I Have No Idea What To Call This One

So here we are, ten days away from a new decade. 

For some of you, that opener may be a relief:

• "Thank God that year's over. Don't let the door hit your butt on the way out, 2019!" 

For others, it may bring some dismay:

• "Well shoot, I had so many plans - where did the time go? I should have done more." 

How many of you are actually at peace with it?:

• "I did what I could. Memories, for better or worse, have been made. I have more to do, but it's all good."

I frequently wonder, often while digging through bags of car clean-outs or piles of random paperwork: What are we humans really here to do? Are we here to alphabetize our spices and color-code our clothing? Not me. Are you here to shop? To save? To "hustle"? To compare? To post? To raise kids that achieve everything you didn't? To buy things to solve problems you didn't know you had? I'm fortunate to have some communities and connections where these ideas rarely even come across the radar, except in a "bless-their-hearts" kind of way. These communities humble me, and ground me when I most need it. What if we could all find grounding like that? How would our pondering and possibility-thinking change? How would our relationships with "stuff" shift?

That social media ten-year-challenge thing going around a few weeks back snagged my attention. It got me looking back at a time when, unbelievably, I was not organizing professionally or coaching. How is it that I could be such a different person, how was that not a thing for me ten years ago? I used to say that I wished I had discovered my current path sooner, but now I know I found it when I was supposed to. I know I wouldn't have been ready then, at least not in a way that would have been most helpful for me or anyone else.

Ten years ago, writing a book was definitely something I wanted to be able to do - I felt like it could be a part of my own particular mix of contribution. I had not a clue what it could even be about. I just knew I wanted to play with words backward and forwards until hopefully, something interesting or helpful came to the surface. I'm so in awe of those who can write things that move us and make us look at all things new again. Talented writers make it seem so easy. 

Understanding that we all have to start somewhere, I started writing my blog at the exact same time I started organizing professionally. When I look back at those early posts, I cringe a little (ok, no, I cringe a lot - check out this little gem for a laugh), but they are a reflection of where I was. It wasn't easy to start writing and putting it out in the interwebs, wondering if anyone would ever even see it. Hellloooo? Anyone out there?…[cue the crickets]. What if I had never even started them? Who or what would I not know, not have come into contact with? Three years ago, I did start a book, which should also be out wandering the world in about a week. I cringe a little looking back at it as well, but...

I did what I could. Thoughts, for better or worse, have been written. I have more to do, but it's all good.

I am at peace with this decade, with all of its highs and lows, fits and starts. I'm looking forward, with deep gratitude, to the next. How about you? 

We bless this year for all we've learned
For all we loved and lost
And for the quiet way it brought us
Nearer to our invisible destination.

                              -John O'Donohue, from To Bless The Space Between Us