to school to earn her doctorate. Although Andrea sees extrinsic beauty in nature, she gravitates toward intrinsic beauty more nowadays in the world and people that surround her; her view of beauty and attractiveness has broadened.
“As I have gotten older, I have developed a longer time perspective. I have learned to embrace “tree time” – to give things the time they need to develop and happen, not be in a rush.”
Andrea is at redcedarforesttherapy.com/
