A New Year’s resolution I had for this year was to go out and network more. I was so determined to start the year off right that I purchased a ticket for a candle-making and smudge stick workshop at the end of last year. This wouldn’t have been such a big deal but I purchased the ticket knowing that my only friend in the area, my sister, couldn’t go with me. I have social anxiety so I try to avoid putting myself in these situations but I needed this year to be different.
The day had finally come that I was to attend the workshop and my anxiety was already trying to hold me back. I couldn’t bail on the workshop because the ticket was nonrefundable, so I did the next best thing…..I took a piece of thc hybrid chocolate (better known as an edible).
It was a thirty-minute drive to the location and I had trouble finding the building, which was already sending me into a spiral; but I was able to find the correct location before the class was scheduled to begin. I grabbed a seat at the end of the table, so I wouldn’t disrupt friend groups who hadn’t found a seat yet, which turned out to be a terrible idea.
The first half of the class was candle making and I was most excited for this portion, but I didn’t enjoy my experience. Because I was at the end of the table and the supplies were at the center of the table, I had to ask for people to hand them to me, but my requests went unanswered. I felt out of place and had to wait until everyone else was done making their candles to complete mine; which led to me being rushed and unsatisfied with my fragrance combination.
Upon completing my candle I started to feel strange. I thought it was from all the fragrances I was sniffing giving me head fog, until I remembered that hybrid chocolate I had consumed before leaving the house. Luckily, this happened right before the scheduled break so I was able to stand outside in the 40-degree weather, to ground me before the class began again.
The second half of the class was the smudge stick portion. Going into this workshop I had no idea what a smudge stick was, besides the fact that it looked similar to sage. The instructor told us about how the ingredients in the smudge stick have different meanings and they have a lot of cultural backgrounds. I was really intrigued by her message, but that could’ve been because of the chocolate.
The instructor had us work in groups of two; one person would be blindfolded and the other would burn different elements. The blindfolded person would explain what came to mind, what color they envisioned, what memories it invoked etc. I got lucky in this scenario. Since I didn’t have a partner I got the opportunity to work with the instructor, which made it an amazing experience. Also because of the chocolate.
Overall, it was a decent experience. I didn’t have the opportunity to network like I had originally planned, but I was able to try something new and out of my comfort zone. Although I didn’t love the experience and outcome of the candle making process, I had an amazing smudge stick experience and got to learn about something new while setting intentions for the new year; making it a worthwhile experience.