High Mom!
- Tarin Scarbrough
- Fred Lopez
Let’s say you are new to the area. All your friends are getting married or having kids and you’re still on the first date trail. Or you just got divorced. Or your spouse is your only friend, and you find yourself clinging to them as your only confidante. In this day and age, meeting like-minded people on the same schedule can be incredibly arduous. Even if you can find someone with mutual interests, there are many polarizing topics that could potentially separate us or make us feel isolated from others, so we avoid the interaction entirely. Unless, of course, you are Sara Lauren. Amiable and bright, Sara’s on a mission to break down these barriers and “elevate” the women of Winter Garden, one circle session at a time. Her Instagram handle reads “momshighupinthetreehouse—and she means that both literally and figuratively.
Mom, wife, business owner, and friend, Sara prides herself on her ability to expand beyond any one title. She is always out exploring the community, meeting new women, and taking them under her wing into her social circle. Without being invasive or overwhelming, she gravitates toward open-minded people just looking for great conversations. Of course, this is easy, as Sara’s affable approach quickly gains the favor and trust of everyone she meets. Over time, these individual relationships have converged, creating a welcoming group hangout of wildly diverse personalities. Only instead of a book club or wine night, Sara’s group meets approximately 16 feet off the ground, high up in the TreeHouse Oak, her infamous treehouse.
Among the branches, Sara creates a safe space for women to be the truest form of themselves and relax however they like. Sometimes that is a bottle of wine, sometimes it is a marijuana edible, sometimes it is just three minutes of word vomit. Anything that brings you joy and relief—Sara encourages it. To the ever-growing squad of women, it’s become a sanctuary.
According to Sara, there’s only one rule for The Treehouse Oak: What happens in the tree house stays in the tree house.
Truth be told, I was both thrilled and worried when Sara invited me up the ladder. I assumed this was simply a mommy group and I would have nothing to contribute to the conversation. Their everyday tasks differ from mine, what will we have to discuss? But to my surprise, every kind of woman is present—transplants from Australia and Maine, unsure of how to make friends now that their kids are long gone; women with difficult careers trying to figure out how to get the stubborn clay stain out of their son’s baseball uniform with enough time to make their morning meeting; a divorcee who had another terrible dating-app experience. Yet, there is one common denominator: the need for community, for like-mindedness. In Sara’s group, controversy has no invite— why argue about politics or religion in the first place? Negativity is unnecessary. Besides, there are more important things to talk about, like how annoying your husband is that day or the hilarious joke your kid told you on the way to school. For these women, The Treehouse is a safe haven—women supporting women. Allowing for true, unadulterated conversation invites everyone to open their mind to other things too, and that includes the subject of cannabis.
Whether you’re a “toker” or not, you’re probably familiar with the negative stigmas associated with cannabis. As someone with a medical marijuana card, the stigma behind “smoking pot” is an extremely touchy subject. Even with the legalization in Florida, the staunch viewpoints of others leave many shameful of the choice to receive treatment with marijuana. Sara got her prescription for a multitude of reasons, including injuries sustained from a car accident while pregnant, her anxiety, and pain management. I’ve suffered debilitating migraine headaches from the age of 4 and after countless treatments and prescriptions, I found it helped ease my headache frequency and pain level. I rarely discuss my medical treatment with anyone, given the unnerving nature of the subject. The beauty of Sara’s group is that it acts as a no-judgment zone. While not everyone partakes, no one judges the other for how they like to medicate or unwind. The ability to be open with others about a topic that she was forced to hide for so long provided a breath of fresh air for Sara, and she wants other people to be comfortable with themselves too.
“I don’t want to be labeled as a bad mom, and I certainly don’t want to feel alone in this society when there are so many people who don’t judge each other,” she says. Everyone needs a release from their day-to-day lives, and for these women, the group is an unproblematic place to do so, however they please.
Just typing the word “marijuana” or “cannabis” feels daunting—even the thought of putting it in our magazine seems unnerving! That’s why Sara’s group of women is so crucial and important; it is significant to break or bring awareness to the taboos that these women are being constrained by. Most women in the group didn’t even want to share their name or occupation for fear of retribution from the community. One woman shares, “Some moms see marijuana as an equivalent to heroin, and it makes it difficult to share this small portion of my life with others.” Maybe that’s why these women look forward to the camaraderie they share in the tree house. Some bring wine, some bring coffee, and some bring munchie snacks.
Being able to have open expression is the mantra behind this group, and that open expression allows others to change their mind about the stigmas that plague our conscience. And now, these relationships have moved beyond tree house sessions. You can find these ladies hitting the trail for 10Ks or planning their next family vacation together. They meet for 20-minute coffee breaks at Piccolo or shuttle the others’ kids to school because someone’s having a rough morning. They have become a family, not just because of similar interests, but because of their acceptance of the authenticity of being yourself. The “come as you are” viewpoint leads to women wanting to show up again and again, and that exposure effect leads to lasting friendships, regardless of their role, social class, or personal hobbies. The ladies of the tree house strive for that real sense of community with one another, which only comes from such hospitality as Sara’s.
Life is difficult, that’s no lie. The many different roles we play often leave us feeling isolated and searching for a connection, sometimes outside of the normal boundaries we live in. It turns out, the number one thing we look for in a friend isn’t mutual interests, but simply someone who enjoys and values us. These women are blazing through the barriers of sharing experiences together, all while encouraging acceptance for who they truly are, regardless of any negative taboo. So, whether you like to unwind with a glass of wine, an enjoyable book, or a freshly rolled joint, find the tribe that takes you higher—literally, figuratively, or both.
