Contemplating My Disheartened State

“Every one of us is called upon, probably many times, to start a new life. A frightening diagnosis, a marriage, a move, loss of a job. And onward full tilt we go, pitched and wrecked and absurdly resolute, driven in spite of everything to make good on a new shore. To be hopeful, to embrace one possibility after another – that is surely the basic instinct . . . Crying out: High tide! Time to move out into the glorious debris. Time to take this life for what it is.” – Barbara Kingslover

This quote was sent to me and I found it to be very timely.  I have been contemplating my career; how unhappy I am where I am at but have no sense of what direction to take to begin making a change.  At this stage of my life, the other side of 50, I never dreamed I would have to make yet another career change.  I thought I made my last career change when I went into teaching. 

The district that I work in has been making bad financial decisions over the last 10 years and now the state has caught up with them and it is under financial restructuring with everyone taking a 19% pay cut (OUCH!).  And it isn’t simply the money.  We no longer “teach”.  The state has us jumping though all these hoops, having to prove that our  students are learning yet all this extra requirements leave us with no time to actually teach!  It is all simply disheartening.

 Morning reading ritual

This week during my morning reading, this got my attention:

“Your life is your ultimate creation.”

“Let yourself fully imagine the life you want to be living.  Until you can imagine it, ou will never achieve it.”

“Give priority to whatever increases you sense of being fully alive.” 

“The happiest people are also the most altruistic.” (Dowrick, 135)

So I get through my day, working hard and not allowing the stress to take me in.  Creating helps.  Sharing via this blog helps.  Reading through your blogs helps.  I find myself looking forward to sitting in my office creating ATCs, altered playing cards, journals, scrapbook pages…

Alter my playing cards - Round 4

GROUP: Photo Scrapbook Page January: my very 1st scrapbook page

Bottom left corner:  love this feather!

Top corner: shows off the glass bead gel

1.  Christmas Angel ATC swap, 2.  ATC challenge #2: paper flower, 3. Quote ATC Challenge #2

ATC challenge #3: bumble bee

Swap: Your TURN in MY art Journal (this is my journal which I sent out into the world Monday)

I am starting several journal swaps of of which I am totally thrilled about.  It is a magazine journal swap.  I will be keeping a month long journal with 30 entries incorporating a magazine cuttings. The cuttings can be a picture, an article, words or anything else from a magazine. Then our written entries will somehow relate to the cutting or, vice versa, the cutting needs to relate to the entry.  How fun does that sound?  I found the perfect journal and have a pile of magazine waiting to be cut and pasted.  

What are you creating these days?  Remember, creating is not limited to paper, paint, and glue.  And if you aren't creating something, what are you waiting for??????

Dowrick, Stepahie, Choosing Happiness: Life & Soul Essentials.  New York: Penguin Group, 2007.