When is the last time you shared a want or a need or a hope or a dream?
This afternoon, I found myself staring at a bin full of empty Altoids tins, thinking how amazingly easy it was to acquire these. I saw a craft I wanted to try that requires empty Altoids tins, but upcycling is only upcycling if I’m saving something from the trash or recycle bin. Buying Altoids and dumping the mints so I could have the empty tins wasn’t the point. So, I put it out there. I asked. I posted it on Facebook and friends said, “Sure, I’ll save mine and give them to you.” And they did. (One brought an entire bag of them!)
Granted, this is a small scale example, but it’s also a metaphor for something much larger in my life these days. At the very least, it’s worth pausing to recognize, be grateful, and acknowledge something’s different. I also happen to think it’s worth sharing.
For the last eighteen months, my life has been like a barn raising – I had a vision, but needed extra hands and borrowed tools, and gifts of time and talents to get it off the ground. Today I am sitting beneath a roof and four sturdy walls, and ready to fill my barn with what’s next. While I can’t see the future, I do have a bird’s eye view of how I got here (one of the benefits of blogging). I can revisit important moments and see what led to certain choices or inspired change. Everything makes more sense when seen in reverse. (Trust me, I’m an introvert, who studied theater in college and was ordained as a Presbyterian minister. No one sees that coming.)
Almost seven years to the day I left my job as an editor to work in alum relations at my alma mater, I am beginning a new career as a professional organizer. My calendar is filling with volunteer opportunities for things I care about, like the Zero Landfill project, Louisville’s Mini Maker Faire, and the TimeBank. I’m finding a healthy balance between making and mothering and me, all of which can be attributed to moments when I put it out there.
Try it. Go on. Really! Whether it’s materials you need for a special project or an elaborate barn you’ve always dreamed of building, our world is one big time bank and we are surrounded by people who can help us with the things we can’t do alone. But we have to ask.
Put. It. Out. There.