Ten years ago when I first found the lifestyle, I'd also moved into my brother's little house at the end of a dead end road on the edge of town. He'd shifted to a larger place for him and his family, and he pretty much told me...do whatever—as little or as much as—you want. To put it kindly, he'd handed me enough to keep my busy for years. Beyond the main backyard were several acres with the property that were EXTREMELY overgrown, and I mean chest-HIGH! All I could see beyond that edge where lawn met wild were treetops that reached for the Ohio sky.
From the first day I woke up to the birds and the breeze at the FOS (The Fortress of Solitude) I worked to make a difference to my surroundings. Once I'd gotten the house somewhat settled, I started to pull overgrown weeds that bordered the yard. I had no idea what I'd find once I got into the thick of it all, but the woods called to my soul.
Every day, I'd tug on my leather work gloves and progress deeper and deeper. I dragged deep rooted torn bushes from the earth, moved broken branches, and burned the remnants of fallen trees. For hours I would plug away. Sweat would soak my skin, muscles would ache, and night would fall before I'd make my trek back to the yellow light beckoning in the distance from the back porch. I'd never done manual outdoor work before, but I found the solitude and labor suited me well, almost a counterbalance to my vanilla life of dealing with neurotic co-workers and driving KPIs in a tech startup.
Before long, I had a small clearing and a burn pile. Day by day I discovered simple joys in the work—the visual progress, the sore body, the calmness in my spirt. I let myself fall into the rhythm of the nature around me and the task of clearing and burning. The FOS and the woods demanded nothing of me and accepted me for all that as I was and everything I wasn't.
That first year at the FOS in those woods is where I learned my foundation of service. The symbiotic cycle we all strive to find in M/s dynamics I first found alone in service to something greater than myself—the FOS. All the effort I gave to the property came back to me tenfold in a natural harmonious process. Step-by-step I gained trust in my surroundings and in what I was doing until finally I let down my guard completely and surrendered to all I could be.
I danced naked under the Ohio thunderstorms and let the raindrops slide across my skin as the thunder rumbled through my veins.
I stood naked against the heat of a roaring bonfire at midnight and danced with the Native American spirits that echoed through the woods.
I did yoga/meditation naked under a full moon at midnight and found utter gratitude for the moment.
Eventually, after years of service, I could sink my toes in the grass on a clear summer day.
No matter where I am, my spirit will find a way to serve if not someONE then someHOW and someTHING.
I've been in NYC over five years now, but I carry with me those long days and nights of service. Under the watchful eyes of owls and old spirits a deep peace sank into my bones that I carry with me still today. I am eternally grateful for the opportunity I had to serve such a gracious and kind Master. I will miss those woods until I return again. Someday. Someday.
~DominaKat
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