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Contact Shannon Ledford
Who am I? Hmmmmm…I self-identify as an outdoors girl - I love being outside, surrounded by woods, rocks, water and all the plants and creatures that live there. I grew up the youngest of six overachieving children in Deep River, ON, so the outdoors was my escape from the hustle and bustle of a busy, dare I say frenetic, household. I studied at Queen's University, BScH Biology, BA English and Geography and BEd IS Biology and English. I taught at Gould Lake Outdoor Ed Centre before returning to Deep River in 1996. Currently, I am blessed to live with my dear husband Doug, our two amazing sons Desi (20) and Aidan (15), our beloved undog Maggie, three cats, Atticus, Jack and McHenry, and a snake, Helios, on the shores of a peaceful, unpopulated lake. This is paradise for me, yes, even with the blackflies and mosquitoes! The water and this piece of earth ground me and feed my spirit, so my days start and end there. From an early morning meditation, lying on the earth or floating in the water, to long walks in the woods greeting the trees and marveling at the awesomeness of Nature, I spend as much time outside as possible. I end my day on my deck watching the sunset and basking in the sounds of night descending around me. Beautiful!
I especially love canoe trips with my family into remote areas with whitewater rivers and camping in all seasons, especially winter camping in quinzees (snow huts). September to June, I am an occasional teacher, bringing my loving energy, zany humour and abundant enthusiasm for children and education to classrooms from kindergarten to grade 12. I love teaching Math and Science, but mostly I love working with kids, creating a safe learning space, and being part of the magical journey of education. My personal challenge is to make outdoor adventures part of the curriculum every day. Fostering a love of the Earth, celebrating the beauty in every moment and reconnecting with the natural rhythm of our planet reminds children of their role as guardians of the planet. Happy, grounded kids do better in school and in life, and there are fewer discipline problems when we go outside. Creative educational problem solving - Just go outside!
As a child, I watched my mum raise and feed a large family while spending time every day volunteering around town. She taught me the mantra: If not me then who? Not surprisingly, I am deeply invested in my community, spending about 20 hours a week in various volunteer roles from Scouting and Guiding to Meals on Wheels, gardening for seniors, the orchestra and other groups that work with youth or seniors. There is no shortage of good things to do.
I put out a lot of energy, so I fill my own cup with meditation, Peruvian Shamanic practises, Kirtan, Dances of Universal Peace, First Nations and West African Drumming, Etheric Healing and weekly visits with friends. I am truly blessed with a diverse, loving and supportive community of folks both in Deep River and around the world. Thank goodness for Skype and Zoom! I love you Ladies!
It is quite something to write this "bio", pulling together a sketch of my life in this moment, what to include and what is no longer relevant but indubitably added to who I am today. I find it fascinating to see the weave emerge from the many beautiful threads leading to this morning on my deck. I am humbled, in awe actually, of the richness of the journey. I have spent most of my life feeling like I was outside, quirky, looking in. I was actually okay with that, had some good spirit guides at my shoulder, but I wondered if I would ever find my tribe, my inside group, who would really see me for who I am and love me, wrinkles, warts and all. I have gathered soul sisters along the way; I found deep soulful belonging in the Magic of Circle, and I have truly come home in my Etheric Healing Group and my Shamanic Ayni. I would wish such beauteous community for all beings. If me, why not all?
And who would ever have thought I'd be podcast worthy?!! Hah! Not me. Thank you Shannon, sweet sister of my heart, for seeing me and celebrating who I am. You are a gift and one of my shiniest threads. Love you so much xoxoox.
