Christmas is getting closer. My thoughts are in Christmas gifts but I’m also going through this year in my mind since the new one will be here soon.
This visit to Tiisanmäki sheep farm (link only in Finnish) in Savonlinna I made already a couple of months ago. It was the best experience this autumn after my Japan travel and snowy kayaking experience.
I had never before been in a sheep stall -and this close to baby lambs- but there was something else why this visit was memorable too.
It may sound strange for a country girl, but this visit -and also this year- will stay in my mind as a year when I “found” animals in a new and more meaningful way. Just like during my depression I found being in nature in a deeper way. At Tiisanmäki I became better aware of that somehow.
Instead of just feeding and taking care of the animals, I consciously began to just be -really be present- with the animals. I learned to let them take care of me.
It has changed my whole relationship with animals. It feels incredible good!
However, as a country girl, my relationship with animals is still very natural too. It is based on the cycle of nature and life that I’ve seen when I’ve grown up on a farm. The same natural cycle was seen also at Tiisanmäki and I loved it.
At Tiisanmäki sheep farm visitors can’t only enjoy the company and closeness of the animals, but they can also buy different kinds of meat, and products like blankets and yarns made out of the farm’s sheeps.
I left home some sheep sausage with me. Now I’m planning to make another trip to the farm before Christmas since the sausage was so good.
Besides enjoying more the company of the animals, this year I had a pleasure to meet new inspiring people. Tiisanmäki sheep farmer, Hanna Niskanen, was definitely one of them. I’m not sure whether I’ve mentioned Green Care Finland to you before but among many other things, we talked about that together; about the use of nature and animal-assisted methods in health care and taking care of one’s personal wellbeing.
Out talk gave me many ideas for the future. We’ll see whether they become true some day.
Or my other dream that I wrote down to my school book already when I was just a little girl. Maybe that hairy dream becomes true next year too 😉
For the best experience, please watch this 360° video in Youtube app with virtual reality headset and remember to turn on HD! Tap on Youtube icon in the player below or open this link https://youtu.be/8AN73y80tdk in your Youtube app.
This year, it was the animals, last year it was self-compassion that I “found” as a way to take care of my wellbeing and bring more quality to my everyday work and family life. Read more about it, and why having compassionate thoughts towards ourselves is often easier in nature, here.
