Bee Hempy, bee Healthy and always, ALWAYS, bee yourself...

Recent turbulences in my life, the US and the world in general, have made me sit back and re-evaluate everything that I thought I knew.

You know me as positive, fun-loving, health-dedicated, determined and always searching for new answers to questions that need yet to be asked. And most of the time that's exactly who I am. But of course, like everyone, I, too, have moments/days/periods, where I retreat into myself and feel the weight of the whole world on my shoulders...

One of my biggest passions, however, is to learn new things - the running joke in our family is that I'm the 'eternal student' - and indeed, I am currently studying on to become more knowledgeable in herbology, formulating skin and hair care in order to create line of medicinally valuable and all natural products.

Already the very first chapter and set of questions of this course threw me off:

Who ARE you? What are your values? What is important to you? What are you willing to take a stand for? If you could change three things about personal care products what would they be? Why do you think that YOUR care products would make a difference?

The questions were supposed to be answered as short as possible, without thinking too much - whatever comes to mind first. Unfortunately, I tend to overthink things...

So, here is what I had down after about 45 minutes (take the answers - where applicable - with a wink and a smile):

Who ARE you?

- Indeed, who the f*** AM I? I'm 53 years old and turned grey early. Even though I am technically American, I still feel surprisingly German. On a professional basis? Oioioioioi... Other than my husband, who knew what he wanted to be with 17, I am STILL trying to figure out, what I want to be when I grow up.

On a personal basis? I don't sweat the small stuff. The plates, glasses, silverware are not the same pattern? - Who cares? The furniture are second hand and over 30 years old? - So what? They still function! There are gazillions of dandelions and nettles in the yard? - Ok! Great! You have a different opinion? - That's fine. As long as we can agree to disagree. Money, beyond the point of "I have a roof over my head, I can eat and put clothes on my back" means very little to me.

I love to live, I love to love, I love to laugh and I love to socialize.

What are your values?

- Now that is easier... I value good, tried and true relationships. First and foremost, my husband, who has stuck with my change of careers, ever new ideas and supported every single one of them - for over 30 years now. Whether I felt the need to be a long term care assistant in a nursing home, a sales-man for water softeners, a financial planner, a carpenter or a hemp grower - nothing was ever too wild or 'out there' for him. A close second are the relationships with my daughter, son, mother... I love and value their input on a daily basis and couldn't be happier to have them in my life. Third, my friends and neighbors, who I bribe with the occasional home-cooked meal to be there for me, when I truly need some help. Fourth, but a very important fourth, are the animals that I surround myself with... My horse (currently horseless, but I'm confident that I'll find Casey 2.0 eventually), my dogs, my chicken, my cats and my bees; so much unconditional love - my heart bursts often.

Other than that, I value nature, solitude, harmony, working soil for hemp or a garden.

Most of all though, I value/am grateful for being in the fortunate position to help people. Be it to be there for them to lend them an ear, to baby sit, to give them rides (my Amish neighbors) or to ease their pain with my CBD products.

WOW! Did you SEE what just happened there? When I looked at it, I stared at the switch of 'value/be grateful' for combination. I will definitely HAVE to come back and examine this further on a linguistic, psychological and philosophical basis.

What is important to you?

- Huh. To love and support each other. It is important to me to surround myself with people, who support my values. I'm done with superficial. I'm done with hyper-friendly or phony (never really WAS that type to begin with, but could fake it pretty well, if the situation asked for it and in times of lesser self-confidence). I want real people with mistakes and faults and wrinkles and heart break tattoos and chicken pock marks in my life that are all about building each other up rather than tearing each other down. In my first hemp growing year, I looked back and found that I had straight/gay, white/brown. drug addict/sober, family mom/teacher and family mom/stripper, young wife/grandmother, Amish neighbor/American neighbor all working side by side in harmony, sharing stories, talking to each other. THAT was powerful. THAT was important.

What are you willing to take a stand for?

- Without getting into politics, I'm willing to take a stand for my values, common sense (if in doubt - trust your gut) and the truth (and only listening to BOTH sides can assure that one arrives there).

At the moment, I sometimes feel like Sophie Scholl, raining pamphlets of warning down from the top floor of the university building.

CENSORSHIP IS UNACCEPTABLE.

TOTALITARIAN REGIME IS UNACCAPTABLE.

PERIOD.

If you could change three things about personal care products what would they be?

- Pooh! FINALLY, we had arrived at something that had to do with the course and essentially with my business, or had I just READ the previous questions wrong? (Double HUH?!)

1. Make care products about CARE again (and not looks).

2. Reduce plastic wrapping/packaging and CARE of Nature.

3. Let Nature take CARE of you.

Why do you think that YOUR care products would make a difference?

- Because my products ALREADY make a difference! For my husband, for my family, for some of my friends and last but not least, for me! My CBD butter has helped my veteran husband of 'so many ailments' and has greatly relieved his arthritis and joint pain. After some of my family and friends have tested it, they, too, love it and I have received very positive feedback. To me, this is sooo encouraging and sooo empowering and sooo motivating!

My daughter and I just love my shampoo and conditioner bars, where I know what's in it and where our hair doesn't feel weighed down by chemicals but rather energized by essential oils good for your hair and stimulating with their aroma.

After I was done answering all these questions, I went back and read what I had written. I liked it and I saw that this is truly WHO I AM. Amazing though, how it feels when you are asked to put it on paper, to think about these questions with purpose. Nobody had ever asked me this. Least of all, me, myself.

Bee Hempy,

Love and Peace,

Silvia