A Year of Growth

         It’s been 365 days of sunrises and sunsets in Washington. A year, a long, crazy year of insane change, growth, lessons, and opportunities, a year I am so incredibly thankful for, but also extremely glad to have behind me. It was a long year filled with obstacles, lessons, and change, an extremely necessary year at that.  Last year when I left home I wasn’t sure what to expect, I knew I would be working with weed, and stoners. I knew I wanted to work on my self and my cannabis education website. I knew I wanted to nourish my relationship and my fur babies and make them as happy as possible. I didn’t anticipate how hard it all would be at times…

       Somewhere in there I lost myself, I don’t know if it was the endlessly dark winter that I was unprepared for or the lack of purpose I felt in a lot of aspects of my life. But I got myself stuck in a deep hole, I hate to call it depression because I know people who have had a much harder time than me, people I have lost because they thought there was no other way. I have even had it worse than this, being sick at such a young age gave me a sort of stupid confidence, if I got through that…I can get through anything, even my own shitty mental state.

      But this time I got extremely stuck, I was always exhausted and crying, I put my boyfriend and myself through hell too many times to count. I could have anticipated a bit of emotion and difficulty adjusting…I thought I was prepared to figure it out, and I thought I was going to share it with you all. I anticipated it being ugly, weird, and uncomfortable. I knew it was going to be different and maybe a little too raw. I thought I was going to be ok with all of this, just like it had always been ok before…I didn’t anticipate my sudden aversion to the camera though. I was not expecting that, for almost 3 years I had been posting on instagram and snapchat, pictures and videos of me ripping bongs, taking dabs, and posing with fat top colas. All the while dealing with everything life threw at me; school, work, stress, pain, insomnia, my cannabis use and productive lifestyle. Suddenly I hated every single picture, every single video. Nothing looked right, I hated my face or the way my hair looked in the middle of a video, the silliest things. Especially since self love and appreciation for the vessel I was given are some of my biggest priorities. But I didn’t like the way I looked, I still don’t a lot of the time, but I’m trying to push past it and get back to my usual self.

        My social media content, didn’t suffer from this change necessarily, it just changed, and with that change I feel like I lost touch with a lot of people I had made a connection with and people visiting my page have definitely gotten less of a “full frontal and real” version of me than people who have followed me for years.

       My followers know my thoughts and feelings-I’ve taken to posting prose, or passages about life/the day/challenges/strengths-as they come to me. But they don’t know ME, not the way they should. I am determined to fix this. Besides I have tons of followers that support me more than people I know in real life, people I have known my whole life, people I see and talk to daily. So THANK YOU for your support, and I’m sorry you haven’t been getting the fullest version of me. I am remedying that, and hopefully sharing everything I’ve learned along the way.

       There are tons of things I’ve learned and done in the last year that I wouldn’t change for the world. I have gotten to explore one of the most naturally beautiful places and create memories I had only dreamed of. I have had some of the most amazing experiences and met some of the most amazing people while living up here in Washington and I determined to explore and create even more. I couldn’t be more grateful for all the opportunities I have been presented with so far.

        I am also so incredibly grateful for the reminder that no matter where I am, who I am surrounded by, I am worth every bit of energy I put into myself. My relationship with myself and the love my life, my family, is worth every single second. Without my man and my relationship, his support, and love, I would not be the woman I am. I would not feel strong, or proud. I would only be able to see myself as weak. He shows me the light in the dark, the good in me when I can’t seem to see it in myself.  He pushes me to be better, and do better everyday.

       I am proud to say I am getting back into a routine of taking care of myself and making my goals a priority again. I am extremely grateful for this year of growth and learning. But I am even more excited for the coming year and all the adventures ahead!

     Thank you so much for going on this incredibly crazy journey with me, I appreciate everyone single one of you more than you know!

                            (I hope you guys are OK with seeing more of my face!)

Stay Stoked, Stay Stoned

Cannabis and Wellness

         Cannabis use, in my opinion, is not a recreational activity but a form of wellness; a way of taking care of one’s mental, emotional, and physical well being naturally. Cannabis helps the body maintain homeostasis and keeps each of us healthy, helping regulate body temperature, and digestion among many other vital body processes.  Our bodies are made to consume cannabis, to use cannabinoids to our advantage and to keep us healthy.

            Working in the Recreational Market in both Colorado and Washington has been somewhat confusing; I have gone back and forth about how I feel about the term “Recreational Cannabis”. The conclusion I have come to…is I really dislike the word “Recreational”. It doesn’t apply to cannabis.  All cannabis is in one way or another used as a form of wellness. It may not be purely medicinal, who doesn’t like getting high? But everyone I encounter uses cannabis for one thing or another, to help with appetite, mood, discomfort, sleep, focusing, understanding, studying, socializing and so much more!

            Cannabis use spans every generation, from newly 21-year-old “kids” to 95-year-old grandmas and grandpas. Young people use cannabis as much for appetite stimulation, discomfort treatment, social stimulant and sleep aid as they do to unwind and relax at the end of a long busy week.  The elderly use it to treat their discomfort, ailments, diseases and also to relax and enjoy life. Everyone in between uses cannabis to aid in daily routine, rest, relaxation and to help enjoy the little things in life. No matter who you are cannabis can help you slow down, gain perspective, take time for yourself and recharge. Cannabis is one of the coolest plants on the planet because of its ability to treat numerous ailments and diseases but also because of its’ power to span the generations. Its ability to bring mothers, fathers, sons, daughters, grandparents, friends and coworkers together is so beautiful and powerful.  I love seeing families, grandsons and grandpas, moms and daughters, all well over the age of 21, come in and shop together, help each other remember what they liked and disliked and exploring new consumption methods together.

            Cannabis use as a wellness tool is very important and understanding it’s use can sometimes be very confusing and difficult. Depending on previous experience many do not know much about the many benefits and wide variety of uses of cannabis. I love helping others’ discover and learn more about the amazing and wonderful plant that is cannabis. Being able to help others naturally is one of the most rewarding and wonderful things I have ever had the pleasure of doing. Cannabis use in wellness and whole plant medicine is so extremely important and I love being able to share all this information, endless options, benefits and experiences with all of you!

Stay stoked, Stay stoned!

What is a name?

            As some of you may have noticed along with the birth of this website there has been a “name change” to my online persona as well. It’s interesting to me to see the reactions to the change, some haven’t mentioned it, some have commented on it, both good and bad, and either way it doesn’t matter, not really. What is a name anyways? A name isn’t worth anything if the person behind it doesn’t give it substance and life. I started ThatOneMountainGirl on instagram just about 2.5 years ago and I honestly had no idea what I wanted to come from it, all I knew is I wanted a place where I could share my love for cannabis, the cannabis community, my cannabis use and my body without offending people like my conservative grandparents or my partner’s family…it’s not that I was or have ever been ashamed of my cannabis use and the naked body but I also understand that many people, especially people I love, are not in a position to share their interest or appreciation as openly and freely.  Appreciation of the cannabis plant and my newly healthy self fueled the creation of this account but I could never have predicted where it would take me

          ThatOneMountainGirl was born right after my 3 year long battle with Graves’ Disease, when I was starting to love myself completely again, so I created a safe place to share that love when I felt like it. I also created a place to share my love for cannabis and it’s incredible healing capabilities.  Through my instagram I have met so many amazing souls and made friends that I could have never met otherwise. I have had more opportunities than I ever could have imagined and I am happy to say this is just the beginning!  About a year ago I dove head first into the cannabis industry and thus began a shift in my goals, plans, and posts, all becoming centered around cannabis use in wellness.

            This fall I was telling my extended family about my work in the Cannabis industry and my desire to reach more people and share my knowledge and passion for cannabis beyond instagram and the dispensary. It was my uncle who came up the idea of a website with the name CannabisKlaraty. An emphasis on my industry, the place I now know I belong and desire to make a difference, and my name. I am so blessed to have had the opportunity to find myself and create a place to share my passion. I can only hope to bring Klaraty to all your cannabis questions and help others discover this amazing plant. It is my hope to show that you can live a healthy, conscious, productive lifestyle and consume cannabis responsibly. It is not the end of ThatOneMountainGirl by any means, just an evolution and growing into the woman and educator I know I am and am striving everyday to be.  I am so excited to see where the next 2.5 years and beyond take me and I couldn’t be more thankful for you all for following along with me!

Stay Stoked and Stoned!

Klaraty (formerly @thatonemountaingirl)