I began to imagine A CoCreative Path about 15 years ago, as I was moving toward my sixtieth birthday. Over the years I have learned to think of life as a journey of becoming who I am, and have appreciated the many transitions of life as opportunities to reflect on where I am, where I have been, and where I want to go. As I often did, I was looking at the new decade as a major threshold. I was also on my way to entering my third thirties, and had no interest in conventional retirement. I wanted to pursue the next chapter of life as an opportunity to refine and redefine my life direction.
I started to look at the threads of continuity in my life. I looked at my sense of self and worldview, the healing of life’s hurts and the ares I still struggled with, what was important to me and what was left to let go of. I considered my accomplishments, failures, and ongoing ambitions.
I never considered a career but, rather, was committed early to following my evolving interests and passion. I had started my adult life with an interest in working with my hands as well as a strong interest in spirituality and the human condition. I was a hippie drawn to the movement of social change, became a builder influenced by the “back to the land movement of the 70’s and the beginnings of green building, and explored spirituality, eastern and western influences.
By mid life, my growing focus on spirituality, emotional healing, and cultural change took me to studies at a Mennonite seminary. With no background, I was interested in their view of the bible centered on Jesus’ teachings, as well as their commitment to community and nonviolence. I spent the time in seminary focused on Christian history (I really want to understand how we got from the teachings of Jesus to the current chaos called Christianity), counseling, spiritual direction, and conflict resolution. From there, I spent about 15 years in related stipend based work and pursued my interest in intentional community.
I returned to building in my mid 50’s and was now ready to consider a new chapter. I wanted to bring the threads together to develop a green built and community oriented neighborhood. I also wanted to bring my thoughts and experience with personal growth, interpersonal relationships, and community building into focus, and a plan for sharing. Developing the neighborhood took the bulk of my energy and effort, with only enough energy to dabble in that part of the plan.
Well, my current decade, the nearing competition of the neighborhood, and continued growth in my own inner work and understanding is providing the opportunity to refocus on the rest of the plan. A CoCreative Path is my attempt to focus and share the journey. My hope is to encourage and support the focus of your evolving journey.