Create

March 17. 2023

Locanda Cugnanello, Tuscany

 "Creating isn't about 'knowing' or having some prescription for the outcome - it is about following the threads..." - Kari O'Driscoll 

As I mentioned in my Welcome post, my word for 2022 was 'create' and I had no idea what that would look like or how it would show up.  Through my health journey, transitioning out of the educational system, and seeking to slow down and heal from burnout, I was able to experience and live my life in a way that I never had before.  

First and foremost, I need to thank my partner, Zach, my family, and my besties.  Their unwavering support and just in general not looking at me and asking if I was crazy, meant and continues to mean the world to me.  I was able to find ways to be more connected to my son and his school community, create a nurturing home space, rest, and find my way traveling to Italy with two besties and an incredible group of people from all over the world.  To say it fed my starving soul is an understatement.  

I found my joy (that I had let people and systems steal from me) and had to reclaim it.  I had to reconnect with myself, become my own best friend again and I knew that I wanted to share it with others so that they may create a new way forward.  I learned not to hide my joy.  To share it and that joy is resistance.

I share all of this to remind us all that we get to decide (thanks Jen Pastiloff for these words).  And for me, my word 'create' was about deciding for myself.  Who I am, who I want to be, and finding a new way forward after the last year had left me so ill and feeling broken.  My Italy group, which is what I like to call us, write together and we even created our own retreat that I attended a few weeks ago.  That's where the quote at the top of this post comes from.  Kari O'Driscoll gives us prompts, we message each other, post our pieces, and support one another.  It's beautiful.  It's soul-filling.  And I'm beyond grateful.

When I got back from Italy, it was a transition period of finding my footing in the real world.  I loved being home, and creating a new way forward, but it was really uncomfortable.  I was noticing that familiar was comfortable, but didn't' work for me anymore.  It was painful.  Creating was going to be super uncomfortable, but it was the only way I was going to continue to fill my soul.   So I created.  I created new systems, personal and professional.  Teacher Support Groups, an opportunity to create community, began to ground me.  Community is what I had lost most over the last 4 years, which caused me to ask, what are teachers in schools feeling?  What are they struggling most with?  How can I provide a safe space for them to have as their own?  As these questions began flowing, I started following the threads.

How are you following the threads?  How are you creating?  How are you allowing yourself space for community?

Lean in to what comes up as you reflect on these questions.  And know that I'm here and others like you.  You have a community and people who care deeply for you.  We are all finding each other, and my hope is that this space can offer you connection to yourself, and your people.