I Named Myself At One Year Old. Here I Am, Coco, Untinted and Untamed!! Introducing Me!

Hi! I am Coco. I would like to start with two photographs taken by me of two horizons as well as a poem(one of two poems), written by me, Coco, thekeyhasfoundus.

To an endearing horizon, one stalks the new,

Curious in that which is yet to be unveiled,

An alternate angle mon, a view of less than few,

Furious combat ditched the notion that she would reveal..

...herself so raw and open, untinted, unscewed,

Sure its us all that wish they were not concealed,

Herself, stalking fulfillment unblemished, she reveals, past due,

Pure expression varied, intricate and detailed,

So that many more can relish in a unique view,

To those who love and find beauty revealed,

I thank you most humbly, this is for you.

    -written by thekeyhasfoundus, Feb 19, 2018

To everyone that reads this,
Pleasant journey to you all. I hope this post finds you fulfilled or closer to it than you dreamt possible.
I will be sharing a wide variety of content in my peruse about steemit ;)

from poetry to song lyrics, from dramatic comedic rants to plants in the natural environment, from herbal remedies to philosophy, from health tips to empowering words to overcome obstacles in life, from insights in learning how to be fearless in your personal expression in the face of ridicule and rejection to tips in how to nurture yourself, from the beautiful to the critical, from the bold to the vulnerable.

You may be -and I hope you are/will be- surpised and intrigued. I do not intend to be restrained or shy. You are going to get all of me, so be warned. I have a lot to share and have held myself back before but that is not in the cards now. I am open to suggestions for topics. I am passionate to the point of near restlessness and can't wait to bring some new ideas and insights to you. I look forward to connecting and following many new interesting people, as well as seeing what this platform and the fellow contributors have to offer.
Treat yourself like gold and the world will follow.

Introducing me:
I was born in Canada, a twin, in the middle of January when it was 50 degrees below outside. I grew up in British Columbia, on a 160 acre farm, nestled in a box canyon in the mountains by the Fraser Canyon(close to the Fraser River).

My family lived off the land. We had fruit trees, chickens, turkeys, dogs, gigantic gardens and drank glacier water from a nearby creek, melted from the Camelsfoot Glaciers. It is one of the hottest places in B.C., and though it reached 45 degrees (or over 100 degrees) in the shade at our property, the creek was still cold, super clear and about 4 or 5 degrees at most, because of the fast flowing glacier water. Every year the salmon would return from the ocean to our creek, where they would spawn (lay their eggs) and than become the landscape as they finished their life cycle. The bears, cougars, wolves, eagles and coyotes ate their fill and would deposit ;) the mineral rich treasures in the forest, bringing nourishment to the arid landscape and the pine trees, the sagebrush and the poplar trees, the wild roses and the cactus patches.
As children running around in the mountains, we would often get prickley pears(cacti) stuck in our legs, as the needles would cause them to fling up from our shoes as we skipped and flew through the sagebrush to go build forts in the trees with what scavenged wood we could find, or to dig for worms and catch grasshoppers as bait and find a good fishing hole to catch rainbow trout. As it was a pretty secluded spot, we had a generator for electricity. We used it mostly for lights at night and our loud music speakers-which pumped Jimmy Hendrix, the Grateful Dead, and Jimmy Cliff, to name a few, to echo off the hoodoos of the box canyon. We did not have running hot water, so would boil water to wash dishes. To bathe we would build a fire under an old metal tub to heat it up. We had a lattucework wall on three sides with vines of hops and morning glory's(flowers) climbing up the walls, decorating as well as creating a bit of privacy. The other side was facing a hedge of wild rosebushes (the light pink ones). It was best at night, when the stars were out, laying in the tub breathing the fresh mountain air. If you try it yourself, put a board or something to sit on as the bottom and sides of the tub gets too hot to touch!!

Sometimes, we would giggle from the tops of Saskatoon trees as we hid from my Mom's calls for us to do farm chores, in our favorite branches, eating our fill of the plump fruit. Our beloved rottweiler would also eat the saskatoons, sometimes delicately pulling the berries off the lower bramches with his lips.Since we had few neighbors close, besides working the farm with my family and travelling one hour each direction to school, I passed a lot of my time with reading, drawing, painting, writing poetry and travelling with my beloved family.
We would travel sometimes an hour or two to visit friends, sometimes driving 12 hours to visit family in the next province. We spent summers in northern Alberta at my Grandparent's cabin at the lake, fishing for Northern Pike, hopefully not Perch (so full of tiny bones) and see the Pelicans (at their northern migration) We also traveled much farther to spend three or four months in Mexico for the winters.
Back in the years before the 2000 we went four winters in a row to a small fishing village in Jalisco, Mexico and were immersed in a new vibrant culture and language. We drove our green '78 Bronco south and back 3 times, along the west coast. I love travelling. I was also in Jamaica when I was 2, but in my adult life I have been to Australia, Bali, Lombok, Peru, Bolivia, Cambhodia, the US and Baja California, Costa Rica and Spain. My parents gave me a taste for traveling and I really took to it. There are endless interesting things to see out there!! You would never believe the surprises you can get if you have never tried. Trust yourself and get out there people! The adventure awaits ;)
I love gaining knowledge and understanding different types of peoples, seeing different ways of life, being immersed in different cultures and enriching my life with the beliefs and teachings of people of all walks of life. Life is beautiful and contradictory at times, but I know there is a lot we can learn from one another ;)
I have lived in BC most of my life, sometimes lakeside, sometimes riverside, sometimes oceanside, I love the mountains and the natural beauty that this continent has to offer and I have only explored a fraction of it. I am passionate about preserving our natural environment, whether in Cambhodia or in Canada. I know that when anyone picks up plastic, it saves one more fish from choking, even if you didnt throw it. When I was a child, my Mom drove bags of recycling two and a half hours to the nearest recycling depot, and wrote letters to big oil companies, eventually singularly protecting a couple delicate ecosystems and habitats from the likely pollution that comes with drilling for oil. I stubbornly keep loving the planet that nourishes us and doing my part.
There are times I have been more involved in employment that has a worse impact on the environment, but I feel that now I have aligned with my true calling, and continue to build on it. I have worked in the Locations Department in the Film Industry, in Retail, in Agriculture, I have been a waitress, a nanny, an exterior painter on skyrises, a landscaper, a masseuse, and I am still changing and growing. I'm adaptive and like to broach new horizons. I love great views from the tops of hoodoos, of mountains, from the tops of 28 storey buildings, dangling from a bosun's chair on two ropes to power wash down the side. I think that the extensive scaling and climbing I did in my childhood has helped me to not be as scared of heights.

Poem #2

These days, I spend my time
writing, learning,
drawing, working,
relaxing, pondering,
singing, wandering,
listening, bonding,
tuning in, harmonizing,
encouraging, cooking,
emerging, curiously looking,
massaging, furiously shirking,
forraging, letting light in,
making and sharing,
tasting and daring,
loving and caring,
rebeling and empowering,
delving and scouring,
helping and flowering,
creating and devouring.

Being the bold
as well as compassionate,
seeking the gold
in every person and in every object.
Treating all those
with respect while shedding demeanment.
Speaking not when told
but reflecting the creativity in abundance.
She's in not the clothes
she wears, not aground but in boughs of trees
Floating on the remote,
but a thought in the waking light in the breeze.

                 (by thekeyhasfoundus, Feb 19, 2018)

I believe that life is here to make the most of. One day when I have children, I will teach them to be fearless and help them to not have limitations. I feel my parents taught me this and I am grateful. Please teach your children well, as they hold the future in their hands. It is your choice. It is your voice. I too, want to listen to yours. I will share mine. I welcome new views and new insights. Thankyou for listening and for your presence, Coco.

These pictures were taken by me, Coco or thekeyhasfoundus, except for the one where my arms are spread wide like wings. This one was taken by Adrian Soto.