Why I Became a CPA Herbalist
When I was younger, I believed that my education as a Certified Public Accountant, together with nearly fifteen years of professional practice, had taught me almost everything I needed to know about life.
Over time, I discovered that life has many more lessons to offer—and some of the greatest lessons are found far beyond the classroom and the office.
What Accounting Taught Me
As a CPA, accounting taught me discipline.
Auditing taught me to seek evidence before reaching a conclusion.
Those principles shaped the way I think, and they continue to guide me in everything I do today.
What Family and the Forest Taught Me
My life took a new direction when I married a forester. Together, we were blessed with three sons.
Becoming a wife and mother taught me responsibility, patience, and the importance of caring for my family.
Living alongside a forester opened a world I had never imagined. I learned to prepare feasibility studies, trace topographic maps for fieldwork, and use GPS to navigate forest areas. More importantly, I met Indigenous communities who had lived in harmony with nature for generations.
From them, I learned that the forest was much more than a source of timber. It provided materials for building homes and offered a rich tradition of medicinal plants that families had relied on for generations.
That was the beginning of my curiosity about Philippine medicinal plants.
During one of the most difficult seasons of my life, the forest also became the place where God taught me to rise again. Surrounded by His creation, I slowly found healing, renewed purpose, and the courage to begin a new chapter.
What Nature Taught Me
The knowledge I encountered was not found in accounting textbooks or audit manuals.
It came from observing nature, listening to the wisdom of elders, and appreciating how people have cared for themselves and their communities through generations of experience.
Nature taught me lessons that complemented everything I had learned as an accountant.
Accounting taught me discipline.
Auditing taught me to seek evidence.
The forest taught me patience, humility, gratitude, and respect for God's creation.
The more I observed nature, the more I realized that learning never truly ends. Every season, every plant, and every walk through the forest offered another lesson in patience, resilience, and stewardship.
The Journey Continues
Today, as The CPA Herbalist, I continue to approach herbal learning with the same values that guided my accounting career: discipline, curiosity, and respect for evidence.
At the same time, I deeply value the traditional knowledge that has been carefully passed down through generations. I believe that both scientific research and traditional wisdom have much to teach us when approached with humility and discernment.
This blog is not about claiming to have all the answers. It is a journal of lifelong learning, where I share my experiences in gardening, my observations of Philippine medicinal plants, and the lessons nature continues to teach me.
My hope is to encourage others to appreciate our native plants, care for the environment, and discover the joy of learning at every stage of life.
Whether you are an experienced gardener, curious about medicinal plants, or simply searching for inspiration for a new chapter in life, I warmly invite you to walk with me.
Together, let us continue growing in wisdom—one herb, one story, and one season at a time.
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