ABOUT

The Specifically Particular Guide to a Wild and Wondrous Life was born from a seemingly unbearable season of loss and grief. At the start of 2020, I lost my brother to suicide. Shortly after, I made the decision to leave my job, which also happened to be the place where I lived. And then COVID hit. What followed was a liminal year of brutal uncertainty. Everything familiar was stripped away.

This turned out to be life’s greatest gift. The dissolution of so many elements that had formed my identity, however painful, also revealed the most meaningful and authentic pieces of my life. I came to a place where I was finally able to seek the tools by which to begin healing… not just from the loss of my brother but a childhood marked by chaos. Most importantly, I began to recognize and trust my own voice.

As I emerged from my grief, the world seemed newly beautiful, the possibility of wonder unfurling around every corner. I felt a deep sense of awe at the innumerable gifts that, despite all odds, continued to sustain me. Over time, I found that these two seemingly magical elements- wonder and awe- were something that could be cultivated, namely through community and play, vulnerability and growth, learning and creating... and most importantly, contemplation and rest.

I created this space as a place to collectively learn, grow, and continue the cultivation of this precious sense of wonder. The name- Specifically Particular- is near and dear to my heart. You can read more about it here.

I am so grateful to have you here today!

Dana Ainsworth is a former English teacher, current doctoral student, sometimes writer, and always mother in Charlottesville, VA. Her PhD concentration is in Education Policy and Justice, with a focus on the use of mindfulness and trauma-informed interventions to interrupt the school-to-prison pipeline. Her memoir (un)tethered will be published sometime before she dies (or… posthumously).

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