·
Thursday, 23 July 2009
I
feel un-moored. I feel like a boat with
no captain. I feel as though I am
walking, with no destination. Where is
the map?
I
think what I really feel is a form of homesickness.
How
can that be? My home is here. I have no place to go back to really. The family home was sold a few years ago and
my parents are gone.
In
the small moments I find beauty and joy, but there is a restlessness that makes
me uncomfortable. It has been just below
the surface for several days. It makes
me want to do something…take action, but I cannot fathom what that action might
be.
Somehow
I want to stay in one place, become part of a tribe, part of a larger purpose, but
how, where?
Things
I once found joy in escape me…distractions are simply that, distractions.
I
am tired.
I
need a map, a goal, a dream, a path.
Where are the yellow arrows? (Yellow arrows on the Camino keep the
pilgrims going in the right direction)
·
Wednesday, 22 July 2009
·
Tuesday, 21 July 2009
Wading into the Future – Or
is Plunging in Better?
As
I walked Miss Zia this morning, I reflected on the past year and contemplated
the future. So many interesting
opportunities and ideas dance through my mind.
This
past year I took some risks. There were
three major things I wanted to do this year which required significant time
off…some of life’s adventures just cannot fit into the constraints of a 9-5 job
or the 2-week vacation allotted to most employees here in the USA. (I wanted to take 6-weeks to walk the 500
mile Camino from
I
committed to these events (and a few others) and I took the leap!
I
plunged into the cold stream of life and came up swimming and laughing.
And
now I am refreshed and ready to move forward on something new.
I
am happy. I am engaged in life. I am learning and growing and finding joy and
abundance in unexpected ways and places.
Today
marks a transition to a new year; an advent to a new year anyway. Today Mark ends his AmeriCorps/Habitat
responsibilities. Like me, he will no
longer have the security (or the chains) of a 9-5 role. (At least for a while.)
For
the next ten weeks we embark on a couple projects (contracts). We will collaborate on writing and producing
a video and I will undertake what is essentially a training project (developing
a position description; refining the tasks related to it; establishing training
standards and cataloging the information in a useful tool for management and
employees). He will find ways to use his
technology skills and develop some private clients (ideally on retainer as a
consultant, troubleshooter and advisor) as well as to continue work with
non-profits.
When
autumn arrives (October), I will no doubt be behind a desk at the New Mexico
Coalition for Literacy again. Among
other things, I will be developing a recruiting strategy and implementation
plan. (I will be funded as a member
of AmeriCorps*VISTA – FYI: VISTA stands
for Volunteers in Service to
In
the meantime, Mark and I will work from home.
It will be pleasant to have the opportunity to orchestrate our own time;
a new experience for us.
Life
unfolds and offers us more gifts than we can imagine. I am so grateful for the gifts we receive.
·
Monday, 20 July 2009
Morning Pages
Ahhhhh…my
morning pages. What has become of this beautiful, satisfying ritual?
I
used to rise early and spend some time at my keyboard before the concerns of
the day discovered me. I could tap away
a while, sorting through my own thoughts as the sun creeped up and poked
through the curtains; before the morning coffee or the dog-walk or the chatter
from my favorite folks on NPR. And
before my sweet spouse climbed out of bed to capture my attention.
For
soooo long now, I have missed those delicious morning moments.
There
is pleasure in the simple act of just tapping away at the keyboard, letting my
thoughts dance about randomly to a tune of my own making. I am better for it. I face the day grounded and able to see the
good beyond the misty, mortal illusions.
Carving
out that hour is essential.
________________________________________
.
ab
TO READ OLDER
ENTRIES,
RETURN TO THE
ARCHIVES ON THE LEFT
Our
Peace Corps (
January
2005 - May 2007
Our
AmeriCorps*VISTA (
August
2007 – November 2008
My
Santiago de Compostela Camino (
20 April -1 June 2009
Blog: http://pilgrimageofgratitude-mycamino.blogspot.com
Find
my Facebook Page & Picasa Albums too:
Virginia
J. Pulver
Life
is good!
ab