I popped into a local hot spot the other day to grab a gift card for our contractor — just a small way to say thank you for the incredible care and craftsmanship he’s poured into our home.
I handed the bartender my card, glanced up while waiting…
…and there they were.
A row of deer heads mounted along the wall.
And what came up for me?
At first, absolutely nothing.
Then this quiet wow inside me…
There really isn’t anything here. No charge. No panic. No need to shrink or leave. Just spaciousness.
And that’s when it landed:
This is what healing does.
This is what becomes available when we make ourselves available.
You see, as a child, I was petrified of taxidermy.
Even just 10 years ago, I remember walking into a 5,000-square-foot gallery with my then-husband.
I froze at the front door. There’s taxidermy in here, I said.
He told me there wasn’t.
But I could feel it — deep in my nervous system.
And sure enough, tucked in the back corner, on the manager’s desk… was a single small bird.
It wasn’t about logic.
It was about the subtle shift in my body — the loss of safety.
That moment was a turning point.
I decided to heal. Not to be okay with taxidermy (there will never be a moose head over my bed), but to be okay inside myself. To cultivate a new relationship with my nervous system. With my body. With safety.
And now, all these years later…
Here I was, standing in a bar surrounded by not just one bird, but a whole row of large, glass-eyed animals…
…and nothing.
Just breath.
Just presence.
Just me.
I may never understand that art form — and I don’t need to.
What I do understand is Power. Embodiment. Choice.
Life will always bring us triggers.
The question is: will we react, or will we respond?
The answer to this first lands in our body.
This is the work.
And it is so worth it.
When your nervous system feels safe and you’re living from your center, your power becomes undeniable. It is visceral – to yourself and others. If you’re ready for that level of embodiment, hit reply, and let’s talk.
I’ve got you.
Amber