Today, there is no room for worthlessness

Mark Nepo is one of my favorite philosophers, poets, writers, and he happens to be an all-around great guy.  I have been reading his book - The Book of Awakening - since I discovered it five years ago.  It fills my spirit each and every time that I read it.  And, I learn something each time I read it.

In his reflection on June 15, it feels like I am right there with him as he reflects on how he used to struggle with the challenges of life and then realizing with great joy, that life is perfect in the moment he is living as a man running on the streets of New York City and grabbing a hot dog for lunch.

I really got to thinking about that passage of thought as I navigate a bit of grief over the transition of leaving a job that I have been so proud to do for the past three years.  And it is grief, I'm not going to kid myself.  I know the last day on the job is going to be a tough one and I have made a note to do some really comforting things for myself that weekend.

The roller-coaster that is Life is one heck of a ride. One part excitement to check out a new adventure and one part freaking out because my job ends on August 2.  I don't want to be someone who lives a life within the margins.  I don't believe I ever did want that kind of life experience.  There are days when you are stuck in the muck of living and days you soar in current of freedom.  What a privilege!

There a days to wallow and there are days to fly.  I think I will strive to take flight.

Making the Leap #2

I've come to discover that life is often like a roller-coaster, or in a more accurate case, like the unpredictable spring weather in Rhode Island circa 2019. A couple of days ago, I almost turned on the heat because it was so cold and today, I may need to turn on my air conditioner because it is hitting about 80 degrees with what feels like 80% humidity.

I've settled in nicely in my new home in New England, and now the next big thing that demands my attention: what will be my next professional adventure? Earlier this month, I shared some of my insights as far as my thoughts on the matter, and today, I share another big decision with you:. I've decided to pursue growing my own small business of providing support on content creation.

First and foremost, I thank my dear friend, Shari Getz,  for inspiring me and urging me to take this leap. Shari has been an entrepreneur/business owner for many many years now. I often envied her courage to pursue that professional adventure, and of late, we have been talking about my doing the same. There is nothing more powerful and motivating than having a cheerleader like Shari.

I got to say, this was no easy decision!  I've been doing all kinds of side hustles over the years but never considered focusing my energy on growing a business from those efforts. For the past, I don't know, two decades I've always toyed with the idea of stepping out on my own, but lacked resources and confidence to pursue it. But now I'm at a place in my life where I do recognize the resources I do have access to in order to go for it.

I also want to thank Sally Handlon for our conversation today that helped me make this final decision to pursue this long-simmering dream to be a business owner.

I've been busy making new friends and building a new professional network here in Providence, and in the last few weeks, have submitted job applications for a variety of fundraising positions with some fantastic nonprofits in the area. But a variety of things have come up for me that caused me to pause and really look at all my options. I have come to the determination that I can better serve this important sector of community work by providing my guidance and support using my plethora of knowledge and expertise in pretty much all areas of the nonprofit world.

So, there you have it, my friends. If you have words of encouragement and ideas to access helpful resources, please send them my way by posting a comment below.  It will help me, tremendously.

Let the adventure begin!



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