CLERMONT, Fla. — A local woman is sharing how she pulled herself out of the darkness and now wants to show others how they can do the same. The journey for the Bethune family began in 2011 when they were heading to Disney for their son's birthday. There was a car accident on I-4 and their son, 7-year-old Ethan, died.
It's taken years of therapy, but Jenn Bethune believes she's now found the key to letting go of the trauma and finding a path to true happiness. And now she wants to share it with others.
"That was — losing Ethan — was a catalyst to making such a drastic shift in our lives."
Such a drastic shift, the family decided to sell everything, buy a vintage bus and hit the road with three young kids and three dogs.
"I'm not going to say it was easy because all of our problems just followed us," Bethune said.
Along with therapy, the couple shared their journey on social media — all of it: the fun, the sad, the good and the bad. Then people reached out, telling her how sharing her story was helping them, so she kept going.
"Like how could I not be myself more," Bethune said. "How could I not get out there more, how could I not be more real, raw and vulnerable if it gives people the space to do the same in their own life."
She said she learned that you have a choice, to face your trauma and grow, or just sit with it: "But when you release all the trauma, when you let go of all that, you accept it, you recognize it. You say I'm not going to let this trauma define who I am, you let it go."
She says there are still hard times, but now she has the tools to get through those tough days and wants to share them with everyone. "It wasn't until we started traveling in the bus, going to so many different states, seeing the landscape, that I realized that wow, nature's powerful. Nature is a free healing tool that you can use."
She said there are 3 things you can do anywhere.
- Balance your mind: "Look at the clouds. Just observe them, just breathe them in. If a thought pops into your head, let it float by like a cloud. Just spend 60 seconds to five minutes just looking. What you're going to realize is those cortisol levels come down. The stress comes down, the overwhelm is brought down and you're like oh ok I can exhale. I'm good."
- Silence the noise: "Put your phone on do not disturb a couple times a week for 30 minutes and just be. Go on a walk, just sit. Make sure you're phone is away from you. Turn your watch off too, take it off and just be with yourself, because that's when you can get the answers to the questions that you're desperately asking."
- Observe the moment: "Look outside, look up into the tree. See the squirrel coming down gathering acorns, rushing back up. See the ants marching along the sidewalk. See the birds flying in the sky. When you observe the moment, you realize what's important. The here, the now, not tomorrow or the next day, because we're not promised that."
And she gave one final piece of advice that sounds a lot like the golden rule.
"I think as long as you are the light that you want to see in the world, that inspires other people to do the same."
If you'd like to follow along with the Bethunes and their journey living in an RV, you can visit their website, Instagram, and YouTube.