Whew! I love to travel. However, last week, if I'm honest, I had a bit more travel than I could handle. I had 4 flights, 4 cities, 4 states, and 4 time zones in 4 days!! I arrived in Chicago on December 24th to spend time with family and used it as a "hub" to do some additional travel; to Iowa to see friends and Massachusetts to help my daughter move. Last week was the culmination of all that travel and getting back to Boise and on to Las Vegas, where I am now taking care of my uncle's dog, Snoop until 1/29! My four days consisted of: Tues, Massachusetts, Wed, Illinois, Thursday, Idaho, Friday, Nevada! But I made it!
The picture to the right is the Las Vegas sky as I flew in on a Friday night. So many lights in the darkness of the desert. It's beautiful and reminds me why I love to travel. Seeing the different places on this big planet is so exciting for me! And my Gap Year has been exciting as well. Not only due to the travel but the experiences and opportunities that I've mentioned before. I have met so many people that I never would have while experiencing my life in full color.
A book that I read daily is Living Lightly, Bring Happiness and Calm to your Everyday by Dale Curd and Kimberly Alexander (this is their Facebook page as well if you'd like to check it out; @living lightly today (3) Facebook). I got to meet Kim on my trip to Calgary to watch Tracy in the Bold and Visible Monologues. Tracy told me about Kim's (and Dale's) book. The readings are wonderful and one that resonated with me so much is the entry for January 16 (a week ago, last Tuesday). Kim and Dale quote the lyrics from the song "The Real Work" by the Canadian band Great Lake Swimmers:
And the real work is to be it, believe it
With each new set of eyes and the visions they provide
Be the taste, the warmth, the measure, and the glow
By embracing it all, and then letting it go
The real work is never done and has no clear beginning
And shows no result, no losing, no winning
Kim and Dale go on to talk about how we see our lives in beginnings and endings and starts and stops. However, life is a whole cycle made up of transitions. Wow, this hits home with me.
I've been getting a lot of questions about "what's next" for me or what am I going to do when my Gap Year is up, on April 13, 2024. When I embarked on my Gap Year, I put an end date, a year. But as I've been going through this journey and reading the entry in the book, I realize, there isn't an ending. I've changed. I've transitioned to the "next". I don't have a concrete plan. I've got ideas. I am meeting with people about projects, work, and other opportunities, but I don't have it "mapped out." And I won't. We are taught to have project plans, have daily planners, set goals, and do all those things, and then when we do that, we measure ourselves on achieving them. And we often feel as if we've "lost" or done poorly if we don't meet the measurements. I know they are necessary for business and life to a certain degree, but I had gotten regimented about them and was losing my zest for life because of them. Having the freedom to do what I want, when I want, has been amazing. I have had times when I missed having a routine, but I've worked through that and am finding a "plan" that works.
What is empowering and important to me is in the past, I had a "foot" in many things feeling like I could benefit and reap benefits from many groups. However, I've learned now that narrowing my focus to what brings me joy, happiness, and contentment has become a guiding light for me. So, I don't have to have things "mapped out." I am focusing on my gifts and making those my life work. And I'm transitioning to that way of thinking instead of the beginning and ending timelines of the past. It gives me more solace and calm and allows me to try things and fail! Because I'm not wrapping my whole being around the outcome of the action like I did previously. For the first time, I'm doing a vision board! I've had friends who have done them and of course at work too. I feel that creating a vision board for me is the "plan" or will provide a view of what is important for me in this next year. And, I love doing crafts! I used to scrapbook a lot. So doing a vision board is bringing some of the creativity that I've missed back into my life. And I know my vision will change. It should, as the year progresses. And that is perfectly fine. I'll transition and go through the cycle and pull the pieces that are important to me.
The full moon is on Thursday, January 25th. This is a picture I took on Sunday in Las Vegas. It is beautiful!! And just like the moon goes through the lunar cycles, our lives are doing that. We are constantly flowing, transitioning, and moving to the next. I am blessed to be living in this space and holding it open for what is next in my life. It can sometimes feel a little unsettling to not have the plans like the past. But most of the time it is energizing and life-giving to have an unknown number of opportunities waiting. And to be open to what God may be providing. This is truly what fills me up and has me realizing my colorful life! I encourage you to live colorfully too and try to not assign start and stop times, dates, etc. to things. Go with the flow. Go with what feels right! You may be surprised what things come to you when there is no end in sight!
P.S. Here's a picture of my uncle's dog. Animal energy is so amazing! I'm truly enjoying being with him this week as I create and move forward in the next!
留言