The

The There's a magical quality to Humboldt County. You don't find anywhere else.

The land we live on is expansive and pastoral.

There are two creeks on either side of our home and ancient orchards surround us.

Everything has a distinct smell, the river, the redwoods, the fir trees, and there's food

everywhere. When the pear trees by our house ripen, it's a race to pluck them before the bears

get a hold of their juicy goodness. Kristen Winbiggler is the director of the Western Folklife Centre, the folks who put on the annual Cowboy poetry gathering.

If you remember a meditative story from the cowboy poet Wadi Mitchell, he's one of the stars of that festival.

Kristen grew up in the wilds of rural Humboldt County, California, a green and growing place

where independent living and mutual support go hand in hand.

As she grows up, she realizes just how special this place is, a place where people come together when life throws the

unexpected at us, and a place where our differences fall away, because that's what life expects

of us. And she makes a vow to tell its stories. In this series, we combine immersive first-person stories, breathtaking music and

mindfulness prompts, so that we may see our lives reflected back to us in other people's stories,

and that can lead to improvements in our own inner lives.

From Wait What, this is Meditative Story.

I'm Rohan, and I'll be your guide. The body relaxed.

The body, breathing.

Your senses open, your mind open.

Meeting the world.

Yeah. Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, I'm eight years old and all spruced up.

My Western shirt is decorated with tiny dancing ballerina mice and it has pink pearl

...