creating a vision – The Light Behind the Story

Image by PublicDomainPictures from Pixabay

I am not creating a painting, but I may as well be. No, I am in the process of creating not one, but two business model canvases (one for a business model and one for a nonprofit model) and who would have guessed that it would fill me with such joy? An entire spectrum of emotions wash over me when I look at the blank white squares and add the blue words unearthed from that deep, dark place of potential. It is nothing short of thrilling, even if I have yet to wholly believe it will transform into the thing of beauty and wonder that I see so clearly inside of the private gallery of my mind.

I have begun. I have set the words on the page, and fittingly they are in the color blue. My truth emerging like a reluctant, yet eager spring sapling that has resided in stasis for too long inside the mother womb of creation. This beginning makes it seem possible. This unearthing and emergence. I can feel the touch of light and it feels like joy.

Perhaps I should not be amazed by how easily the words arise to fill each box. After all, they have resided in the underbelly for so long, stirring with a restless need for release. And so here we are, emerging together, scattering the first field of color onto the white space. Somewhat startled at this commitment we have made, this pact to draw down what it takes to nurture this beginning and see what it will become outside of the womb of protective darkness.

When I decided to reach out to SCORE (again), I was not optimistic. Truthfully, I held no expectation as my first encounter, years ago, had proved to be a non-starter. I was not ready and was poorly matched. But this time is different. There is the quickening of life. The excitement in doing the work towards growth, even if it may be difficult. I am content with starting with a few words on a white page filled with boxes, because I have found words to place in each one.

To help build my vision into reality, I enjoy taking photos of “Wild Wonders.”

If you could dream anything into being what would it be? We all harbor secret longings and aspirations. There’s that needling, persistent urge inside of each of us that won’t let us go. Or maybe you have followed that needling and somehow brought your dream into reality. Whatever the story might be, I’d love to hear about it. Share it in the comments, send me it as a guest post, whatever pulls your heart toward joy…I’d love to hear about it. Let’s share those secret, or not so secret, longings that sometimes keep us up at night with all their wonderful “what ifs.”

My middle grade character Aponi is able to shape-shift into a monarch butterfly

My secret longings have changed over the years, but there have been some constants. There has always been a pull inside of me to help bring more beauty into the world to erase some of the darkness… These days there’s a nagging dream that follows me while I walk in the woods. It seeps into my dreams and shows me the full beauty of its wonderment. I don’t know if it will ever be realized, but maybe, just maybe someday I will see it transform into the daylight. When I envision it, it makes my heart sing. Isn’t that what all dreams without the nightmare are meant to do?

I have become particularly enraptured by the “Winged Wonders” around me.

I’m sharing my dream with you in the hopes that you will share yours too. That perhaps it will spark a light that grows a little stronger as we find the courage to find a home for each of our secret longings.

Here is the “dream” that fills me with the Wild Wonder of What-If:

Imagine a place, if you will, where people can go to find their own wild wonder. Where we are moved to step outside the confines of structure and conformity to find that home inside the heart where we realize we are a part of everything that surrounds us. It is a place where nature runs wild and free and where we are reminded of home. That we are not separated from, but a part of the whole, and the natural world that surrounds us.

This winged beauty reminds me of Sue, who seems to be ever-present as I “dream.”

In my dream there are “centers” where people can explore wild wonder and what it means to them. They are places where the inner child opens to joy and finds home inside the self and all that surrounds it. Perhaps that center offers classes and workshops, or maybe it is simply a gateway to nature. The only rules are kindness and compassion. Both for the self, and for our surroundings.

It is perhaps a movement, more than a place. A reconnection to our roots. The knowing that we are not just of the Earth and all that exists, but a part of it.

Because I’m writing a middle grade book series that very much centers around this concept, my dream includes the heroes of my books and their passions. At the centers I envision:

Sula’s Library of Wonderful Reads
Aponi’s Field of Pollinator Delights
Shesha’s Meditation & Mindfulness Maze
Lupe’s Local Eats Organic Cafe
Dell’s Fantastic Fairy Gardens & Pools
Ari’s Adventure Walks in the Woods

And so much more…

It’s fun to dream about what we want to create, but creating can be a challenge. I am trying to bring my vision forth in steps. Writing the book series is one of them. My husband and I talk about where we might live someday when our kids are out of college, and I can envision the first center perhaps beginning at that place. After all, my ideas for the centers arose out of a walk I took with him on the 4th of July. Somehow we landed at a place that perfectly suited this vision. It had, already, all the foundations of the elements I saw in the vision. The property, though, was not for sale. That’s okay, we’re not ready to move.