Season 2 Episode 5 is now available to listen to! I hope you enjoy our time together.

Below is the transcript for the episode:

Hello, friend. I'm Mel and so thankful to have the next few moments with you here on the Encourage Better podcast. Today, I'm taking you for a walk, as well as an adventure back in time. I'm recording this part of our episode now, March of 2021, but the walk I'm taking you on was recorded in August of 2019.

Before I began this podcast, I knew I wanted to create a specific kind of podcast to share with you. I began recording for a segment of this not-yet-put-together podcast that I planned and that was going to be walking in Kodiak. My eagerness to learn and experience my new home was always something that I wanted coupled with sharing to you. My purpose from 2019 seems even more important now. And 2021.

So friend, grab your knitting, or the handy work that suits you best and come with me for a walk in the woods.

It's so nice to see something in nature that encourages you just by observing it, not because it has put its hands on its hips and taken that stance where Why haven't you learned this lesson yet? wagging its finger at you like a smarmy-marmy schoolmaster right. Now instead, nature just shows you the example. And you just kind of look for it. Sasha and I were hiking, we're headed through for Abercrombie Park now. And just a bit back. It's a path that I really enjoyed taking. And it's actually off the main path, which makes it nice. You kind of go in places that if you follow game trails, you can enjoy a quieter, not worn the same way trail, you definitely get a bit more brush in your hair. And a couple of grabs from some bushes on your pants in your jacket. I'm watching her hop over some of these bushes, but it's definitely worth it. It's nice to get off the path. And we wandered over to a spot that I really enjoy. It's a little bit of land that juts out into the lake Gertrude pond. And I walk there, I don't know four or five times a week at least. And today I noticed the tree that I always like to lean on and stop and catch my breath at the on wonder of just how beautiful it is here. I noticed the tree with all this green growing out of it. I should say I finally noticed it is up ended. It's turned on it’s side. Its roots are not in the soft soil as they're supposed to be.

Traditionally with other trees, you know your roots are down. You've sprout up his trees on his side. And I don't know I would say at least two thirds of it. Probably more but 90% of it. The routes are exposed and open. How'd you find that? The things she finds on our hikes. She has found a golf ball in the woods. Anyways, this tree has just a couple of roots in the soil. And it's on its side just fallen. And yet all these beautiful green branches are sprouting from it. Fresh bright, vivid green, healthy from something that, at first glance, you would think shouldn't be able to produce any blooms any fruit. And yet it does.

And it's just very encouraging to see that when you're up ended, and when your roots have been shaken and taken, and even abused, you know, I would honestly feel of the tree could speak. In my vernacular, it would say, it has been abused by the winds and the storms that sometimes push their way through here in Alaska, in Kodiak. And yet, despite that, this tree, just kept going, keeps going, is going. And that's right, Sasha, Sasha is excited about that, too. Anyways, was just a small observation. Actually, no, it wasn't a small. It was something that I was standing there, I wandered around this tree. And I looked at it with fresh eyes, and thought, why haven't I seen this before? Or I've seen it, but why haven't I truly recognized what it's showing here, showing growth, through trauma, showing growth through the experience that he wished I'm sure it didn't have to go through. Or going uphill, so please excuse the Banting it's quite a steep climb right here. Anyways, encouragement I found from that, and looking at it wasn't really a small bit of encouragement. It filled me with happiness and hope. And because of that, I thought it would be interesting to share that with you.

As I'm wandering through the woods,

wherever you are, I hope the breeze is blowing softly and gently on your face if you're hot, or strong on your back if you need an extra push. I hope the sun is shining on you.

And I do hope you realize that you were created to be creative, and that you are valued and valuable.

I hope you enjoyed that time together. And the observations, I have a few of these that I'll be sharing the days are the podcasts ahead, not the days, but the episodes ahead. If you want to dig in deeper into your knitting and approach it with fresh eyes, I want you to know that you're welcome to join me for five minutes and five rows, which is just a mindful knitting practice that I'm sharing on my YouTube and Instagram channel. It'll be linked in the show notes for this episode.

There's also a free hat that we're going to be creating. And you my friend are invited. I look forward to seeing you join in and I like to interact with you and engage. And so know that you're welcome. I know that you being a part of it is something that I eagerly await. And then I'm thankful for. Now, before we wrap up this episode, I'd like to thank you as always for listening. I hope that this time together brings you a sense of enjoyment and a sense of just all over just an understanding of what a great time it is to be a knitter. We have such a gift in knitting or crocheting or whatever it is that you find yourself doing. There is a podcast listener who I enjoy hearing from and she sends me messages and says you know I don't knit I don't crochet, she does calligraphy, and she likes to do calligraphy and kind of COVID calligraphy journaling and she listens as she does that.

What I think is fun is there's another listener that I hear from time to time. And she doesn't knit, she doesn't crochet, she spins, but she can't spin while she is commuting. And so she listens and does that. So I want you to know that you are welcome here, regardless of making or not. But if you are making, I hope that when I share things with you, it serves as a reminder that you're doing something worth noticing, and worth acknowledging yourself. Don't wait for somebody to come by and say, Wow, that is amazing. Look at what you're doing. That's wonderful when people do, but be that person for yourself. And, and notice the things that you do. And notice that the stitches that you're creating. And when we become people who do that, we notice it in others a lot faster to and then we become that person that walks by and says oh my gosh, look at what you're doing. Look at this amazing creation from your hands.

Okay, so before we go, I'd like to share the winner of the free pattern this week. And just so you know, every week I draw at least one review person that leaves me a review. And I know that sometimes there are platforms that I miss, where you may have left, you may have left me a review. And so what I'd like to do is encourage you, if you've left a review somewhere, and you haven't won yet, why not take a screenshot of that, and email me your review from wherever you've left it, and send it to me at Melissa, at encouraged better.com. And to make sure I see it either fast or in between episodes. If you screenshot your review, and you're on social media, especially Instagram, post it and tag me in it, and I will see it and you don't even have to email it. The other benefit to that is when you share, oftentimes, we don't realize that when we share something that we love, chances are there are other people in our circle and sphere of influence that have a similarity of just kindredship. And they might enjoy that too.

I can't tell you how many times I've been on Instagram, and someone has shared a review, or a screenshot of something they're listening to or watching. And that it is such a powerful recommendation that I oftentimes will go and check out and see what it is that a fellow instagrammer is excited about. And if you're able to do that, because you love this podcast, or the YouTube channel or my igtv channel, I want to thank you for that. And if you can leave us five star review. I'm so honored for that too. And if you can't, I am so serious. If you are like You know what, I could leave a five star review if fill in the blank. Or you know what I love almost everything about this podcast, except you tell me what that is. My friend You are probably seeing or hearing something but I didn't even realize I could be doing better. I want to grow not just in my knitting, but all around. So speak to me, share with me. email me at Melissa at encouraged better calm, and I will greatly appreciate that. Now for today's winner. It comes from Ted w. p. He says I'm constantly amazed that how you are always so positive and encouraging. Well, Ted, it's because I have people like you sharing these wonderful things. My time listening to the podcast is always like listening to a great friend. Just finished episode three omg you are so talking to me. Thank you for encouraging me to keep up with my first sweater design. Yes, absolutely. You guys, when you have an idea, run with it. And if I can encourage you, please let me know. Ted, I want you to double up I want you to please reach out to me and let me know that you heard me announce you as a winner and I will have a summer lien. It's sock pattern. I've got two more to give next week in the week after, and then we're going to switch it up a bit, I've got something else to share with you.

As always, I appreciate your time with me today. I value you in such an incredible, almost indescribable way, knowing that you are out there listening and that we can connect and share this passion and joy of creating and share this love of our world. And our love of other humans together. brings me great joy. So thank you and as I said earlier in the walk wherever you are, hope the breeze is blowing softly and gently on your face. If you're hot or strong on your back, if you need some extra push. I hope the sun is shining on you. And I do hope you realize that you were created to be creative and that you are valued and valuable.