I am in Florida visiting the family I was born into. It is such a different world from what I do my best to live in. They are well-meaning people… and I have so little in common with them.

Our family reunions are toxic food served on disposables with many conversations about babies, marriage (of course only between a man and a woman) and church.

I love them and yet I feel so sad whenever I come visit. I am not quite sure why my Karma had me born into this family.

I show up with my reusable container, utensils, and mug every year. Every year I bring salad which almost noone eats and some other veggie dish which this year they liked and ate a majority of (roasted root vegetables.) Every year, I do my very best to model the solutions, and I am pretty sure I have never once made an impact on them and the way they live their lives. And it breaks my heart and pretty much makes me feel hopeless about the state of our world.

This time, I was blown away when a relative asked, “Are you dating anybody? Guy or Girl?” WOW!!! I think they are pretty much the only one in my family who is totally cool with whatever my answer to that would be. The rest of my family, if they read this blog, and know that I have dated both men and women and am in favor of all people being supported in loving relationships regardless of gender, would have a problem. And I would never be allowed to bring a girl I was dating home to meet them. That is a sin and although “they love the sinners, they despise the sin.” Which translates to a huge portion of my life is not acceptable to them.

A long time ago, I let go of the belief that I “should” do anything for or with my family of origin. I have nothing to prove there. This isn’t my “work” as many people say families are often about.

I have been so incrediblly blessed and humbled to my core by my family of choice that I have met and deeply connected with over the years. My “aunties” in Northern California and my Mendocino family and my “Framily” in the Bay Area. These are the family I go to to be renewed, supported, and loved in the way I so deeply long for.

My family of origin, I love and they, for the most part, love me. Only thing is, that love is held together by a tenous string of inauthenticity. And that makes it hard for me to be here.

My immediate family of parents and siblings– we too are very different. Somehow, we make it work– probably because we almost never see each other and only speak on rare occasions. We have almost nothing in common other than blood.

I do love them all. But I feel like an alien in my family who walks around covered in a shield in order to deal with the experience.

I wish them all the very best blessings that the Universe has to offer. I wish them joy, love, peace, and health. And I am extremely grateful for when I can be back with my family of choice. They show me what family can truly feel like.

Here’s to famlies everywhere– every description, every gender relationship, every shape, form, and possibility. May we all be connected to families that renew our spirits– whether they be families of origin or families of choice.

Up LATE!!! I write on my blog because it’s been more than a minute since my last post. Tonight, I was reminded how much I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the other-than-human part of our Nature! I try so hard to relate to the human animals, but I so often feel like I just don’t get it. Tonight, while hiking with a friend, I saw a Bobcat, 3 Great Horned Owls, and Quail, a Rabbit, and myriad other Birds along with watching the Ocean turn wild, magical hues of aqua-blue, silver, and gold as the sun disappeared below the horizon line. In moments like these, i think maybe I wasn’t dropped on the wrong planet after all.

I just don’t get people much. I mean I do, in some sense. But, mostly, no, not so much. I walk through this world being pulled between being inspired and disgusted. In many ways, living in a tree for over two years, surviving all that I did, was easier than living in this disconnected, crazy, violent world.

The amount of times, I have to watch and listen to people who know better make great excuses for their violent and destructive behaviors, makes me want to throw my middle fingers up in the air and walk off into the sunset over the ocean. It seems like such a beautiful and peaceful way to create completion in my life. And yet, in the face of this, I get so completely blown away by the beauty of this mind-blowing Planet Earth, that I find myself sticking around for another round.

I dance in this duality on pretty much a daily basis. I am not saying, by ANY stretch of the imagination, that I am perfect. It’s just that I get so disheartened by all the ways we sell out on the Sacred Earth, and ALL Her Species. We “want” something, so we do it– regardless of the consequences. It just turns my stomach and breaks my heart. And sometimes, I just feel overwhelmed by it all. And all I want to do, is throw my middle fingers up in the air as I walk off into the sunset.

But that is for movie sets. So instead, I write about it. Honestly. Because somehow that keeps me here. And keeps me accountable. No matter what people think.

I love you owls, bobcats, birds, and ocean.

Thank You for another mind-blowing, magical moment.

love,

julia butterfly hill

Today I went to an event called, “Growing A Global Heart” in support of Belvie Rooks and her vision and commitment to planting 1 million trees along the trans-atlantic slave route to plant healing for people and the planet. Belvie is an incredible human being. She has supported so many incredible individuals and organizations, and it was an incredible honor to show up to support her and her amazing and inspiring vision. While sitting listening to one amazing speaker after another, a poem came through me. I share it now in honor of Belvie Rooks and the profound vision of one million trees being planted and growing and thriving along the trans-atlantic slave route. It is a vision whose time has come. For more information go to: www.growingaglobalheart.weebly.com

“Sing Your Songs”

Sing your songs,
Children of the Earth…
You, whose voices
have been shut down,
silenced.

Sing your songs,
Children of the Earth…
You, who have lost hope,
given up on a world
that has given up on you.

Sing your songs,
Children of the Earth…
Sing the world awake
from its terrible slumber.
Sing the world
into healing,
re-weaving the threads
of a torn fabric.

Sing your songs,
Children of the Earth…
sing at the top of your lungs,
from the roof-tops
as we plant gardens
and dance rhythms
only you know…
inviting others to remember.

Sing your songs,
Children of the Earth…
Sing loudly,
Sing proudly.
Hold your heads high
and your hearts wide open.

Sing your songs,
Children of the Earth…
and teach us all to sing
the song…
of healing…

love,

julia butterfly hill November 1, 2009

A thousand butterflies
kiss the sky with their wings
as an offering
to the magic you are
in this moment

What would it be like
to live
with hearts wide open
as if before we knew
what it is to be hurt
disappointed and disillusioned

What would it be like
to hug and hold
as if before we knew
what it is to be hit
and hurt and shamed

What would it be like
to Love
with no limits
or borders or boundaries
as if we and the clouds are one
dancing in the sky
sailing into infinity

julia butterfly hill October 2009

Hello, Whoever You Are!
Funny—I feel like my blog might as well be a food blog for the amount of time I spend talking about eating and drinking. I just can’t help myself. I love good food and drinks. I especially love the experience of sharing a delicious meal with others—no matter if it is from a tin in the car to a fine dining restaurant. Good friends, good food, great memories.

I just had the exquisite pleasure of eating at Pure Food and Wine again in New York City. The first time I went was about three years ago and I was by myself. But this time I went with friends which made the experience all the more fabulous. Pure Food and Wine is all raw vegan goodness. The appetizers we shared were out of this world! My favorite was a nut cheese plate with rosemary crackers and blueberry spread. My mouth is watering just thinking about it. Truly, the best cheese I have ever had in my life—better than any cow, goat, or sheep cheese. My main course was a wild mushroom roulade with dehydrated herbed bread. I think out of the main courses, my friend Paul’s was the best. He had an enchilada that defies description. But the over-the-top, beyond belief, blow your mind magic was the mint sundae that all three of us shared. CAN NOT BELIEVE it was raw vegan! Eat your heart out Name Brand ice cream. You can’t even come close to this delightfully delicious decadence!

After a great meal and wonderful conversation, we hopped in a cab and went to the Yippie Museum where Mike Roselle was doing an event touring with his newly-released book, Tree Spiker, and his co-author, Josh Mahan. The event was a fundraiser for the work happening to end mountain top removal mining. Mike Roselle is a legend. He has been a tireless activist for close to 40 years. He co-founded Rainforest Action Network, Earth First!, and Ruckus Society, three of the most important activist groups of our time. It was an honor and a joy to happen to be in town to be able to show up and support him and the event.
Please buy his book TREE SPIKER—From Earth First! To Lowbagging: My Struggles in Radical Environmental Action. Written by Mike Roselle with Josh Mahan. Published by St. Martin’s Press. It is a great read!

As for mountain top removal mining—unfortunately we are seeing all too clearly that President Obama says he is for green jobs even though he keeps appointing dirty industry execs to high levels of leadership. Obama got LOTS of money from the coal industry. Hence, his way of trying to appease all sides was to talk about “clean coal.” As if there is such a thing. Go look at Kentucky; West Virginia; or Big Mountain, Arizona and it is all too clear that there is no such thing as clean coal. To me, Obama is looking more and more abysmal. I wish I could say I am surprised, but I am not. We know that by the time someone makes it to the White House, they have slept their way to the top—getting in bed with one major corporation and dirty and exploitative industry after another.

Damn, I wish we lived in a country where people took to the streets and didn’t go home until a massive shift occurred. It seems that part of our history is now a thing of the past. We like our comfort way too much. We like rationalizing our complicacy and pointing fingers in order to not be accountable for our own role in the mess. We like pontificating and attending conferences in order to feel enlightened and superior.

I wrote a poem while I was in Luna that has a line, “Wake UP! It is time for Revolution!” But we freak out from the term, “Revolution,” because it scares us. We think it only means blood and war. But what it really is about is us being willing to risk our comfort, break free of our addictions to comfort and consumerism in order to be free. We have traded freedom and justice for consumer, comfort addiction. Keep an addict addicted and you will control them. From a Joules Graves song, “What are you willing to do, for what you believe? Are you willing to get up and take a stand, or roll over and go back to sleep. On the rickety raft rides the refugee to brave the winds and the wild, wild sea. And risks it all to be free. And risks it all to be free.” We say we want freedom. But we are not willing to let go of our addictions in order to earn it. We suck on the pacifiers of cars, home mortgages, clothes, tv, shopping, and fear.

It is funny to look at the beginning of this blog with me talking about eating at a high-end restaurant and ending with rabble-rousing, get off our butts and DO SOMETHING! I have been unsettled lately. The urge for Freedom is stirring in my bones. I am tired of living in a culture that is so damn complacent—even so many of us who think we are not. I am usually the one who sticks it out. Who stays and fights. I have been knocked down time and again only to drag myself back up and stand again. My belief in humanity is waning. I think I would rather get eaten by a shark in the Ocean than this numbing stupor of a death called, “America.”

I find myself less and less interested in the USA. We have become profoundly uninteresting, boring, and obnoxious. And I do include myself—which is why I say, “we.” There is something stirring in me. Maybe, I will go make trouble. Maybe, I will just disappear. In many ways, the latter feels more effective these days.

These are the ramblings I type into my expensive, consumerist bought computer while travelling on a train. The irony is not lost on me.

That is all for now. Over and out from a torn between worlds view.
julia

OK. So no matter how good my intentions are, the reality check is that I am just not going to get around to covering my Italy trip. I am in New Jersey after having been in New York for a week and then headed back to New York after my Jersey trip. I had such a wonderful, amazing, awful, gut-wrenching, annoying, disgusting, fabulous, incredible, beautiful, magical trip in Italy, and the reality is that I don’t have it in me to power out all the details of that and keep up with where I am now. So… I am choosing to be here now. Which means, I am choosing not to go into the Italy trip even though there is so much to tell.

So, to be here now. I am visiting a dear friend in New Jersey. It is beautiful here. So many trees. And the leaves are just beginning to change color. I did a benefit last night in New York City for my friend’s Kavitha and Jeff and their organization Common Fire. The event was in a penthouse in an eco-tower in NYC. It had a beautiful view of the river and the crazy city and the sun-set and the moon-rise. It was a cage with a grand view. The wild animal that I am can’t help but feel completely alien in moments like that. A cage, even one made of gold, is still a cage. And yet, so many people do not experience places like New York City as a cage. Somehow, the animals that we are are so adaptable, that after being in cages for a long time, we recognize them as home and don’t feel comfortable outside of them. But the wild animal that I am cries out for space, silence, sunshine, trees, ocean, sky, moon. The wild animal that I am feels protective walls building up around me as a way to handle the onslaught of sensory overload. I need space to breathe. I need space to be. I need space.

I took a fun test with my friends, Sharon and Julie the other day. I had to answer questions by placing an “x” in the appropriate box in lines with letters associated. There was one and only one column, where I had an “x” in every single box in that column. The column was the letter “I.” When the test was done, I asked Sharon, “What does ‘I’ stand for?” She laughed and smiled her knowing smile and said, “It stands for ‘Introvert’.” But of course. The irony of my life is that somehow I feel compelled to share my life, my experiences, my learnings with people, even though, what I most long for is silence, alone time, to disappear.

So I sit here in a kitchen in New Jersey, writing bits of pieces of windows of my reality knowing that when left to my own devices, like a wild animal, I just disappear.

Here is to the silence, the breathing, the being, the heartbeat creating a cadence that each of us must follow.

Love,

julia

Hello Friends. I am about three weeks behind in writing, and am actually writing this while on a plane flying back to the US. Italy was such a whirlwind that I never seemed to be able to find the time and creative energy to write. My biggest challenege is that I always want to do justice to the experiences, places, and people, and because I know I want to write enough to try to accomplish this, I get overwhelmed and then end up writing nothing at all. Not the most brilliant plan, I know. So here is the next instillation.

Milena and I stayed in London for just one day before heading to Italy. For dinner (and of course food is one of my favorite things to talk about) I finally got to go to SAF, a vegan, predominantly raw foods restaurant created by a newer friend of mine, Chad Sarno. I met him about a year and a half ago when travelling through London with a former partner. At that time, SAF was still under construction, so it was lots of fun to come back and experience it now as a completed project. The restaurant is also designed with lots of attention and commitment to sustainability. They even have an outdoor herb garden and bar that is run with solar. The food was great, the drinks were beyond delicious, but what was even greater is that Chad just happened to be in town coincidentally as he had moved to America since last I saw him. It was so wonderful to share delicious food and wonderful conversation with Chad, Milena, and Pietro.

The next morning, Pietro—being the absolutely wonderful and generous human being that he is—took Milena and I to the airport and off we headed to Milan, Italy. We were to meet up with Alissa (Co-Director of Engage Network, Project Director for What’s Your Tree, former Executive Director of Cirlce of Life) a few hours after we arrived, so Milena and I went to a nearby park to have lunch and wait for Alissa to arrive from the U.S.

Alissa arrived a bit worn out, but ready for the adventure, and off we went to Madonna Di Campilgio. I fell asleep on part of the way there because whenever I am in a car for more than 15 minutes, I get sleepy. I think it has to do with my being raised traveling so much because if I fell asleep, time went by quicker, and I wouldn’t get into trouble—which was a seemingly constant issue for me. So now, put me in car for longer than 15 minutes, and I immediately start yawning and my head starts nodding as I feel almost drugged.

As we closed in on Modonna Di Campilglio, though, I awoke to beautiful nature all around. Huge mountains of granite and Dolomite were on either side, with the lower parts of the mountain covered in forests, a river flowed through the valley and the towns along the way, and each town seemed to be more picturesque than the one before.

I swear that much of Italy looks like a postcard or a movie set and this breathtaking place was no exception. We arrived at a gorgeous Eco-Hotel with rooms overlooking the mountains, and got settled into our rooms before meeting up with the organizers of the next day’s events. We had a lovely dinner with organizers Lory and sister Roberta, activist Giacomo and his wife, then headed off to bed for a busy next day. What an incrediblly beautiful place and absolutely delightful people!

Now on to Tippery County where we stopped to see a castle. But when we got there, Milena said, “No! This is not the castle I saw on the internet! I do not want to go in!” I jokingly told Milena she is a castle snob. I suggested we go on a walk and then have our lunch of salad in the park. On our walk we saw many very large, old oaks. It was great to see such huge and old trees in a country where so much of the old trees and forests have been destroyed. We also saw a few Yew trees which were considered Sacred to people in ancient times.

After our wonderful walk, we had a picnic in the park and then on to the Rock of Cashel. When we arrived, Milena said, “Si! This is what I saw! This is the Castle we go to!“ I am glad she is a castle snob as the Rock of Cashel definitely has a more colorful and interesting history then Cashir. It has buildings dating from the 12th century with everything from a complete round tower to a roofless abbey to the finest Romanesque chapel in all of Ireland. On this ‘Rock’ there was a Bishop who lived to be a 100 (most people during this era lived only into their 40’s) and was both a Catholic and Protestant (depending on whichever was most expedient in the moment) and had 3 wives and 27 children. Our guide jokingly said, “This leads me to believe that he was a Protestant from the waist up. And a Catholic from the waist down!” It is also on this rock that the now world-famous beer, Guiness, was first brewed by a kind of servant to this famous Bishop.

From the Rock of Cashel, we ended our day in Kilkenny. We had dinner at Cafè Sol, recommended by the Lonely Planet guide. We had a lovely dinner of Mediterranean salad and vegetable fajitas. We walked back to our hotel room, but after hours of not being able to sleep, we went out for a walk about town. It was a little after midnight and the place was a ghost town. There was only one pub open, but it had live music in it that was rock music and so loud, we could barely hear each other standing right next to each other and screaming. We immediately walked out, trekked some more around the completely closed down town, and then went back to our hotel.

The next morning, we headed on to our final stop, Wicklow. It was another rainy day, so we drove straight through to Wicklow because there was nothing along the way that really called to us. We were very excited, though, because there was an Organic store and restaurant about 15 kilometers outside of Wicklow town where we headed to have a late lunch. We got to where it was supposed to be, though, and it was not there. We stopped at a gas station and asked if they knew where the place was. The woman attendant told us that yes, indeed, that place had been there, but had been closed for three years. Disappointed, we headed back to Wicklow, where we then went to another restaurant recommended by the Lonely Planet Guide. And wouldn’t you know it—another casualty of the economic downturn—it too was closed down, although very recently.

We had passed by a health food store on the way looking for the restaurant, so I told Milena we should just walk there and ask them where to eat as they would know of the best place in town for people like us. On the window as we were walking in to the store, I saw a sign for Healthy Habits Cafe. We went inside, bought a few items and asked the young woman working there how to find the cafe. She was very helpful, but we got lost anyway. After stopping again and asking directions, we finally found the cafe tucked back in an industrial zone. It turns out it is in this area because not only is it a cafe, it is also a business and Monastery for the Servants of Love community. These are a very interesting group of people who follow the tradition of the Roman Catholic church, live a monastic celibate life, and also practice meditation, yoga, and other spiritual practices. And as it turns out, the Healthy Habits cafe is the first and only raw food restaurant in all of Ireland. And their food was great! We had delicious fresh pressed juices followed by a warm soup of dulse, avocado, red peppers, and herbs followed by an Italian vegetable wrap with a delicious dehydrated herbed tortilla. We walked back to our car happy with our find.

We went to the B&B where we were staying and checked in right as the rain began to fall. After doing some work, we laid in our beds listening to the rain fall. I told Milena, I would check with the proprietor of the place to see if we could use their kitchen to make our own dinner that eve as the Healthy Habits Cafe was now closed for the evening, and we had little hope of finding another place for us to eat. It turned out that because we were staying in someone’s home, that was also a B&B, the kitchen was not available for us to use as the family who lived there would be using it for their evening meal.

So now we had to figure out another plan. Milena was flipping through the guide book looking for what we should do. Everything said how beautiful the mountains were here, but the reality was it was raining and foggy, and the thought of getting back in the car just to drive around and not be able to really see anything was just not appealing to me. So being the enlightened person that I am, I said, “Miwe, how about we just go to town and get drunk!” Milena started laughing and said, “Yes!” Of course I didn’t really mean get drunk because I don’t like being drunk, but I figured that what better way to celebrate our last evening in Ireland (if we could not have any more great nature or ancient tradition experiences) than go pub hopping and salute our journey. And that is exactly what we did.

First, I went online and found a restaurant that sounded like we could find good food (because in case you can’t tell by now, good food is very important to me!) Then, we proceeded to walk down the main street of Wicklow Town and stop in each pub and have one drink. After three pubs and three drinks, we decided it would be a good idea to put some food into our bellies, so off we headed to Casa Pepe, an Italian Ristorante. And surprisingly, it was very good! It was a surprise to have good Italian in Ireland. We had a great soup, salad, and pizza and little bit of wine. As we left the restaurant, the weather and even the sky had cleared, so we went for a walk to the sea’s edge.

It was so perfect because it was the first time we had been at the coast of Ireland and had clear sky and weather. It was very, very windy, but so crisp and clear, alive and vibrant! We walked along the pier, then back, and on to an old castle that was now just some crumbling walls. The sky was beautiful and stars began to appear as then the moon began to rise. Then, the lighthouse at the end of the pier lit up. It was such a perfect way to complete our trip. We walked back, stopping at a couple more pubs to cheer our wonderful trip and experience.

We left the next morning, drove back to Dublin, dropped of our car, boarded a plane and headed back to London. Even though I am just now completing my writing of the experience of Ireland—days since we were there—it is so alive within me. I loved the land, I loved the people, I loved the stories, the places, the rain and wind, I loved the pubs, the music, and the Irish brogue. And I even loved the things that didn’t work out because somehow it all led to exactly the perfect experience. I carry Ireland with me now—all these years later, after hearing the call when I was in high school and knowing that I wanted someday to be able to walk the land of this place and feel it not only from a book, but first-hand. I am touched, moved, shaped by this journey. And I am deeply and profoundly grateful.

“An Irish Blessing”

Wishing you a rainbow
For sunlight after showers—
Miles and miles of Irish smiles
For golden happy hours—
Shamrocks at your doorway
For luck and laughter too,
And a host of friends that never ends
Each day your whole life through!

From visiting with new friends, we went to the Phoenix Organic B&B on a road in between nowhere and then some. It is a very interesting blast into the past and feels much more like a hostel than a B&B. The walls and all available surfaces are covered with eclectic items from Lorna’s (one of the owners along with her husband) travels from all over the world, but a definite Indian influence for sure. We checked in and laid down on our very uncomfortable beds. Then, we thought, we would have dinner early and went back downstairs and had salads, coconut curried vegetables and rice, and a bottle of wine. It was nice to be able to eat and drink organic, with the vegetables being local as well. We brought Lorna our very wet and muddy clothes as she had offered to wash them for us. Afterwards, we went back to our room, where I spent the night mostly tossing and turning trying to find a way to sleep that didn’t hurt my back. The next morning we had tea, toast, and juice and headed out for our next adventure.

Our first stop was to drop off the washed laundry to be dried in a town about 15 kilometers away as the normal way of drying outside was not going to work with so much rain. In Ireland, many people hang their clothes outside to dry, but literally run in and out bringing the clothes on the line and off whenever there are moments of no rain and it usually takes at least two full days for clothes to dry which we did not have time for. Then from there we went to the Organic Store (it’s actual name) in Milltown. The coolest thing ever about this store was that it was in an old church! It is quite possibly the best use of a church for me that I have ever seen. It was wonderfully stocked with quite a bit of local produce as well as organic produce from further away, and to top it off, the most divine coconut, chocolate bars! In Ireland there are so many old churches and buildings that some end up getting used for other things. In Dublin, I had seen an old fort turned into 6 dance clubs, and now here, an old church turned into an organic store. What an interesting mix of the old and the new.

We, then, went around the Ring of Kerry, following the Ocean and through mountains, and finally through Killarney National Park. Of course, there was the ever-present fog and rain with scattered sun. We stopped along the Atlantic Ocean, dipped our feet into the very cold water and then walked along the beach. I found a green stone in the shape of a heart on the beach which was such a great treasure to find! Killarney National Park is beautiful. It has ancient Oakwoods, beautiful lakes, huge mountains (for Ireland) and grand vistas. It, also, has one of the last wild herds of native Red Deer, but in my journey, I never saw one. Nevertheless, it made me happy to know they are there and protected. We walked a trail up to and past the Torc waterfall. It was beautiful but lots of tourists and lots of trash. I picked up quite a bit of trash, but it was everywhere, and there was no receptacles to put it in around the area, so we packed it out. From there, we went and picked up our now dried laundry, and then headed back to the Organic Store because we ate all the delicious produce for lunch, and I realized I wanted to go back and get enough to make lunch for the next day. Plus, the coconut chocolate bars were calling my name! I swear I could hear them, and who am I to resist delicious, organic coconut chocolate bars?

Before heading back to the Phoenix Organic B&B, we stopped in Killarney for dinner. We went to the restaurant Stone Chat that was recommended in the Lonely Planet Guide for having some good vegetarian options, and it is right! When we walked in, we realized that their vegaetarian options were more for lunch and they didn’t have many options for dinner. We asked the waitress who came up to us if she thought they could make something for us. She was very friendly and said that she felt they could totally accomodate us, but she just wanted to check with the chef and make sure. She returned saying the chef was very happy to make us a vegan dinner. She then proceeded to make recommendations for us which sounded good to us, so we said yes. It turned our her recommendations and the chef’s cooking were both superb. The vegetables were cooked perfectly, the seasoning as well. They were so happy to help us and, we were so thrilled and appreciative with the results. From the delicious dinner, we headed back to Dingle Peninsula to the B&B. As had been the case for numerous nights, I could not sleep, so I eventually gave up and went downstairs to see if they had anything out that I could munch on to hopefully help me sleep. I have learned that sometimes when I can’t sleep, if I have a bite to eat, particularly something with protein, I can oftentimes fall asleep. It was very late, and yet when I went downstairs, Lorna was up, and I told her about my predicament. She was incredibly kind and helpful and got me some homemade spelt bread with tahini. We then stayed up chatting for quite a while which was quite lovely. Then she shared a wonderful story with me that she had written about her life which was fascinating. She has traveled all over the world, studying dance, exploring, and then brought all she has learned to her life with her family in what is now the Phoenix Organic. It started out as a place she and her husband bought, where they lived out of a trailer and a small wooden caravan for years while they fixed up the old barn on the land and started an organic garden. Then, they moved into the barn and started a cafe to help ends meet. The cafe was such a success and friends from afar started coming and spending the night that they were convinced to start a B&B and the Phoenix Organic was born from the ashes of a former dilapidated piece of land and barn. We awoke the next morning, had a delicious breakfast, and headed on our way to Kilkenny, our bellies full of yummy organic goodness and our hearts full of joy.