Life’s Changes

Life’s Changes

I am living in a time of change and addressing the need for reinventing myself as I am adjusting to being at home without live companionship.  I am living in a country that is grappling with circumstances that call for change.  It is a time of turmoil in our country and the world, and we need to grapple with the need for change.  Our knowledge base is shifting and expanding.

We need to change with it.

Author Adrienne Maree Brown was interviewed by Krista Tippet on her program ON BEING and says, “ Right now we are in a fast river together.  Every day there are changes that seemed unimaginable until they occurred.”  She continues, “The most exciting thing right now is we are aware there is nothing new – under the sun, – but we are in a time of new suns.”

Isn’t that a helpful image of what we’ve been experiencing?

During these winter months, various organizations such as Humanities Team, The Shift, and Hay House have been offering free Summits. I have chosen to listen.  Each day for one week, all day, recorded interviews with spiritual speakers, leaders, authors, researchers, and scientists have been offered.  Many of the speakers are people Terry and I have been following for years.  These, and new inspiring speakers, are presenting new insights into our changing outer world, our fascinating inner world, and our connections to consciousness that many of us are experiencing.

There is so much being offered to us that can inspire us to live more fully.  YouTube is full of inspiring interviews also.  The pile of books – those read and those that are sitting waiting to be finished – is building.  These people are inspiring me.  It is quite a time to be alive.  The books and my computer have been my companions when I am not out and about with friends or attending gatherings or events.  It is great to be retired, but there is so much I could be doing to help with the messy world that is spinning around me.

However, all of this listening is making me  feel like I am not accomplishing anything… But I am!  I am working on my next steps…  I have a history.  I am creating a new history.  I am creating compost!  Compost???

What is compost?  The common answer is that it is a mixture of ingredients used as plant fertilizer.  A pile is created by adding a balanced combination of leaves, grass clippings, twigs, and non-meat food scraps. These items provide carbon, nitrogen, water, and oxygen.  By mixing all these recycled items and allowing time for decomposition, you have a rich balanced combination that promotes growth when seeds are planted.

The first 2/3 of my life are gone. But in that time my husband and I created a family, nurtured our children who are now contributing their own gifts to our world.  I successfully adjusted to the loss of our wonderful daughter. I lovingly played with my grandchildren.  I weeded my gardens.  I spent time in nature.  I biked, hiked, and kayaked.  I studied.  I used my unique gifts to teach young children. I participated in life giving groups such as weekly Church Services and working on committees, took part in Parker Palmer’s groups called Courage to Teach and Courage to Lead.  I co-wrote with Terry the book THE LIGHT GAP: God’s Amazing Presence. I created and taught a social and emotional curriculum.  I took leadership roles.  I became a care-giver supporting the man I loved.

Most of the things that I have done are finished.  Or are they?  I have been thinking that all the ingredients above can go on the compost pile!  All of us can add rich ingredients to the lives of ourselves and others.  The richness of the ingredients – imagination, cooperation, intentions, grace, forgiveness, courage, problem solving, knowledge, music, art, creativity, LOVE – will decompose into new rich soil. It will take the work of all of us. We will add the new seeds of cooperation and kindness.  The rich ‘pile’ of quality experiences will decompose into new activities that enrich all humans, animals, and eco systems of our world.

We will discover what we have creatively done with all the compost – the rich soil – the rich contributions from each person’s experiences.  We will discover what seeds can be planted in the time that we have left.  Let’s have the courage to change, to get rid of what is no longer working and create anew.  All of us are loved equally by the Universe.