Posted by : Sherri Cornelius Sunday, January 9, 2011

I’ve had this feeling lately. You know, a feeling. A feeling that the world is going through a major shift in consciousness, but maybe it’s just me. I feel the need to be part of a group, working for something bigger than what I could do alone.

Also, I want to learn new things so I’ll have something to talk about at parties.

I’ve been closed off, physically, for some time because of marital dynamics and health issues, but I’m tired of it, darn it! I’m a social creature despite my sometimes crippling uncertainty, and I do my best work when helping others to do their best work. It’s something I’ve known about myself for a while, but I never knew what to do with it. Heck, I guess I still don’t. Listen, there’s a lot of information in my brain. Maybe too much, so I can’t sort it out into something useful. A jack of all trades, a master of none. Or mistress.

What I need is an experience that gives me some idea of how to use my accumulated information, something that boosts my confidence and gives me a direction. My first thought is that it should be a paying job, but I’m in a unique position where the money isn’t necessary right now. The experience alone might be worth it.

Now if I knew where to find such an experience, I’d be good to go. Universe? Any ideas?

{ 10 comments... read them below or Comment }

  1. I've heard that back in the 1960s, people looking for an experience were herded by social miscreants towards LCD.

    Personally, I'd look down on somebody for resorting to hallucinigens in order to experience things, but that's me. If you wanna mess up your circuits, go ahead.

    Otherwise, go find a Popeyes and get a bucket of fried chicken, spicy. And some biscuits too.

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  2. I actually love that feeling of restless, unfocused yearning. It almost always signals some breakout moment, like in the WIP or a tech problem at work that's been driving me crazy.

    But on behalf of the universe, I got no ideas for you. :)

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  3. I don't know if I can steer you in the right direction in terms of what kind of experience you are seeking. I can recommend some good books that have helped me focus my life on what is important to me. And that alone has led me to some of the most rewarding and interesting experiences of my life. Here are a few, in no particular order:

    The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, by Stephen Covey

    The Eighth Habit, by Stephen Covey

    Bowling Alone, by Robert D. Putnam

    A Failure of Nerve, by Edwin H. Friedman


    Covey helped me to see what taking a hold of your life looks like. Putnam made me see the shape of society in a new way, and Friedman taught me why smart people (myself included) do stupid things. Of all of them, Friedman has been the most profound, but Covey is perhaps the most inspiring, although none of these are 'inspirational' or 'feel good' in the conventional sense. They are more about understanding yourself.
    I suspect if you are like me you have a lot of potential, but are unsure exactly how to pursue it. Finding your focus will free you from needing a new experience, because you will be self-directed.

    God Bless you and I hope you find what you're looking for.

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  4. Sorry, that last one was by me!

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  5. You could do some volunteering. A charity, an activist organization, or a cultural institution (such as in the arts), would open up a world of experiences, insights, ideas, for you.

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  6. Rach--I've thought about that, but never knew where to start. Now that I'm open to possibilities, I wouldn't be surprised if I started seeing them everywhere.

    Neal--I wondered! lol Thanks for your list...you've been very helpful to me the past couple of days. :)

    JES--Usually the breakthroughs that follow these restless times aren't really breakthroughs but smushthroughs or something like that. Very unsatisfying, and ultimately I end up in the same place. This time I may actually be ready for change.

    WIGSF--I did LSD once in college. Done messed up those circuits. It was fun, but I prefer reality. A bucket of chicken sounds pretty good about now, though.

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  7. Oooh, going to turn into a regular party girl, huh? ;) You'll need new shoes for that you know! LOL

    Have you thought about seeing if your library needs help? Are there any local museums that need docents? Volunteer to read at retirement homes, or hospitals. Or you could maybe see if there's a group for teaching adults to read.

    Lots of possibilities out there dolly. Start making a list of all the things that interest you and then see if you can find something that combines some or all of them. :)

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  8. I've been thinking about this for a while, and I feel like the stuff is already in place if I just step out of my box and look around, you know? I could see buying some new shoes to step out in, though. lol

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  9. I'm wholly and fully unqualified to answer this, but to me what you're describing is the perfect opportunity to put together a writing workshop to show people the craft of writing and teach them how to get better at it if they're so inclined.

    It starts with a space very much like this one, wherein you have online access to people and then you put up a sort of curriculum with topics to cover and things you'll discuss. Including a forum for further discussion and questions isn't a bad idea either, and since your site host probably already has a forum software installed or recommends one, using that would be good.

    Once you have stuff organized online and ready to go, you also have a terrific syllabus for a workshop you can give at your local adult education center, public library, community college maybe... or all of the above.

    And that, in my humble opinion, can be parlayed into a non-fiction book (I have an agent, you know, because I'm the WORKING PRO) or series of magazine articles or what-have-you.

    How's that for an idea? It's not from the Universe though. Does it still count?

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  10. God works in mysterious ways. :) That sounds way too ambitious for little ol' me, but that's what happens in my wildest dreams. I have to be okay with fumbling my way around for a while, and trying new things without letting fear hold me back. Now there's a blog post for ya.

    BTW, congrats on the new laptop!!

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