Relatively Stable

Kimberly Carter
  • 5.0 (10)
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In Relatively Stable we delve into the journeys of those who have faced challenges, uncovered their passions, and discovered resilience along the way. Whether you're here for the stories, seeking inspiration, or simply drawn to the wisdom we glean from horses—and life—you’re in the right place. Let’s dive into the narratives that remind us how to stay relatively stable, no matter what comes our way. stableroots.substack.com

  1. JAN 8

    Why Not Me?

    In this essay, I write from the days surrounding my father’s death and our first quiet Christmas at Lavender Hill Farm. What I expected to be rest turned into a confrontation with how my body and mind responded after months of caregiving, loss, and responsibility, and with an old folk practice that gave language to something I didn’t yet know how to name. Sin Eating weaves together farm work, folklore, and a Christmas Eve medical scare with one of our mares. I reflect on the impulse to take responsibility for loss, to keep internal ledgers, and to hold what feels unbearable in the hope that something else might be spared. The piece moves between grief in the human body and illness in an animal body, asking where responsibility begins, where it ends, and what happens when we try to carry too much. This is an essay about embodied grief, stewardship, inherited wisdom, and leadership fatigue. It’s about how attention and simple acts can become containers in moments of crisis, and how some forms of knowing arrive without explanation—through touch, repetition, and attention. Stable Roots is reader-supported. Subscribing directly supports my writing and the ongoing care of the horses and land at Lavender Hill. Get full access to Stable Roots at stableroots.substack.com/subscribe

    21 min

  2. JAN 1 · BONUS

    Keeping Vigil

    Keeping Vigil At the threshold of the Fire Horse This piece was written in the slowed time of dying and published at the turning of the year. It traces what happens when clocks stop mattering, when mirrors become witnesses, and when keeping vigil becomes the only meaningful work left. Moving between hospice rooms and hay fields, folklore and neuroscience, agitation and clarity, it asks what it means to stay with someone all the way to the edge—and how to know when staying gives way to letting go. Keeping Vigil explores end-of-life presence, terminal lucidity, the nervous system’s role in dying, and the ancient human instinct to watch so no one crosses alone. It is also a reckoning with control, grief, land stewardship, and the kind of light that follows mourning rather than resolves it. Published on New Year’s Day, at the approach of the Fire Horse year, this piece stands at a threshold—between endings and motion, between what must be released and what insists on moving forward anyway. Thank you for reading, for witnessing, and for being here. Love, Kim Links & References Subscribe to Stable Roots: Essays, reflections, and field notes from Lavender Hill Bramblewood Stables at Lavender Hill: The land, the horses, and the work that holds them Relatively Stable Podcast: Conversations about grief, land, horses, and grounding in the midst of chaos FX – Dying for Sex: Nurse Amy’s explanation of the biological stages of dying Terminal Lucidity (End-of-Life Phenomenon): Overview and research on clarity near death Chinese Zodiac: Year of the Fire Horse: Cultural context and meaning of the Fire Horse cycle Get full access to Stable Roots at stableroots.substack.com/subscribe

    21 min

  3. 12/18/2025 · BONUS

    The Practice

    The Practice: How repetition, devotion, and the oldest meaning of the word keep us rooted in an unpredictable world This week’s essay is an exploration that began with the idea of creative routines and ended somewhere far more human. I'm reading the full piece to you here and bringing you into the fields at Lavender Hill: the old fencing we inherited, the hurricane debris still shaping the horizon, the unexpected gunfire along the geldings’ field, and the small acts that keep us tethered to ourselves when the world slips off its axis. This is what it means to practice. You’ll hear about what it means to practice in the oldest sense of the word—not drilling toward perfection, but returning to the things that keep us present: showing up for horses and humans; speaking up when fear rises, letting kindness shift the outcome. And remembering that practicing humanity is as real and necessary as any repair we take on at the farm. If you’d like to read along or share this piece, the full essay is at Stable Roots. And if the work feeds you in any way, subscribing—free or paid—helps me keep writing and helps Bramblewood Stables at Lavender Hill keep growing into the place we’re building together. Love, Kim Get full access to Stable Roots at stableroots.substack.com/subscribe

    16 min

  4. 12/11/2025

    Cats in the Walls

    Cats in the Walls Inherited ghosts, holiday garland, and being ambushed by forgiveness This week’s essay didn’t go where I expected it to go. I sat down to talk about shadow work with horses, and instead found myself inside my lived story of hospice care, old family fractures, and forgiveness coming before I'm ready to let go. You’ll hear about the move to Lavender Hill, the grief that followed us there, the ghosts my father is wrestling with, and the ones I’ve carried far too long. You’ll also hear how a single comment from a stranger cracked something open I’d been gripping for decades. And, because life has a sense of humor, you’ll hear about the cats my father swears are walking through the walls. Mostly, this piece is about what happens when the past presses in and the land around you insists on offering another way. If you’re moving through your own shadows right now, you're not alone. If you want these essays and voiceovers delivered each week, you can subscribe to Stable Roots as a free or paid member. I’m glad you’re here. Get full access to Stable Roots at stableroots.substack.com/subscribe

    15 min

  5. 12/04/2025 · BONUS

    A Beginner’s Guide to Shadow Work

    A Beginner's Guide to Shadow Work This week, I’m taking you into the barn aisle at Lavender Hill -- into the fog, the quiet, and the shifting inner landscape we all carry. We talk a lot about showing up for our lives, but we rarely talk about the selves that show up instead of us: the crisis-trained parts, the exhausted parts, the dreamers, the watchers, and the ones bracing for storms that never fully arrive. In this episode, I explore the “crowd inside us”—the sub-selves shaped in childhood, the ones that still pull the strings, and the deeper shadow layers beneath them. We look at why we react the way we do, why certain patterns won’t let go, and how shadow work invites us to name these hidden selves so we can finally lead from a truer place. I talk about the old versions of me that still try to run the show, the grounded self emerging in this new season, and how naming our inner parts becomes a doorway into clarity, compassion, and real change. Together, we look at what happens when we become allergic to our own shadow and how to stay present through the discomfort long enough to learn from it. You’ll also find three simple journaling prompts to begin your own shadow work practice—gentle ways to shine a light into the places we often avoid. If you’re in the Greenville, SC area, I’d love to see you at December’s Rooted Gatherings here at Lavender Hill. And if you’re joining from afar, I’m always here for a private Zoom session. Come stand on the ground with me this week. Let’s reconnect to the selves who rise, the ones who soften, and the shadows asking to be named. Get full access to Stable Roots at stableroots.substack.com/subscribe

    20 min

  6. 11/20/2025 · BONUS

    Flagged, Stolen, and Still Not Silenced

    Flagged, Stolen, and Still Not Silenced This week’s essay weaves together two moments, years apart, when something I relied on to hold my words was taken from me: a stolen teenage journal and, more recently, an unexpected stint in Facebook jail after an algorithm misread a comment to my friend. These aren’t the deepest or most dangerous forms of silencing. Many people know far heavier versions. But they did press me back into a familiar question: Where does my voice actually live? I trace the thread from that missing notebook to a restricted account, through fear, inaction, and the horses who keep teaching me how to return to myself. This episode is about noticing, grounding, and remembering that our inner steadiness isn’t something a platform, or a thief, can take. In this episode: • The night my journal disappeared • What happened when Facebook shut me out • Fear as a starting point rather than a threat • How the horses at Lavender Hill model presence and instinct • Reclaiming small forms of personal power for big results Support the Work Being flagged reminds me how fragile other platforms can be, so I’m choosing to root more of my work on Substack, where my voice can stay whole. If you want to support the horses, the land, and this writing, here are the ways to join me: Free Subscription — read, share, and help the work travel. Paid Subscription (20% off annual plans) — full access to all audio guides, workbooks, monthly Zooms, and behind-the-scenes updates. Founding Members — everything above + four private coaching calls in 2026. Gift Subscriptions — for everyone on your list who needs grounding and community. Get full access to Stable Roots at stableroots.substack.com/subscribe

    17 min

  7. 11/13/2025 · BONUS

    We're Still Standing

    In this week’s episode, Kim reads her newest Stable Roots essay, We’re Still Standing — a piece shaped by loss, loyalty, and the beauty of still being here. This is a story about this year where everything shifted: the exits that cracked the foundation, the people who stayed and held the beams in place, and the web of horses, history, and human hands that keeps rebuilding Bramblewood Stables, thread by thread. This essay is a meditation on hope (even for a self-professed catastrophizer), the clearing-out so many have weathered this year, and the raw truth that sometimes losing what we love makes room for the life that finally feels like our own. What You’ll Hear in This Episode: - How a year of upheaval reveals who’s actually in your corner - The illusion of loyalty — and what remains when it falls apart - Why hope is a “weird little animal” worth tending - The story of Michael Ziemer, Julie, and the move that changed everything - Generational ties through Emery, Izzy, and returning riders who help the story circle back - How the web at Lavender Hill keeps weaving itself into something stronger - Why still standing — scorched, bruised, wiser — is its own quiet miracle Events Mentioned: Rooted: Women’s Gathering at Lavender HillThursday, November 20th, 11 AM–1 PMA time of grounding, reflection, and connection by the pond and in the fields with the herd. Additional dates in December. Stable Roots Zoom Gathering (Paid Subscribers)Tuesday, November 25th, 6:30 PM EDTA virtual circle to reconnect, share stories, and ease back into our monthly rhythm. Black Friday Day Camp for KidsFriday, November 28thA day for the younger ones to meet the herd, play, and remember nature, their strengths, and how to speak horse. Links from the Episode: - Read the full essay: We’re Still Standing - Subscribe to Stable Roots - Learn more about Bramblewood Stables - Listen to past episodes of Stable Roots Get full access to Stable Roots at stableroots.substack.com/subscribe

    13 min

  8. 11/06/2025

    From Desperation to Thanksgiving

    From Desperation to Thanksgiving: All That Talk of Harvests Isn’t Just Poetry In this week’s episode, Kim reflects on what it means to move from desperation into gratitude—through fence lines, fallen seasons, and the lessons of the herd. From the haunted stillness of a fallow field to the calm after a lost horse is found, this piece traces how forwardness doesn’t come from pushing harder, but from learning when to pause and listen. Recorded from Bramblewood Stables at Lavender Hill, From Desperation to Thanksgiving weaves together themes of lineage, land, and the long work of repair—reminding us that the harvest we speak of every autumn is not a metaphor, but a daily act of faith. If you’d like to help Kim and the Bramblewood herd through the coming winter as they mend fences and continue rebuilding their new home, you can lend a hand at Save Bramblewood. —Written and read by Kim Carter, founder of Bramblewood Stables and author of Stable Roots. Get full access to Stable Roots at stableroots.substack.com/subscribe

    13 min
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5
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About

In Relatively Stable we delve into the journeys of those who have faced challenges, uncovered their passions, and discovered resilience along the way. Whether you're here for the stories, seeking inspiration, or simply drawn to the wisdom we glean from horses—and life—you’re in the right place. Let’s dive into the narratives that remind us how to stay relatively stable, no matter what comes our way. stableroots.substack.com

Information

  • Creator
    Kimberly Carter
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2026
  • Episodes
    54
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Kimberly Carter
  • Show Website
    Relatively Stable