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Stacy Crep ~ Adventure Sister

How will you be different?

July 20, 2018 Emy Minzel

On the campaign trail people ask me how I will be different then other legislators that have come before me. I often talk about how much we all have in common, and it is the issues that separate us that I have to work on. I talk about how our current representative is a career politician, which I am not. Her career has led her to where she is today, voting the party line only, not choosing what is best for all her constituents. I would be different, because I believe, this is what our political system sorely needs.

If I disagree with my party, because I believe the issue doesn’t benefit my district, I will do what I think is right. Even if it goes against what “my side” wants to see. It’s called compromise. Something I believe politicians haven’t been willing to do in many years. This “my way or the highway” business doesn’t work for the greater good of the people. I wish to represent all my community, even if we may see things a little differently from time to time.

I know a lot of great people who are not in my political party, I know a lot of great people who refuse to be in any party at all, because then they feel we are divided. The whole point, of the two-party system, is to work together so we can see things from a different perspective. The way I see things, may not be how you see things, but this does not make either of us right or wrong. We need compromise and to practice acceptance of each other and our way of doing things; if we are going to move forward to a brighter future. I believe by working together this can happen.

My goal is to bring both sides, right and left, together. Let’s meet in the middle of that empty isle and work it out. We are all in this life together. The least we can do is work collectively to get to a conclusion that works for all of us, not just some of us. I do not understand what is so hard about that.

The idea of your team and my team only creates friction and competition to win. When really…. we are ALL on the same team whether we like it or not! We share this district, state, country and planet. Let’s stop acting with selfish intent and make it work. Kind of like a marriage! Sometimes we must fight, but in the end, we love each other and want to make it work for our greatest good.

Right/Left side duality is a real and true embodiment of life. The right side is often called the masculine side, the side associated with work, war, power and providing. The left side is called the feminine side and associated with nurturing, creating, love and growth. We all need both of these qualities to be balanced people.

Our country is no different. We cannot be represented by only men, and expect women’s needs to be fully supported, because often men do not truly know what women’s needs are and vice versa. I believe our representation should be well rounded to better the communities they represent; this includes women, people of color, different religions, backgrounds and cultures all at the table of the political world. We must acknowledge the importance of our differences and learn to get along for the greater good beyond our egos.

When we can overcome the negative narrative provided for us by the media and remember who we are in our hearts, that’s when real progress can be made. I know that it is the “bad eggs” who get all the press and it is easy to think that we are surrounded by things we should fear. But the reality is, most people are good people!

Look around your life, your neighbors, your family, your friends…we are mostly good. Good people just don’t get the press that creates the fear that sells all the newspapers. We must remember that most people are good at heart, even when they don’t think the same way as we do.

This is how I will be different. I know that I have friends and family who may vote differently then me but I also know they are darn great people. I know that to represent my community means representing both those different then I am and those who believe the same things I do. Most people have duality that is flexible and flowing and sometimes contradicting because we are all human.

I also know we all have the same needs, no matter how different we may seem. Clean water, good food, a job to provide for our families, roof over our heads and the freedom to be who we are no matter how different we want to be. This is the America I know and love and want to represent.

I do not wish to fight with any of my community. I want to listen to them, hear their points of views and talk about how we can meet in the middle for the greater good of our community that we share and love. I am not your typical politician because I have no desire to be. I have seen for many years where our two-sided approach is separating us. Pointing fingers solves nothing and I do not like it! We must grow, do something different if we want to get better. Just because this is the way we’ve always done it, does not make it right or how we must continue to do it in the future.

Let us learn from this conflict and grow from it. Let’s learn to separate the hyped-up media from real life. Stop projecting your fears on random strangers you make assumptions about. Stop sharing your perceptions as fact and start open dialogue to communicate. When we better understand one another, it often is not nearly as scary as we may have thought. Let’s be better humans and work together for the greater good. This is how I am going to be different and my goal when I am elected.

Wishing you an abundance of joyful blessings,

Emy Minzel ~ Adventure Sister

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Stacy Crep ~ Adventure Sister

Joys of Sisterhood!

July 12, 2018July 12, 2018 Emy Minzel

Adventure Sister Stacy and I went camping with our husbands last weekend at Tettegouche State Park in Silver Bay Minnesota. It was a spectacular park with lots of hiking and stunning waterfalls of the Baptism River that led out into Lake Superior. We were only there for a very short weekend, but it seemed to be the get away that I needed to reset. You know, like an iPhone… power down for a bit and restart so I work on all cylinders instead of just some.

I needed to get out and reconnect with nature. I put my feet in the water, my mind back into the present, and gave my spirit some time to play. My husband and I got to the cozy campsite a few hours earlier than Stacy and Marty. We had time to set up the tent and hit the trail for a hike and to see the water falls. Jason was a little intimidated by the swinging bridge, but he made it over to the other side. I was very proud of him for pushing past his fear of heights, so we could be rewarded with waterfalls.

The next day we all hiked together, the park was scenic and vast, the steps were handier than BWCA portage trails but brutal in their own way. Luckily the water views and opportunities to swim made up for the stair master level 17 drill we embarked on. I think we all had over 10,000 steps in before early afternoon. I wasn’t expecting all the flights of stairs, but I believe they were totally worth the effort!

After our group hike we had decided to go back to camp and eat lunch. There was a great beach at the mouth of the Baptism river that led directly into Lake Superior. I wanted badly to swim and float on this 83-degree day and Stacy was up for some fun too. Marty drove Stacy and I to the beach while my husband who is not much of a swimmer decided he would be just fine enjoying some quiet time while we all went for a dip. We got to the beach that was made of rocks not sand, yet you would sink in them like it was quicksand in the right spot.

There was a sandbar (made of rocks) that reached like a finger of the earth just for the purpose of creating a pool before the river met the vastness of the Great Lake. All three of us wasted no time getting into the water. It was warmer than we thought it would be if we kept the current from sweeping us into the big water the temperature stayed perfect for this Minnesota girl. We know this because Stacy and I had let the current take us until it got so strong that I got a little scared and beelined for the shore and I would be able to put my feet back down.

We swam back and teased Marty about showing up to the beach with two women. All of us floated together having a great time while watched a young boy try to build up the courage to jump from a rock ledge that many others before had just done. In the end he did not jump, his fear got the best of him even though his older sister had jumped three times before. This makes me wonder about how many times I did not do something I really wanted to do because of my fear?

We swam for an hour or so then walked over to the other side of the rocky peninsula, so we could put our feet into Lake Superior. Even though the two waters were connected just yards away the large lake was much colder and seemed to have a fierceness about it. I walked in on the Lake Superior side and the rocks almost swallowed my legs up to my knees. The water was much cooler, and the energy of it was much different. It was a very cool experience to see how quickly Mother Nature can change her power.

I was in my happy place. I am a water baby. Always have been, always will be. Stacy also loves the water and as we turned to leave Stacy and I snapped a picture of us to document the moment. We didn’t check to make sure it was a good picture. We just took it quickly and kept on our path back to the campsite up more flights of stairs. When we got back to camp, I posted it to our BWCAdentureSisters Facebook page to let our readers know we were out adventuring together. It had been months since Stacy and I got together, and adventuring is one of our favorite things to do. We were both energized and very ‘here and now’ the moment the picture was taken. I believe it captured the peak of our happiness during that excursion.

I also believe that beauty comes from being happy. You don’t have to be traditionally beautiful to be perceived as pretty when joy radiates from your whole being and that is what the camera captured. Stacy and I are regular women, we have flaws, grey hairs, extra pounds, cellulite and everything else that comes with being forty-something and at that moment we did not give a darn at all, we were happy. Plain and simple.

Yesterday a Facebook fan had commented on our photo. She said, “You two are beautiful!”

It made my heart sing, not because I wanted to be perceived as pretty but because I knew that this woman could see our joy. It is not easy to find joy in our everyday lives sometimes. That’s why it is imperative to make time to do the things you love. I live in Minnesota, there are approximately 3 months of the year in which you can go swimming for any amount of time. Too soon it’s too cold, too late and dog days take over the lakes with algae blooms and other undesirable effects that keep us out of the water.

We made time to do what we love, and we were rewarded mind, body and spirit including a picture to prove it.

Thank you to our Facebook friend Pam for the nice compliment. I was having a pretty trying Wednesday after a great weekend escape, your compliment made my day. It made me feel like there is still good people who are kind, caring and most of all women who do not have to compete, women who lift others up, encourage other women for being authentic, without a beauty competition. It is okay for women to be kind and supportive of each other, we should encourage each other’s strengths, help each other on our paths, because we are intrinsically connected.

I think of the connection that Stacy and I have, and I am thankful for a different kind of sisterhood I share with other women I adore, the kind you choose. Neither of us have been blessed with a blood related sister but we seem to have found each other again in this lifetime. Don’t get me wrong, we don’t agree on everything and we have our moments of agreeing to disagree but that does not mean that for one second, I think she won’t have my back or I hers.

We seem to have embraced each other warts and all. She knows I am far from perfect and I know she is as human as person can get. I also still believe she is magical in her own way and I love that she pulls magic and courage out of me that I didn’t know I had. Sisterhood can be empowering if you let it! This picture personifies our joy on this day. Joy in just being us! No make-up, photo shop, or special effects can produce a photo that encompass happiness, it all comes from the inside.

Our goal as the Adventure Sisters is to pull this joy out of other women. To encourage others to be authentic as you can be while doing your best to find joys in your own lives. We do this by sharing how we do it ourselves. Feel free to share your own picture that shows you radiating joy doing what you love! It could be loving your babies, grandbabies, or fur babies. Hiking, swimming, or anything that makes your heart sing. We would love to see it!

Thank you for reading our blogs, thank you for the continued encouragement and support of our joint but separate journeys of the Adventure Sisters! We appreciate you.

Wishing you an abundance of joyful blessings,

Emy Minzel ~ Adventure Sister

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Stacy Crep ~ Adventure Sister

Anxiety sucks rocks ~

July 3, 2018July 3, 2018 Emy Minzel

I had a great weekend full of learning new things, meeting new friends, socializing, love, laughs, dancing, seeing old friends, and having a blast while fundraising for the campaign. It was my ten-year anniversary on Thursday and my husband Jason and I had to work, but made time to spend together in the evening. We decided that since the next day was going to be a big one for us both that we would just grill and chill. It was fabulous. I enjoyed the energy of the full moon on our anniversary while enjoying the company of my best friend with a full belly. I was feeling mighty blessed.

The next morning, I had an appointment with a person I had been waiting for weeks to meet. I was a little nervous when I got there because I was almost running late and took a wrong turn. This gets me a little frazzled because being late is not who I am. I feel that being on time is respectful to your schedule and mine, I did not want to appear disrespectful by being late! Thanks to friendly kids on their bikes who helped with directions, I got there just in time. As I set off the panic button on the car as I got out of course. It was just the thing I needed. The alarm startled me so much that I forgot to be anxious when I walked into the meeting. Funny how that works.

I was surprised and relieved they had an informational tour scheduled for me to go on for the meeting. It made me feel more comfortable than I would have sitting across from a desk for a formal interview that I was expecting. I was introduced to my second escort who was the with government relations team. She had the most beautiful eyes I had ever seen. Seriously… I think maybe she thought I was hitting on her because I kept staring at her multi colored hazel/blue/green eyes. Anyway, her eyes were very pretty, as was she. I am not usually, self-conscious but I felt like I was the token normal looking neighbor in a movie script. Like I was sitting by attractive actors of Mr. and Mrs. Smith film as I climbed into the large pick-up truck for a tour.

It was a pleasant morning and I met even more wonderful people I hope to work with on the campaign trail and in the future once I get elected. I was thankful for the hospitality I was shown, and the energy offered left me feeling safe to share my true self. I love when that happens while meeting new people. Often, I get anxious about big events, but this felt natural. I was thankful for that feeling as I drove an hour back home to get ready for a campaign fundraiser my team had been planning for months.

The temperature on that Friday reached 99 degrees which almost melts most Minnesotans. The event was hosted at the biggest Hops Farm in Minnesota inside the processing facility. Thank the Spirits above for keeping that building temperature tolerable for the comfort of the guest who braved the heat to support the Emy for House Campaign that evening. We had over 50 people show and had a wonderful time.

There were three speakers who educated community members and myself about hops farming, diversifying agriculture by promoting the growth of industrial hemp, and another speaker whom talked about his passions and ideas of the Ecology Democracy Network organization. I was the last speaker and had practicing for a week.

As I stood up in front of the room it was clear to me I had psyched myself out about speaking and I did not deliver the best speech ever, as I was hoping. I know I could have done better but nerves got the best of me that night. I must learn how to get over my fears, for my sake and for the sake of the people I represent.

Part of me wants to say, “If anyone thinks they can do better at this candidate thing then have at it!”

While the other part says, “Keep going, you will get better with time and practice.”

I know I will get better when I am able to just tell my story and lead with my heart. I overthink my speeches yet at the same time I want to be completely prepared. Then I over compensate with written words on a note card, instead of just trusting that what is truly in my heart will make its way out of my mouth the way I want it to sound.

I gripped the microphone so tightly I thought I might break it, but it helped me settle down just a little. Well not really… I fluttered too quickly through a good speech. You couldn’t tell it was good because I said it too fast. Anxiety is the pits I tell you.

I know exactly what I want to say but put me in front of an attentive crowd and the world around me turns surreal and I seem to lose grip on my everything, including my cool. This is not a handy skill to have when you are running for office as a public figure, so I am going to have to get over it and fix it fast. I know I can do better, and be better,

I want to be better for my community not just my image. I will keep working on myself until it is second nature to speak with my heart even while it is pounding as if it wants to leap out of my chest. It is a weird sort of feeling to be so passionate about what I believe that I put myself out in public to do what I think is right.

At the same time, I am terrified at just about all the events I must speak at. I am regularly being interviewed by powerful people while still feeling like I can sit at a table full of leaders and believe I belong. However, stick a microphone in my hand and a crowd in front of me, even knowing they want to hear what I have to say, and Forgittaboudit… this girl shakes on the inside like tin roof in a hurricane. Inside my head even hears the storm as well.

This anxiety really ticks me off, now that I think about it! It’s stopping me from being authentically me. I know who I am, what I believe in and what I want to say. Why is it that I just can’t spit it out because there are people looking at me? I mean really? WTF hey? I have no problem talking to all the very same people as we mingle in the room an hour before. But, put me in front of the room by myself and its like I turn to someone else.

My calmness takes a leave of absence and its like an outer body experience as my shell stutters through the speech I had been writing for a month and practicing for weeks. I butchered it an I know it. This anger I feel at myself right now, will help move forward with purpose of doing better. I will not quit for as long as it takes to work on this skill. I will continue until I have it down.

People look to me for leadership and I feel my heart is in the right place. I just hope that they see who I really am, I am just me, a wife and a mother, a woman full of heart. I hope they hold space for me to be human. I am simply a woman who is fed up enough to get out of her comfort zone and try to affect change for the better. I am not a professional politician, I am for the most part an introvert!

I work from home on purpose, I write stories and work on our Adventure Sisters books because that is what I like to do, and I can do it in my home away from crowds. Also, I can write how I feel not have to say it. Probably why I like to write. I love to spend time in the great outdoors, with just a few people and my dogs in my free time.

I am not used to nor do, I enjoy public speaking. I am just angry enough at the state of affairs of our politics that I am willing to get out of my comfort zone, push myself to do better and be better for the greater good of the world around me.

So, when a well-intentioned constituent tells me “You are better at one on one.” I am not surprised because I already know this… and say “You are absolutely right. This is me. All human in every way, just like you. “

Maybe this is lesson for me as well, not only to be brave enough to get better. But to realize we are all just humans trying to do our best, sometimes we mess up. Sometimes we hit a home run.

I believe these experiences are offered to learn from and grow into better people with. Its up to me to make these difficult changes. I hope others are doing their best to make the changes they wish to see in the world too. Even as your hands are shaking, your knees are weak and there is a hurricane taking place inside your body. I think it is always best to do what moves my soul, so I will continue.

To all the people who push on through when scared. Way to go! Keep kicking butt, because I know it is hard. Anxiety sucks rocks. But what sucks worse is not even trying, because then you will always wonder what if? Which we all know, just leads to more nerves about that too because that’s what we do. Anxious people stress about our stress too.

To those who do not have any anxiety thank you for holding space and practicing patience with us that do, as we fight through it. We are doing our best to be brave. Thanks for being the oak tree in the back of the room, where we can look to you for grounding and calmness. Thank you for standing besides us as we do our best.

The people who support me through this weekend where the blessings that come with the lessons I am learning. I am so thankful for those whom have been kind, compassionate and caring. This weekend was great, even if I feel I could do better at public speaking, this experience was laid before me as a Lesson through Joy.

I know I can experience joy even during times of challenges. I am thankful the Universe has been answering my request to learn my lessons in joyous ways. I knew it would.

Wishing you an abundance of joyful blessings,

Emy Minzel ~ Adventure Sister

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Stacy Crep ~ Adventure Sister

Turn and face the strange changes –

June 27, 2018June 26, 2018 Emy Minzel

Adventure Sister Stacy has a series of self-help blogs she is writing that suggest ways to deal with the stress of change. I find that she has great advice, and the suggestions she offers are valid. However, maybe it is just me, but even with all the assistance and techniques offered, I still find change stressful. To go from one way of life to another even when it is self-inflicted causes stress of all kinds.

The stress of change affects my attitude, my time, my sleep, my family life, and my social life because I am being changed! Therefore, how I deal with this change is going to be altered depending on my experience. For the most part I think that I am doing my best to take charge of the direction and change happening right now. Then there is the fact as Stacy also mentions that we do not have control of anything except ourselves when life redirects us.

Yet, we all know that people are not their best selves while under intense stress. This is a fact I hope we can all agree on. I do my best to be kind, keep a positive attitude and just keep putting one foot in front of the other. I keep faith that this change is being guided by spirit to bring me the life I have been asking for all along. Most days I find new experiences exciting and invigorating, but on those rare days that stress gets me good, I find myself well… not being my best self.

I am not proud of myself when I snap at someone out of stress or even to set boundaries that have been pushed too far. I know that there is a better way to communicate my feelings and emotions, yet as I am just a regular person like everyone else. Shit happens. I can only be poked with a sharp stick for so long and by a very few people. When someone else tries to add their extra push or poke in the wrong time I will reflexively bite back. I have my limits.

Now, I have worked long and hard on myself over many years. I do my best to practice kindness, generosity and patience to all the people in my life. So, when I act in a way that surprises others and even myself, I am going to take that as a sign that my boundaries have been pushed too far. I have reached my tolerance of any more pushing, no matter how well-intentioned the pushes may be.

To say take a deep breath in the .02 seconds it took to push me over the edge is just not realistic. I believe I must listen to my instincts or reflexes and ask myself what was it that made me snap like that? Or why am I feeling overwhelmed at this moment?

When I ask myself these questions instead of accepting my feelings as fact, it gives me an opportunity to redirect my attitude. Stacy did give the advice to acknowledge your feelings. I believe these feelings help direct me, even if they aren’t shiny happy feelings, they are guiding me to listen to what is under the surface.

They say we are given free will. We choose our actions, our decisions, and our personalities by the way we have experienced life in the past. I know that if I choose to act in a way that I am not proud of because of stress and change, well… its up to me to change it moving forward. I can practice all the self-soothing techniques Stacy had to offer at www.stacycrep.com. I can also acknowledge my reaction may have been an automatic response of protecting my boundaries.

When you start a new path, you get new people on that path with you. Sometimes people will unintentionally push your limits too far and it is up to us to let others know where those boundaries are. I work for myself for a reason, I am not used to people telling me what to do or the metaphorical feeling of someone walking behind me with a sharp stick.

If you poke this bear one to many times, I will growl at you and not so subtly. What I do not like about my reaction to stress is that I may accidentally hurt others with my sharp tongue; which happens to be my weapon of choice when protecting my boundaries. I like to do things at my own pace so when the path I am on changes and forces me to do more then I think I am able, this will stress me out.

I know I am not alone here. All the deep breathing, meditating, and visualizing a good outcome will not stop me from being human. I would like to meet the person who is always calm, always relaxed as life shoves them white water rafting down the river of life. It gets rocky, scary and adrenalin is jacked up so high your mind goes to automatic survivor mode and not one bit of your calm is available for you to access at those exact moments of stress.

Maybe this is just me?

Maybe I am just resistant to change even though I want it so badly? There are things in my life that I love just as they were and are. But those are also part of the journey of life and when I change, they change whether I like it or not.

What I find most useful adapting to this change is letting go. Letting go of what I think it all ‘should’ look like, letting go of ‘doing it all myself’ and learning to ask for help. What I find helpful is my friends and family who listen to me and hold space for me as I change.

The support of others is where I find the most comfort on this roller coaster ride we call life. Like my husband likes to quote, “Life is like an EKG reading; if it’s not going up and down, you’re dead.”

Acknowledging that life does have its ups and downs is how I have faith that tomorrow will be better. Having a hand to hold and friends who listen to my growing pains is comforting and keeps me on the path even when it is scary or stressful.

My advice when dealing with the stress of change is to reach out to those you love and your friends that have your back. Find comfort in your closest relationships and maintain them through the change. Reach out and ask for help and emotional support you need when you need it. Know that your life is not just yours. We are all connected, when you hurt, the people you love hurt with you, maybe even because of you.

Knowing to tend to what is really truly important to me in my life through the journey is where I find comfort. It is never usually about me. It is about connections I hold dear that keep me striving to be better, do better and to contribute to this world for the greater good. It is because I care so deeply about the world around me that I am willing to change my life, my normal, my direction.

Being with those I love, reminds me of my purpose. Knowing it is all divinely guided, helps me let go and enjoy the ride. Choosing to learn my lessons through joy, by looking on the bright side of things, is how I cope with stress and change. I try to stay positive, I try to be my best self. I choose to love myself even when my best-self, take’s a momentary leave of absence. I give myself a break, knowing I am doing the best I can in the time and space I am given.

I like to give the same courtesy to others who are stressed and going through change as well. Accepting people just as they are being one of the best lesson’s I’ve learned in life and the most useful. To practice it on myself, is a work in progress but I continue to try. After all, I do have high standards for myself and others around me. To be flexible and compassionate are the techniques that work best for me as well. Because I truly believe we are ALL doing the best we can on this roller coaster of life.

Wishing you an abundance of joyful blessings,

Emy Minzel ~ Adventure Sister

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Stacy Crep ~ Adventure Sister