Whitewater Rafting

I’ve been rafting but never “really” whitewater rafting.  I’ve never been in that position of hitting the rapids and holding on for dear life ~ that place where it doesn’t make sense to paddle, because the current has hold of you and is just throwing you downstream.  {I’m sure there are people who have done proper whitewater rafting who could totally throw my analogy under a bus – or a raft – due to inconsistencies.   I ask that you humor me and allow me my slightly flawed analogy.  Thanks.}

image from http://www.zooraft.com/ ~ Looks awesome! 🙂

This summer has me feeling like I’m going through the whitewater.  There are tons of rocks and eddies bumping and tossing me from one side to the other.  None of it is bad; in fact, it’s all pretty great.  I know I’m going in the right direction ~ I couldn’t get out of the current if I tried ~ and I’m loving the ride.

Big life changes seem to happen in groups, like clusters of rock formations causing otherwise calm water to bubble and froth.  This summer marks one of those times in my life.

As of June 8, I am an ordained interfaith minister.   I am working on a book of the spiritual lessons I have learned through my experiences; I look forward to leading workshops and presentations on deepening your own spirituality, regardless of your religious background.  I was blessed to perform a handfasting as part of the wedding of an old friend ~ though I believe I was shaking more than the bride!  Leading two worship services on Matinicus Island ~ my ancestral and spiritual home ~ was wonderful for everyone involved.  In addition, I am in the planning stages for officiating a September wedding in a corn maze.  Working one-on-one with people to deepen their own sense of connection with the Divine is my passion and my vision; I hope to attend a program starting in October on this path of spiritual direction.

Coming to the realization that interfaith ministry is “great for the heart and soul, but not for the wallet” (as a new friend put it), I am very excited to have started my own business as an Independent Consultant with Celadon Road.  The company’s mission is to make the world healthier, greener and more sustainable; I can certainly get behind that, as that’s how Tim and I try to live in our home and our lives already.  All products with the Celadon Road logo are made in the United States of organic and all-natural ingredients.  We sell eco-friendly items in 10 different lines, including skin care for women, men and children / babies; house cleaning products (including laundry detergent); dog beds, treats and toys; jewelry; and home decor.  I attended the National Convention this weekend in Providence, RI, and am thrilled to be part of a company made up of REAL people who care about each other and support each other.  My up-line (the woman who brought me into the company) was incredibly surprised to win the Ethos Award for the consultant who most lives out the mission of the company.  Having spent the weekend staying with her and her family, I can’t say I was as surprised!  {Now that you are curious, you can check out our products, get information about hosting a party (in your home or online) or joining my team on my Carrie’s Celadon Road webpage!}

They say {good/bad/interesting} things come in three’s.  Our “third” is that Tim is starting grad school this fall.  He has already begun the homework for his first class, a three-day orientation the week before Labor Day.  The goal is a Masters in Counseling Psychology from Lesley University, for which he will take classes on nights and weekends for three years.  This will be followed by at least one year of internship… at which point my income will be that much more important.   I am incredibly proud of him for taking this leap into a career that calls him.   Life will not be the same… but I guess we already knew that.

What stays the same, with all these changes going on in our lives?

As often happens in the summer, I fall off the “formal meditation practice” wagon… so, yet again, I begin again. 🙂  We are enjoying our trips and our friends’ visits… so, again, we bounce from planning to planning, and need to remind ourselves to live in the present.  My focus shifts and our scheduling shifts… so, again, we determine the priorities and set the course.

We have a lot of excitement and many unknowns, but we know we are heading in the right direction.  As bumpy as the ride might be, as much as we don’t know what’s around the next bend, we know we are flowing with the current.

The Divine is steering.  I just have to hang on.

🙂

 

Stepping foot in the Blogosphere

I’ve been debating what to say here in my first blog post.

It seems to be the common concern to say ‘I’ll run out of things to say,’ but those that know me personally will know it’s unlikely that I’ll ever run out of things to say. 🙂  My concern is more ‘Why would anyone want to read what I have to say?’

Discussing blogs in general with my friends over Facebook has been interesting.  The idea of a ‘secret’ blog came up from a couple of people.  One mentioned feeling a bit ‘shy’ at first about writing for all the world to read.  To be honest, I could see either of those as being steps in my process of becoming a blogger – certainly the site is staying private until I feel like I have some content beyond my ‘About’ page.   But I guess when I made the decision to write a blog, the adjective “public” was a part of that.  For me, the only thing secret about a blog, long-term, might be the (real) identity of the author.  (No worries here – I am who I say I am, though I might not give all my identifying details.)

My concern is whether anyone will find what I write to be relevant and/or entertaining.  So then you ask (or I ask myself), does it need to be either one?  Well, I don’t want to write just to exercise my fingers.  I do want to share some thoughts with the world.  I do think that I have some interesting perspectives, and – after giving a talk during one meditation night – I was told that my thoughts / story did resonate for at least a few people.  I’ve been told that I write well.  (We’ll see how many of you agree with that, especially in this new-to-me format.)

So, yeah! I can do this! I want to do this!

Oh – look.  I just wrote my first post.

🙂