Bottom Line for 2019

Recently my life coach Amy K asked me the question: What is your bottom line for 2019? Now, in some conversations this may be in reference to financial status. But for me, that isn't what it is about, or is it? Financial status reflects investment. Investment of time, money, resources...hmmm. So, what if I ask the question this way? How am I going to invest my energy, time, money, resources in 2019 and for what desired outcome?

Here is my response: 2019 is the Bridge to a New Decade, a New Season. This concept of a designated time related to a bridge comes not from my own creativity, but rather an extension of something a friend created. Julie Jordan Scott, with her collaborator Paula Puffer, created a FaceBook Group called Bridge to the New Year. Each day in the month of December they offered prompts for us to share a response in any creative platform we wanted. As we finished up I realized that for me 2019 is a Bridge YEAR. So what is a bridge? What are bridges for? How are they made?

What is a bridge? So, the word bridge can be used in multiple ways. The essence of the word is linking one thing to another. As a noun it is a connector piece, or location. The land bridge allowed the two communities to share needed resources. As a verb it is used as an action word meaning to help get over or through challenges.  The school liaison bridged the language barrier between the parents and teachers. 

What is a bridge for? Many times along our journey of life we need a structure or tool to help us get from point A to point B. This can be thought of in a very physical sense, like the physical structure of a bridge taking an individual over a river. And, this can be thought of in a more abstract way, like taking time in the month of December to reflect and respond to prompts that help us close out the year of 2018 and open ourselves up to the possibilities of 2019.

How is a bridge made? A bridge is a structure. But this is the little bit I know about bridges. They need to also have some "give and take" and not all bridges work for all situations. Imagine the foot bridge created in the rugged mountains and compare that image to the bridges that are located in the San Francisco Bay area. When we were responding in the FaceBook group Bridge to the New Year, the creators recognized that the participants needed different ways to respond, some flexibility. A structure was provided but we had some "give and take."

My Bottom Line for 2019...get across the bridge! So, in January I am exploring what I need to first create my bridge, then I will be putting the foundational structure together. In the process I am including some flexibility with the end result in mind. I'm soon going to be an "empty nester." Yep! My oldest child is almost completely self-reliant now functioning in the adult world. My middle child graduates from high school in May of this year and is on a journey towards higher education. My youngest becomes a senior this year and graduates May 2020. The time has come to put my resources and understandings together to live my best life in this next new season of the journey with my husband. I won't be detailing my bridge here in this post. But, some people know that I need to see the big picture. I like to have a sense of knowing where I am and where I am going. It is okay if the energies of the Universe guide me slightly differently than I expected but I need a support system with a destination in mind.

So my questions to those who share their time reading this blog post are: Is 2019 a Bridge year for you? What is your bottom line for 2019? What will you need for your bridge? And, what support system will you put in place to get to your destination?

Fullness 2018

Once again I am writing in response to the Bridge to the NewYear group of creatives with Julie Jordan Scott and Paula Puffer. The prompt is in regards to my word for 2018 - Fullness. I have also done a Periscope broadcast/Twitter post but decided to also write. A year ago I was not feeling fantastic physically and anyone  who has had health issues knows, the physical challenges we encounter has a relationship with our mind and spirit. So, without going into too many details here, I did some work with my life coach and chose the word fullness for 2018. Or, I could say, the word was selected for me by a higher power. Anyway...below you will find some highlights in how I found fullness in my life.

In 2018 my husband and I made the decision to do some home improvements. Anyone close to me knows that when my husband and I have the idea to do something at the same time, it (whatever it is) must definitely get accomplished because that scenario does not happen frequently. With much debate we painted the inside of our home, replaced carpet, and completed some necessary decluttering. Though I have to say, more decluttering is on the list for 2019. Working jointly on a project with the family is a true place of fulfillment.

Another action step I took to experience fulfillment is to create more sacred time and space for creative expression. My creative expression came in multiple forms. I began to broadcast on social media (something new for me) and joined the beautiful PeriGirls. I discovered how doodling/coloring can provide special messages from the spiritual guides through a wonderful artist Elizabeth Sampson and her Art of Intuitive Doodling. I began to explore more of the grand dreams I have with the fabulous Pooja Chawla and her DreamCircle. I'm writing more and have been learning what it takes to write a novel (I've been a writer for awhile but this is a new kind of writing for me). I have Julie Jordan Scott to thank for more writing support. I've been able to acknowledge to a greater depth my gift of creative expression.

A place I spend 30 hours a week is the public library. I'm the Branch Library Assistant and in rural Nevada that means I'm the only one in the building and pretty much do everything needed. Ok, so some management things have to be done by the main administrative location, but I am the one who greets the patrons and attempts to help them with whatever task that is needed. In a six hour day I have assisted as many as 40 patrons from book selection to office store type tasks (faxing, copies) to finding government or legal documents on the internet. The area of work I receive much of my fulfillment is through my integrated Family Literacy and STEAM Program (Science Technology Engineering Art Math). I create a space that allows me to put my teacher hat on without the stress of my former job as a public education teacher. I simply provide "prompts" for learning and go with the flow of the children and their parents.

The most meaningful fulfillment has been through friendships. I've had the opportunity to spend quality time with long time friends and new friends. Some of my friends have had a tough 2018 and I'm grateful that I could be present for them at times of loss. And, there are also wonderful moments like sitting at a California beach with essentially no one else around except a close friend and being blessed with the presence of dolphins close to the shoreline. And then there was the time of improving my skill of taking photos with a master of social media, opening up the way I see things. My daughter is now eighteen, a senior in high school, and I feel that we are closer than we ever have been. I treasure these last days before she enters the young adult college world this next fall. I've already mentioned the accomplishment of taking care of our home with my husband. And, I have two sons, currently ages 16 & 22. Each have brought joy in my life in their own unique way as well.

I guess what the Universe has reinforced in my life about fullness is this: I can intentionally enjoy and capture the moments along the journey. Maybe I'll write more on this in future posts. 

Enjoy the captured moments along the journey!